Purchasing Local Pasture Raised Lamb

At Hoof & Clover Farm, our lambs spend their spring and summers on our pastures eating grasses and forbs. In the fall, they are moved to a spacious, well-ventilated barn to give our fields a rest as we rotate our grazing land. During these fall and winter times, we provide our lambs 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 year round.

Our sheep are Katahdin, a hair sheep, with mild meat. Most people who “don’t like lamb” enjoy eating Katahdin lamb. The meat is said to be milder tasting because hair sheep have fewer lanolin glands than wooly sheep.

They go to market nearly full grown at 8-10 months of age, but still young enough that they do not have a strong flavor. Our lambs are born and raised on our farm.

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

How Much Lamb do I Get?

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

Being Katahdins on a forage diet, our lambs are lean and approximately 100 lbs live. Based on an average live weight of 100 pounds, the hanging weights would be as follows:

• Whole: 55 lbs hanging weight

• Half: 28 lbs hanging weight

There is about a 45% trim loss from hanging weight to actual take-home weight, so on average your finished cuts will be approximately:

• Whole: 30 lbs finished cuts

• Half: 15 lbs finished cuts

To take advantage of buying your lamb straight from a local farm. You can have roasts, lamb chops, stew meat, ground lamb, 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 (30 lbs finished cuts): 1 cubic foot

• Half (18 lbs finished cuts): 0.5 cubic feet

How Do I Order?

Customers can purchase freezer lamb as a half or whole. Our freezer lamb costs for 2023 are:

• Whole: $6.75 per pound hanging weight + processing fee

• Half: $6.75 per pound hanging weight + processing fee

If you have never bought freezer lamb, you are probably wondering what a half or whole will cost. In general, a whole lamb cost about $475 (lamb + processing fee) and a half lamb costs around $250 (lamb + processing fee).

Approximate processing fees are $125 for 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 2023 freezer beef. Accepted forms of payments are cash, personal check, or Venmo (@hoofandcloverfarm).

• $100 for a whole lamb

• $50 for a half lamb

If for some reason something was to change and you are not able to fulfill your order, please let us know at least 60 days prior to the processing date.

How do I pay for my order?

Several weeks after your lamb goes to the processor, we will contact you with the hanging weight of your lamb. Your hanging weight is multiplied by price per pound of hanging weight based on the lamb ordered (half, whole), minus your deposit. The remaining amount will be your total still due for your freezer lamb.

You then send the remaining amount for lamb via cash, personal check or Venmo (@hoofandcloverfarm). ALL payment for lamb MUST be received before you go to pick up your lamb at the processing facility. You will pay the packaging fee directly to Caledonia Packing upon pick-up.

Picking Up Your Order

Your order is expected to be ready in early-February 2023.

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 halves or whole lamb. You are responsible to pick up your order at 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!