I went to the store yesterday to pick up a couple of steaks for the grill and about had sticker shock. They were at least $2.00 a pound more than what I paid last summer. I think that the grocers are using foot and mouth, BSE, etc. as excuses to jack up the prices, so we are thinking about going in with some friends and buying a side of beef for the freezer. I've never done anything like this before, will it really save us any money? I'm going to call a couple of places and check their prices, what sort of questions should I ask so I don't sound like a complete idiot? Anything to be on the lookout for so we don't get taken? Thanks for your help!

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Answers

I can't be of any help, but I've always wondered the same thing. They have "community supported agriculture," so why not "community supported beefaculture" or whatever you'd call it.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Hi Sherri, We sell natural grass-fed beef directly to customers. Usually when you purchase a side of beef you are charged 'hanging weight', which is a certain price per pound for the carcass before it is cut up into your choice of cuts. It's nice to be able to have your meat cut however your family prefers it. Some people like their steaks 2" thick, some 1" ; some people like bigger roasts then others; some want four steaks to a package and some need two. When you buy a side, you also get the organ meats (which is great dog food if you don't care for it), soup bones , etc. My customers end up paying a little over three dollars a pound, depending on how much, if any, sausage they want made, and so on. This is usually quite a savings compared to health food stores/coops around this part of the country. Many of my customers buy a side once a year for a family of four or five.

Find out how many pounds of CUTS the side would be, the price per pound, if processing is extra, and you can kind of fiqure out your per pound cost. A lot depends on how much ground (cheaper) compared to steaks and roasts (more expensive) you would normally eat if you were buying separate cuts from a store.

You may ask them to save you all the waste bone, etc, for your dogs; they just throw it away, and its great for doggies.

Hope this helps!

Good luck,

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

I think lots of people are going to be out buying up beef too. You might not find any independent sellers whose animals aren't all spoken for. Keep us posted.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

We help a neighbor feed a couple head then split the beef and cost of slaughter.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Buying a side of beef is what my family did when I was growing up. I had a couple of uncles that raised their own, but they were also farmers. I would think this would be the best way to go, you get a better idea of what you are getting and where it came from besides the local/national chain grocery store. I don't eat beef anymore, so it's kind of a moot point for me, but my husband and sons eat it and I will cook it from time to time. We also don't have a freezer right now, so I have a storage problem. I'll be interested to see how other folks experience with this compares to Earthmama's prices and ways to cut it up, which does seem especially reasonable.

Blessings, Judy

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

My husband and I usually reserve a side of beef from a local grower around August or September. This year I placed our order this month just to make sure we're on the list early!! I think lots of folks will be buying locally grown beef this year. Make sure you get the suet for feeding the birds (or chickens). It is great to be able to have your beef cut just the way you like it. And you can't beat the flavor!! Our cost per pound was $1.80 which covered the hanging weight price and the cutting and wrapping.

-- Anonymous, April 09, 2001

Just a thought, but it may be other factors at work jacking up the prices -- like the cost of gasoline that just hiked itself 14 cents a gallon overnight here, as well as traditionally most the slaughtering is done in fall, so you don't have to pay for feed (or have less feed to sell) overwinter. Those can add to the problem.

-- Anonymous, April 10, 2001

I have bought a side of beef before and since you are going in with friends to buy it the one thing I can think of is to be sure you agree on how you want the steaks sliced, how much of the meat you want made up into hamburger, etc. You should also decide if you are going to split everything equally or if one of the other of you wants more roasts and less steaks and you can do a swap. You want to make sure that you both feel you are getting a fair share. I would recommend that you divide everything down the middle and then start trading hamburger for roasts or whatever so that each trade is an individual decision for each person. You will need to decide if you want to have the meat wrapped and/or frozen or if you want to save money and wrap it yourself. Be sure to buy your beef from someone that you can trust their quality. We once made the mistake of buying a side of beef from a co-worker's parents and the meat tasted terrible. I think it had to do with what they fed it when they were raising it. We were very disappointed and learned our lesson. I had thought all home-raised beef was pretty much the same but I found out differently the hard way. We are planning to stock up on some beef ourselves this year again. I am going to buy organically raised beef that has no antibiotics, etc. Good luck.

-- Anonymous, April 10, 2001

Sherri, tell me where you live and I'll tell you if I find anything in your area. I live in Ulster County, NY--which is in the Hudson Valley.

-- Anonymous, April 10, 2001

I can relate to the "bad-tasting" beef, Colleen. Our family, back in the 70's "shortages", was persuaded to buy a half beef jointly with other family members. It tasted WEIRD. To top it off, they "extended" the hamburger with soybeans (didn't ask us first either). Yech! I like some of the soy meat substitutes now, so maybe I would feel differently about it. But back then it was terrible. We used it up by cooking it in stuff like sloppy joes and chili. In fact, we donated a lot of it to the local volunteer firemen for a big "do", where it was made into sloppy joes. Then you couldn't tell.

