Does anyone have recommendations of ranches for buying either 1/4 or 1/2 cow?

Located near Austin, either grass-fed/grain-finished or grass-fed/finished.

If you're buying a quarter to half, you should just talk to a local butcher who does custom-cut meat plans. They can usually buy enough product that they get the same savings you'd get and they'd cut it how you want it.

I bought about a whole steer back in 2020 at a local butcher here in FW. Cut it up how I wanted it, and threw in a bunch of pork and chicken as well. Was about 4-5k all told, but it fully filled an upright 30cuft freezer and a second chest freezer that I bought from them.

I've never bought from them but Don Pryor on KLBJ AM is always advertising for these folks.

Windy Bar Beef

Buyer beware.  

The new processor in my Hood is selling/involved in selling partial carcasses.  I got a sample of what they called "better than choice, but not quite prime."  Couple t-bones.  

My rating would have been far different.  No intramuscular fat, and ate like select at best.  We figured, if this was the sample, no thanks on a half.  

These were ranch raised and allegedly grain finished.  Allegedly.  

Yup. Get a small combo pack first to try out a few different cuts. That way you can see what's good and what's not. I did that with my local butcher and it was amazing, the entire steer (+ the nearly second one I've gotten) is just as good. The ground is divine.

A buddy I used to work with is now raising cattle.  He's in the Austin area.  

Might be some old ropers fed grain for a few weeks in pens.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, I have freezers full of ours. The tenderloins are damn good, ribeyes are passable and we grind the rest. The ground is good, though lean, and probably hormone free with minimal antibiotics.

But I won't be advertising any with supposed grades, and that's probably not something that shop ought to be doing. Not a USDA plant, I presume?