Buying a 1/4 Cow for Beef - Is it Worth It?? Let’s Go to the Butcher Shop! 

Thanks for watching, enjoy the great beef!

A whole beef!…Your freezer must be massive.

Woah, the meat lasta for 8 months? Why not buy a little less meat and relatively more often You would get fresh meat

🤣💯

Nice work, sounds like a great deal! Enjoy that meat. 🥩 🤠🍻

Thanks Justin!🤠

You got it, thanks for watching!

Buying beef in a form other than the finished, packaged pound can be a daunting task. I’m glad this helped, and I sure hope it’s tasty!🤠

Thanks for watching

You got it, thanks for watching!

🤣🤣🤣🍻

Thanks for watching!🍻

You got it - Thanks for watching!

Oh, I will let her know!🤣. Glad it was helpful. Best of luck on the beef!

Highly recommend to get a 1/4th atleast. If you split a 1/4th and only get a 1/8th you really don't get much at all. Plus it's very complicated to divide and split that way

@@hdelano11 a quarter split is still a quarter of the cow it’s just part of the front and the rear

Best of luck! Glad it was helpful.😀

Absolutely, thanks for watching

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching🍻

Thanks for watching!🤠

Thanks for watching!

Thanks Kenny!😀

He has his own farm. He can raise his own cow for free. Seems strange.

It worked for us…best of luck

You got it, thanks for watching!

I am glad we have farmers like yourself. Keep up the good work.

@@M-TEK1 Thank you, Rick!

Thank you - you as well!🤠

Great advice

Best of luck!🤠

👍👍

Thanks for watching and commenting. Just had steak tonight, and it was incredible. I’m hoping these Red Devons we’re raising come in close to that ideal weight you’re talking about.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks, Jenn! I believe the USDA info was here: www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lswbfrtl.pdf

Only way to go!👍

We do too but it's hard keeping him in there.

Thanks for the update!🤠

🤣🤣🤣

Thanks, Will👍

…I really wish this video was on bison meat that I had processed myself. Farm goals, someday.

Hi Manny from Chicago!😀. Our farm is right outside Oxford, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati). Home of the Miami Redhawks. Thanks for watching, be well!

We actually just finished consuming all of this meat, and it was delicious - some of the best beef I’ve ever had. We go thru it so fast that another wrapping is unnecessary, but might be a good idea if it was sitting for more than a year.

That sounds phenomenal! Enjoy every bit of it!🤠

Thanks Matt - Keep up the good work raising top quality beef!

How do you figure you can grow 100% grass fed hay does not count and grass fed will never taste better or be more tender than grain fed if you don't believe that I have a whole freezer full and it's even a Holstein way better than any beef breed

@@jasonleckrone2577 According to AGA, ruminants on pasture may be fed “hay & haylage, balage, silage, forage products, crop residue without grain, small grains harvested in the pre-dough stage, and roughage.” www.americangrassfed.org Obviously, nobody wins the taste test debate, regardless of who says what. I will say this: This video is about our quarter cow we purchased from a local farm family who feeds both grass and grain and the meat is INCREDIBLE! You grass/grain farmers do an excellent job raising tasty beef - some of the best steak I’ve ever had! My grandfather was a row cropper, and so I love you guys, but here are a few candid questions I have surrounding this debate (may they in no way disrespect any hard-working farmer reading this, but initiate further discussion): Why won’t most row croppers acknowledge not everybody has half a million dollars, nor wants to spend it for equipment that operates within a system that continually enslaves its participants (seed costs, chemical fertilizers, etc.)? Can this way of raising grain, and consequently cattle, really continue? Isn’t that the definition of successful farming - to be able to continue on your land, independently of corporate interests? Some farmers in my area are considering not even planting seeds this year because of the high costs. They are trapped in a brutal system that is breaking all around them, and my heart breaks for them. I pray God provides them a way out. Grass is all some farmers have and all they wish to have for the simple reason that it independently feeds out ruminants, who then feed us. Sure, it can be trendy, and some are over the top, but I fear many will be surprised at who is still farming in just a few short years.

@@birchfieldfarming so then you can't feed corn silage correct because the last time I checked it had grain in it you can keep your grass fed leather and I'll stick with my grain fed melt in your mouth

@@jasonleckrone2577 The Lord bless you, Sir, your herd, and your farming endeavors.

