Purchasing Local Pasture Raised Beef

At Hoof & Clover Farm, our cattle spend their spring and summers on our pastures eating grass. In the fall, they are moved to their winter pastures to give our fields a rest as we rotate our grazing land. During these fall and winter times, we provide our cattle with premium hay, the majority of which we raise right here on our farm in Williamston, Michigan, and make sure they have access to clean water and free mineral.

All of our animals are treated humanely, worked and handled with respect, growth hormone free, and only given antibiotics sparingly for life saving reasons.

Cattle are grain finished, on a mixture that we make on the farm. We provide our livestock with our locally raised grains. This step adds a nice flavor and marbling to the steaks.

How Much Beef do I Get?

A family of 4 people will typically eat 225 pounds of beef in one year (1). Every family is different so consider how often you eat at home, how many people are in your household, and how many times you eat beef during the week.

Each animal is different, so these are average hanging weights, which will vary each time you purchase beef. Hanging weight is the weight on the rail before cutting and removing extra fat and bone. The beef usually hangs for a minimum of ten days, and then the processor cuts and packages. Your final total packaged weight and price will vary.

It should be noted that our cattle are smaller in weight than most other farms’ freezer beef, as we process our cattle around one year in age. This approach leads to leaner and more tender meat. Based on an average live weight of 860 pounds, the hanging weights would be as follows:

• Whole: 515 lbs hanging weight

• Half: 255 lbs hanging weight

• Quarter: 127 lbs hanging weight

There is a 35-40% trim loss from hanging weight to actual take-home weight, so on average your finished cuts will be approximately:

• Whole: 300 lbs finished cuts

• Half: 150 lbs finished cuts

• Quarter: 75 lbs finished cuts

To take advantage of buying your beef straight from a local farm, you will want to be sure to order a variety of cuts. You can have tenderloin, sirloin, T-Bone, and round steaks, chuck roasts, brisket, ground beef, and more!

How Much Freezer Space do I Need?

When it comes to freezer space needed, plan on one cubic foot of freezer space for each 35-40 pounds of cut and wrapped meat. Allow slightly more space when the meat is packaged in odd shapes. You will need approximately the following freezer space for your order:

• Whole (300 lbs finished cuts): 7-9 cubic feet

• Half (150 lbs finished cuts): 3.5-4.5 cubic feet

• Quarter (75 lbs finished cuts): 2 cubic feet

How Do I Order?

Customers can purchase freezer beef as a quarter, half or whole. Our freezer beef costs for 2025 are:

• Whole: $4.00 per pound hanging weight + processing fee

• Half: $4.25 per pound hanging weight + processing fee

• Quarter: $4.25 per pound hanging weight + processing fee

If you have never bought freezer beef, you are probably wondering what a quarter, half, or whole will cost. In general, a whole cost is about $ 2,637 (beef + processing fee), a half beef costs around $1,369 (beef + processing fee), and a quarter beef package costs approximately $684 (beef + processing fee).

Approximate processing fees range between $145 for a quarter to $575 for a whole (dependent on hanging weight and cutting instructions). Processing fees are subject to change!

All pricing is based on standard cutting instructions and includes cutting, wrapping, and deep freezing (-10 F).

How do I secure my order?

Currently, we are accepting deposits for freezer beef. Accepted forms of payments are cash, personal check, or Venmo (@hoofandcloverfarm).

• $400 for a whole beef

• $200 for a half beef

• $100 for a quarter beef

Deposits are only refundable if our farm is unable to fulfill your order. Deposits can be made via cash, check, or Venmo (@hoofandcloverfarm).

If you decide to use Venmo for payment, please note that Venmo applies a 1.9% transaction fee to all business transactions. To ensure full transparency, this fee will be added to your total if you choose Venmo as your payment method.

How do I pay for my order?

After your beef goes to the processor, we will contact you with the hanging weight of your beef within a couple of days. Your hanging weight is multiplied by price per pound of hanging weight based on the beef ordered (whole, half, quarter), minus your deposit. The remaining amount will be your total still due for your freezer beef.

You will send us the remaining amount for beef to via cash, personal check or Venmo (@hoofandcloverfarm).

ALL remaining payment for beef MUST be received within 3 business days of farm-to-fork transition. You will pay the separate packaging fee directly to Caledonia Packing over the phone or upon pick-up.

If you decide to use Venmo for payment, please note that Venmo applies a 1.9% transaction fee to all business transactions. To ensure full transparency, this fee will be added to your total if you choose Venmo as your payment method.

Picking Up Your Order

All harvesting, processing, and packaging occurs at Caledonia Packing (caledoniapacking.com), which is a Federally Inspected USDA Slaughter and Processing facility.

We do not ship whole, half, or quarter beef. You are responsible to pick up your order at our local processor.

We recommend when transporting to your home that you wrap the boxes of beef in several blankets or place it in coolers to keep it frozen for the ride.

Have Other Questions

Please contact Josh and Jen with any other questions!

(1) USDA Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook: July 2024