The roasts and steaks we made edible by marinating them. One of the best was Italian dressing (and then basting with it too while cooking). Vinegar in marinades seems to make "off" flavors disappear. So if you get stuck with some that is odd tasting, try that.

-- Anonymous, April 10, 2001

I found a place that grows natural beef--not organic, not yet, supposedly they're working on it. Is $2.50/lb too much to pay?

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

Oh, and just about how much does a "side" weigh, on average?

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

You'll have to ask about the weight of your particular producer's animals. I raise little bitty Dexters, so my sides only weigh about 200 pounds, and end up being about 140 lbs in cuts. Commercial breeds are often twice that big.

As far as the price goes, make sure once again that you know what the price entails. Sometimes sellers don't tell you upfront what all the costs are unless you ask, and you'd end up being surprised at pay-up time.

People sometimes find bargain-priced meat by buying direct from farmers its true, especially if from someone they know. My own market is not to those looking to buy on the cheap , but to that niche market of people who care deeply about buying from farmers whose values are aligned with their enviromental concerns, who want to keep the rural economy alive, and have a palate that demands real flavorful meat. In fact we have many times surveyed our customers for their priorities in why they buy from us, and the number one reason by far is that the animals are grown the old-fashioned, GRASS-FED way with no chemicals. Many times natural, even certified organic animals, never taste a blade of grass their whole life.

I personally wouldn't participate in the system that thinks farmers should be paid a pittance for their labors; I see around me all the time farmers going out of business because they don't charge enough for their products...they take whatever they're offered,and it aint enough. I have a totally different take on it.......I think good, caring farmers should be paid way more than doctors and lawyers, because the repercussions of how they care for the land and the food we eat are more far-reaching. Unfortunately, most farmers have absorbed the cultural impression of themselves as abused, downtrodden and hopeless bumpkins who are forever doomed to struggle in vain. I wouldnt be farming if I felt that powerless; I'd be doing something else where I could be in touch with my power. So anyway, I draw to me people who share these same values, and who agree that food is too cheap in this country, which is one of the reasons most don't take the issue of food seriously at all.

Here I go, veering off into the philosophical again, when you just asked a nice practical question! Sorry, I never know when to shut my big ol mouth!

Peace,

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

Earthmama, will you adopt me?! :-)

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

Thanks for the advice, Earthmama. I am in complete and utter agreement. I take food pretty seriously (as my jeans'll tell you, ha ha), and I really don't want to participate in the horror of abusive commerical meat operations, both for health and social reasons. These people seem to run a high-quality operation, and they have their farm about an hour away. I just, you know, want to know what's reasonable to pay.

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

The very real problem with US beef and BSE (mad cow) is that we are not learning by our mistakes. If the Blood and bone meal that was "accidentally fed" to the cattle in Texas is not a huge wake up call...........how about no animal by products period allowed at any mill. The US has only done 6,000 BSE tests and then only on downer cattle in the last 6 years. Europe does 1 out of every 4 buthered animals, their findings have been quite the opposite than what has been thought previously. Young healthy steers are where most of their positive tests have come from, something the US simply doesn't test for. If the mill where your feed is mixed is allowed drugs or animal by products at its mill, you have no guarantee that none of this is being put into your grain mix.

I also agree that we simply should not be eaiting meat of any kind that is imported, I certainly am not buying any. Vicki

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

Any deficiencies that the FDA finds during an inspection are documented in what is called a Warning Letter. These warning letters are available due to the Freedom of Information Act at the following website:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/wlcfm/recentfiles.cfm

In the past month 7 feed mills were cited for failing to comply with the safeguards preventing the contamination of ruminant feed with animal proteins. This does not mean that contamination actually took place, in most cases the facility just does not have the proper documentation to prove that they are doing things correctly. There also are a few citings there for animals being sent to the slaughterhouse with elevated levels of antibiotics in their system, and several food processing violations. It's interesting reading.

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

Marcia.... where do you live???? lol!

Vicki - nice to see you!!!

Down in Boise, there is a butcher shop that we found completely by accident. They sell packages... Pork, Beef, Poultry - and mixed. His most expensive package is pork and beef, 87 pounds for $149.00... but you get a little of everything - including 5 sirloins (a pound a piece).

He even said he'd throw in all the bones and grind some fat for me, too for that price... Knows I make soap and have four dogs!! Guess I'm going to be rendering tallow again this year -

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2001

Sue, I'm in northern New England (Maine). Do you think I'm paying too much for my beef?

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

Earthmama, I never thought about the grass-fed thing. I don't know if I could find someone around here who does that. Is there a directory of growers or something? How would I find a grass-fed cattle grower in my area?

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

Betsy, does your state have an organic farmers association or certification agency? They might be able to provide you with some info.

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001

You might also contact the STockman Grass Farmer magazine. They might be able to put you in contact with someone in your area

-- Anonymous, April 12, 2001