This is awesome! Thank you for providing this for myself and our viewers!! One of the challenging aspects to a video like this is the crazy inflation. My numbers are pretty outdated now. I made another video on a half a cow about 7 months ago. I’ll link below. I’m really curious if you think your formula holds true or is close with those numbers as well? Thanks again for this!!🤠 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dgeLMXaIGi0.html

@@birchfieldfarming Very much my pleasure! Thank you very much!!!

Thanks, George

saw a trick long time ago. freeze a plastic cup of water & place a penny / nickel on top it & if you find it on bottom one day you know everything defrosted.

That’s a great deal, healthy, and what a bonus to be supporting a local farmer as well!🤠

Sounds delicious!😀

…and unfortunately we’ve only gone straight up on those prices since this video was made 9 months ago. I heard last night another 10% hike within the next few months. I never expected this video to get this much attention when I made it!

Farm bought is almost always better in taste and the quality is very good but it use to be a better price! There is not enough saving to justify the hassle in this deal but if there happy with the deal then good for them!

@@raygunnerloadrick6955 I paid 2.50 per lbs hanging weight and 265 for processing. Very much worth the hassle for the savings

@@SumOneSomewhere well yeah at 2.50 per pound

@@raygunnerloadrick6955 I paid 3.25/lb for more than 300lbs... it's well worth it. The meat in grocery stores in now way compares to the quality and taste! It does come out to be much cheaper especially the cuts you'll be getting! . I'm talking feeding a family of 2 for a whole year or a single person more than a year of good eating daily!!!!! There is no comparison

Sounds like a sweet deal!

The beef is so much better than from grocery store. It’s worth paying more.

Sounds like you did well. You know, one thing to consider is prices have gone up considerably since I made this video. Maybe I need to do a follow-up this year.

Awesome, best of luck!🤠

Thanks for watching! Yes, I believe weights are on each cut, and each pkg of ground is obviously 1 lb.

@@birchfieldfarming thanks!

Yeah, I’m feeding a family of 5, so we actually just finished up this meat and have ordered a half next. If I was by myself, it would be way too much, but one other idea is to get a few friends together on a bulk purchase. Thanks for watching!

@@birchfieldfarming going in with others is a good idea

What’s the advantage to butcher’s paper? Is it just not wanting plastic?

@@birchfieldfarming butcher's here swear that the wax coated paper protects meat longer than the vacuum bags do. I think the vacuum plastic still allows moisture to leech out leading to freezer burn sooner.

@@kenthhamner2641 Interesting, thanks for sharing!

We do mostly ground, roasts, brisket, and steak (ribeye, sirloin, etc). Many choices at the processor.

Half is a great idea!

Great ideas to be prepared.

You got that right! Congrats!!😀

Yeah, it’s always been interesting to me how different the cost of living is in different areas of the country. You bring up an interesting point, which I continue to run into on my channel - what works in one geographic area of the country doesn’t necessarily work in another. It’s curious for sure, thanks for the comment.

@@birchfieldfarming You are welcome. My wife comes from Utah and they are more in tune with the prices you are using. They live in the middle of nowhere. I cook a lot of different foods and like to find different produce. My wife had never seen a parsnip before moving out here or many of the Asian/Indian dishes I cook. My buddy is from upstate NY and was talking about lobsters and couldn't believe that we get them for $6.99 a pound during sales in the summer when he pays $25 a pound most of the time and Utah they generally can't get them. I don't like to shop for food at Walmart, but my wife's family has no choice but to drive 45 minutes to shop at one for their groceries. It might be interesting if you were to collate a bunch of data from various subscribers that live in different areas of the country.

The thing to remember about my video though is that it was made about 9 months ago, and everything has gone up. It doesn’t sound like you did too bad to me! I bet you got some tasty meat and don’t have to worry about trucks (or lack there of) delivering to stores in the coming months.

Only way to go!👍

Where did you get your 1/4 cow online?

@@desantasmith5539 I called Running W farms, West Branch Michigan.

Sounds delicious! We got smart and ordered a half for Summer!

You got it!👍

No, the processed cow was from another farm.

Very smart! Uprights would be a great upgrade for us!

…this is true! Most are probably already at the grocery for other items, but still a great point.

Exactly

Sounds like a great deal, and I bet it’s good meat.

Best answer I could give is by talking with your local farmer and/or processor.

