What is a beef Share?
A beef share is just what it sounds like: you buy a portion of a steer (male neutered bovine.)
In the spring of each year we send out orders for beef shares. We purchase the steers in the spring and feed and care for them on bucolic grass fed pastures here in the highlands of West Virginia.
You place your order for your share. Either a quarter, half, or whole beef and secure it with a deposit.
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In the fall, typically November, when the steers are big, we butcher, and package them and you enjoy delicious and humanely raised beef all year!
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Read on for more details...
Terminology
Live weight (on the hoof): How much the animal weighs when it's out in the pasture.
Hanging weight (on the rail):
How much the animal weighs "on the hook", or after it's been slaughtered, skinned, the guts removed, the head removed and front and rear fetlocks removed. In short, hanging weight is mostly meat, but still includes a whole lot of bones you can't do much with.
Cut and Wrapped weight:
How many pounds of actual meat you end up with in your freezer.
When you buy a share of beef, your share (¼, ½, etc.) is based on the hanging weight. Your cut and wrapped share will be roughly 60% of the hanging weight.
Individual shares of beef will vary depending upon the size of your animal. In other words, if your cow grows really big, you will get more pounds of beef.
An Example
You buy a share of a steer that grows to be 1000 pounds.
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He is butchered and his carcass yields about 600 pounds of hanging meat.
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The 600 pound carcass yields approximately:
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430 pounds boneless trimmed beef (The meat that will be “cut and wrapped”)
105 pounds fat trim
75 pounds bone
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The 430 pounds of boneless, trimmed beef typical break out to include:
130 pounds ground beef. Note: There is always A LOT of ground beef!
60 pounds round roasts and steaks
63 pounds chuck roasts and steaks
56 pounds rib and loin steaks
35 pounds other cuts (brisket, flank, short ribs, skirt steak)
A half beef and quarter beef are a half and quarter of the above numbers, respectively.
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Maybe this helps explain how the products from a 1000 pound steer fit in your freezer!