Our cattle are a smaller heritage breed from Ireland called Dexter, producing about 280 lbs of beef for your freezer. They are the perfect size for a family. We recommend purchasing a whole Dexter beef, as this is roughly equivalent to a half Angus. We also run a second herd of mixed standard breeds (Angus, Brahma, Charolais, Hereford) with a Brangus bull over them.
The calves are born and raised on our pastures—we do not buy feeder calves. We rotate our cattle through our pastures following our goat herd. While goats are browsers and prefer leafy weeds, the cattle will clean up the grass that the goats leave behind. Our cattle can be raised entirely on grass, or on pasture and supplemented with just enough grain for a less lean finish.
We have never had to administer any antibiotics to our cattle due in part to the way we rest our pastures. Additionally, as we rotate cattle and goats, they “clean up” the pasture for each other as the pests of one species are neutralized by the other. And of course our livestock are never given growth hormones.
| Cut | Price |
| Whole Beef | $9.25 per lb hanging weight |
| Half Beef | $9.50 per lb hanging weight |
We charge a flat rate based on the exact hanging weight of your steer including the butcher fees and delivery to the Sarasota area! Notice this is different than “usual” but that is because most producers advertise just the price of the beef and then have the separate butchers fees and separate delivery fees. Once we know the hanging weight from the butcher, we know the total price. There are no surprises when you get your beef!
As an example suppose a steer has a hanging weight of 350 lbs. At $9.25/lb that comes to $3,237.50 for a whole or $1,618.75 for a half. Usually you can expect a take home weight of %65 of the hanging weight and more than that if you are “keep everything but the moo” kind of person. Think bone in steaks, meaty bones for bone broth, and marrow bones!
We require a $250 deposit on a half share and a $500 deposit on a whole share. Once we are one month away from the butcher date I will confirm your order at which point that deposit is non-refundable. Right? This is something I cannot delay to find another buyer. However IF I do find a different person to take your share then the deposit is of course refunded.
When we are about a week out we will set up a phone call to go over your exact cut sheet. I will explain what different cuts are possible and preferred. You will be free to ask me all your questions and I am happy to explain the process and cut selections! I used to be a teacher so I genuinely enjoy explaining our cattle and the unique cuts available when you get a whole steer!
*Whole and Half pricing is based on hanging weight. Cattle can be weighed 3 common ways. Live, Hanging, and Packaged. The live weight is the weight of the animal on the hoof, completely intact and alive. Hanging weight is the reduced weight after initial processing. The hide, head, entrails have been removed and the animal hangs in a refrigerated space for several days before final processing. The packaged weight is the weight of the meat ready to be stored in your freezer, with some of the excess fat and bones removed.
The weight most commonly reported by butchers is the hanging weight. Not all butchers report the live or packaged weight. This is why it’s most common for farmers to base the cost of the half and whole sales on hanging weight. The packaged weight is approximately 65% of the hanging weight for cattle.
We reserve the use of antibiotics for life-saving measures. After an animal is saved, they are deemed no longer fit for sale. We firmly believe in giving our animals the best life possible and will not let them suffer by strictly adhering to a no antibiotics policy.
