How buying a share works
If you have never bought meat by the animal before, the process can sound strange: shares, hanging weight, cut sheets. It is actually simple, it is how farm families have filled freezers for generations, and the law is on your side. Here is everything, in plain English.
The short version
- 1Reserve a quarter, half, or whole animal with a deposit. You now own a share of that animal.
- 2Fill out your cut sheet online so the butcher cuts it your way.
- 3We raise it to finish weight and deliver it to the processor on the scheduled date.
- 4You get the certified hanging weight and your final invoice, minus your deposit.
- 5Pay the balance, pick up your boxed, frozen share at the processor, and fill your freezer.
Common questions
Why can't I just buy 50 lbs of steaks from you?+
Federal law. Small farms process animals at custom-exempt butchers, and meat from those butchers legally cannot be sold by the cut. It can only go to the animal's owners. So instead of selling you meat, we sell you an ownership share of the live animal. You become a co-owner before processing, and the butcher processes your animal for you. Same beef, fully legal, and honestly a much better deal per pound.
What does 'hanging weight' mean and why do you price on it?+
Hanging weight is the carcass weight after slaughter, before cutting. It is the industry-standard way every processor weighs and every honest farm prices. A beef animal's hanging weight is about 63% of its live weight, and your packaged take-home is about 70% of hanging weight bone-in. We price on hanging weight because it is measured on a certified scale, printed on the processor's ticket, and impossible to fudge.
How much money do I actually save?+
A quarter beef typically works out to $9–$10 per pound of packaged meat including processing. That sounds high until you remember it is a mix of ribeyes, tenderloin, roasts, and ground that runs $12–$15 per pound retail, not just cheap cuts. Try the yield calculator to run your own numbers.
How much freezer space do I need?+
Plan on about 1 cubic foot per 35–40 lbs of packaged meat. A quarter beef (~130 lbs) fits in a small 3.5 cu ft chest freezer. A half needs about 7 cu ft.
What is a cut sheet?+
Your instructions to the butcher: steak thickness, roast size, how much ground beef, bone-in or boneless, and specialty items like short ribs or soup bones. You fill it out right on this site after reserving. No phone tag required.
When do I pay what?+
A deposit reserves your share and locks the processor date. After processing day we send your final invoice based on your share's actual hanging weight, minus your deposit. Processing is paid directly to the processor when you pick up.
Is the deposit refundable?+
Deposits are credited in full to your final balance. If you need to back out, we will refund your deposit as soon as your share is re-reserved. Fall shares almost always re-sell.
Ready to claim a share?
Fall processor dates at Blairwickshire Farm fill months ahead. Reserve now or get on the waitlist.