Yes, this was grass/grain, and made awhile ago. Inflation has been brutal! Plus, your cost of living out in Jersey is probably higher than here. Lots of factors, but the main thing is you’ve now got a freezer full of great beef!

Yeah, they’re processing the entire animal and dividing into quarters at the end for sale purposes. Definitely lots to keep track of as a processor - thankful we have competent local farmers and processors that bring us a final product far superior to grocery store meat.

@@birchfieldfarming Interesting way to do it. I remember mom and dad buying a front 1/4 or Hind. I just processed one this weekend.

A quarter is usually half of a half beef. Not front or rear quarter.

It's funny most think of a 1/4th a cow as just getting it from the front or the hind lol. They don't realize the whole half is done, then split 50/50 to get a 1/4th for a customer. Problem is, getting 2 people to agree to a even split. I have customers that want roasts and some want them in burger so you have to keep them separate, weigh, and add or subtract the difference in burger

This would be called a "mixed" quarter. I have my butcher split the animal in 2 for me. When I get it home, I do the "mix" and deliver it to co-workers/friends. Less work for the butcher.

🤣🤣🤠

😀

Processor did not make the distinction

Thanks for the info. Direct to consumer is the best model for what we do here.

Nah, everything has been some of the best we’ve ever had. Packaging has been fine.

Freezer burn is mainly from the thaw/freeze cycle of a "frost-free" freezer. Chest freezers, like the one shown here, generally don't have a defrost cycle. They have to be defrosted periodically by hand (i.e. empty the freezer, turn it off, let all the water drain out), but it means that stuff you put in it *stays frozen* and so won't get freezer burn. The packaging looks fine to me, but it's not going to contribute to freezer burn in any case.

I told him to buy the dip and sell the rip, but he told me to keep the change you filthy animal

Nice!👌🤠

Guy in Tennessee bought 1/2 for a little over $3 a pound.

@@mhammer5 🔥🔥🔥

Family of 5, and it’ll last us 6 to 8 months of moderate use, meaning a couple meals a week. I made the video about 9 months ago, and we actually just ran out.

You got it, John!🤠

Awesome - probably much better tasting than the grocery as well!

I agree💯 - we would do it even if it cost us a little more than grocery. The taste of this beef has been incredible!

You’re right - there are so many other reasons to raise your own and/or buy locally. One other thing I ponder is the brutal centralization of the big 4 meat packers. If Covid taught us anything, it was that the decentralization of the food supply thru local production and direct sales should be a top priority.

@@birchfieldfarming We definitely need to maintain access to local butchering alongside the mega ones. Same thing goes for the entire food supply imo. That's why I began looking at rural YT channels even though I'm pretty much a city guy. I want to know as much as possible about the how and where as I can. Growing up our family tried the half-cow purchase once with another family straight from the farmer and got some help processing the carcass on the farm from a guy who'd done it before. We never got another because my sisters kept whining that the meat didn't taste the same (untrue) because they were squeamish after the side of beef hung in the basement for a couple of days and they got to know the beef before it hit the deep freezer then the plate.

No filet this time. Sounds like a deal!

Ha! 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

I feel ya! - We just put an order in for 2 - 1/4’s. Thought spacing it out might be better with freezer space. We’ll see.

You got it!

Any numbers I have are in the video

Tea…gotta stir in that honey 🍯

We have a family of 5 and at one meal a week it lasted us about 9 months.

Our processor lets us choose what cuts we want. It’s pretty great!

I’m sure the charges vary widely between processors and regions - hopefully folks can still see the point, which is to stop buying grocery store meat and support local farmers.

It wasn't that high. We charge 110 for that. Most get 80-100 on average. I'm sure it's a reason for the 128 to kill the whole beef and as the buyer said it varies

We weren’t provided this information.

The meat is gone. It tasted great. I think there was an option for paper wrap.

Thanks for watching.

World of difference in quality, unless you ever bought both, you wouldn't know it.

I think the live weight number was in there somewhere. They grow em big in Ohio. 🥩

Sounds like a deal!

6 packages of loin steak, I believe there were two pieces of meat to a package.

@@birchfieldfarming thank you for the info. I want also to buy bulk beef and i live in Southwest Germany. Beef is very expensive here. Steaks and Tomahawks are pricy...

@@johndavidshostak4124 Wish I could help. I don’t know anyone across the pond with bulk beef, but maybe someone who does will read this and chime in here! You never know. Take care!