Print FriendlyYou might have seen that we are finally going to be offering our very own pasture raised Jersey Beef for sale! This is an exciting moment for us as it takes quite a while (18 months!) and a lot of work to raise steers for beef. And I’ll be brutally honest, it’s also hard to maintain cash flow for the time that you’re raising them. We’ve been feeding between 6 and 19 head of cattle for the last year and a half and this will be the first time money has come in instead of going out! We’ve loved every minute of it though and so it’s all very bittersweet.
But enough of that! Although our long term goal is to have individual cuts of meat available year round, we are currently selling our beef as wholes, halves, and quarters. What does that mean? Well, it means that instead of dropping by the farm and picking out just one or two steaks, you actually buy a whole steer, a half of a steer, or a quarter of a steer. When you buy meat this way, you get a variety of cuts including steaks, roasts, hamburger and stew meat. A whole beef yields about 300lbs of meat in your freezer. A half yields about 150lbs and a quarter of course yields about 75lbs of meat.
So, why would you want to buy this much meat at one time?! There are a number of reasons.
1. It’s cheaper
Who doesn’t like to save money? It’s a lot to bite off at one time and you have to have a bit of freezer space (for more info on freezer space head over to the FAQ section on our beef page) BUT the per lb price is very reasonable when you consider the number of steaks and roasts you end up with. Of course, that depends on your wants as well. If you want all of the meat ground into hamburger you can certainly have that done, but take advantage of the cheap steaks! Buying in bulk from us like this, you will end up paying about $6.97 per lb of meat. Compare that to the grocery store where steaks range from $7-$14 per lb depending on the specific cut and roasts run about $6/lb. You can get roughly 75% steaks/roasts and 25% hamburger out of a whole steer, which means you easily come out ahead by buying in bulk.
2. Quality
Jersey beef is well marbled and oh so tender! Also, because Jerseys are naturally more trim, you won’t end up with a ton of excess fat on the edges of your steaks. Great marbling for flavor within the meat but not a lot of waste on the edges. It’s a win-win!
In addition to the great characteristics of the meat itself, you can also be confident that our steers were treated well all the way until the end. They are raised on pasture in the summer and receive small amounts of grain and lots of quality hay in the winter. You can drive by the farm and see them lounging in the pasture almost any time of day and you can even visit us here at the farm and ask any questions you like!
3. Variety
When you buy a whole, half, or quarter beef, you get a wide variety of cuts. Including cuts you might not normally buy in the store whether it be because of price (it’s hard to fork out $14 a lb for a t-bone!) or simply because it’s just too easy to buy the same old things all the time. I have linked to a nifty cut chart on our beef page that helps you decide how to cook ‘new to you’ cuts of meat! Also, over time, I will be building up our recipe arsenal on the blog. :)
4. Get it how you like it!
When you buy from us, you have the opportunity to tell the locker exactly how you want your meat cut! Want more steaks and fewer roasts? They can do that! Want more or less hamburger? Done. Prefer your steaks to be thicker? They can do that too!
*bear in mind that there are some limitations - for example: you can only get so many roasts out of one critter ;)
5. You get to support a local farmer
Not only do you know exactly where and how your meat was raised, you also know WHO raised it. America was built on small farms and we are working hard to keep the tradition alive. Farming is more to us than just a paycheck. It’s giving the livestock the best quality of life possible. It’s taking care of the land entrusted to us and leaving it better than we found it. It’s providing nutrition for your family and ours. It’s also about helping people experience the farm and connect with the land that they otherwise might not get to. That’s why we offer tours and open houses and maintain the blog. We want to know you and we want you to know us! Because ultimately, we can’t do any of this without YOU!
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
But enough of that! Although our long term goal is to have individual cuts of meat available year round, we are currently selling our beef as wholes, halves, and quarters. What does that mean? Well, it means that instead of dropping by the farm and picking out just one or two steaks, you actually buy a whole steer, a half of a steer, or a quarter of a steer. When you buy meat this way, you get a variety of cuts including steaks, roasts, hamburger and stew meat. A whole beef yields about 300lbs of meat in your freezer. A half yields about 150lbs and a quarter of course yields about 75lbs of meat.
So, why would you want to buy this much meat at one time?! There are a number of reasons.
1. It’s cheaper
Who doesn’t like to save money? It’s a lot to bite off at one time and you have to have a bit of freezer space (for more info on freezer space head over to the FAQ section on our beef page) BUT the per lb price is very reasonable when you consider the number of steaks and roasts you end up with. Of course, that depends on your wants as well. If you want all of the meat ground into hamburger you can certainly have that done, but take advantage of the cheap steaks! Buying in bulk from us like this, you will end up paying about $6.97 per lb of meat. Compare that to the grocery store where steaks range from $7-$14 per lb depending on the specific cut and roasts run about $6/lb. You can get roughly 75% steaks/roasts and 25% hamburger out of a whole steer, which means you easily come out ahead by buying in bulk.
2. Quality
Jersey beef is well marbled and oh so tender! Also, because Jerseys are naturally more trim, you won’t end up with a ton of excess fat on the edges of your steaks. Great marbling for flavor within the meat but not a lot of waste on the edges. It’s a win-win!
In addition to the great characteristics of the meat itself, you can also be confident that our steers were treated well all the way until the end. They are raised on pasture in the summer and receive small amounts of grain and lots of quality hay in the winter. You can drive by the farm and see them lounging in the pasture almost any time of day and you can even visit us here at the farm and ask any questions you like!
3. Variety
When you buy a whole, half, or quarter beef, you get a wide variety of cuts. Including cuts you might not normally buy in the store whether it be because of price (it’s hard to fork out $14 a lb for a t-bone!) or simply because it’s just too easy to buy the same old things all the time. I have linked to a nifty cut chart on our beef page that helps you decide how to cook ‘new to you’ cuts of meat! Also, over time, I will be building up our recipe arsenal on the blog. :)
4. Get it how you like it!
When you buy from us, you have the opportunity to tell the locker exactly how you want your meat cut! Want more steaks and fewer roasts? They can do that! Want more or less hamburger? Done. Prefer your steaks to be thicker? They can do that too!
*bear in mind that there are some limitations - for example: you can only get so many roasts out of one critter ;)
5. You get to support a local farmer
Not only do you know exactly where and how your meat was raised, you also know WHO raised it. America was built on small farms and we are working hard to keep the tradition alive. Farming is more to us than just a paycheck. It’s giving the livestock the best quality of life possible. It’s taking care of the land entrusted to us and leaving it better than we found it. It’s providing nutrition for your family and ours. It’s also about helping people experience the farm and connect with the land that they otherwise might not get to. That’s why we offer tours and open houses and maintain the blog. We want to know you and we want you to know us! Because ultimately, we can’t do any of this without YOU!
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
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