2024 Custom Beef Shares
Thousand Hills Family Farm Beef Share Information
All information & pricing is listed below. Please reach out if you have any questions.
We sold out of our beef shares on March 13, 2024. We DO have a waiting list & expect to be able to use some requests from it towards the end of the year. Please click the reservation link below to sign up for our waiting list.
Please read all of this info as it is super important & will answer many of your questions!
Make your reservation request here.
All of our calves are raised on pasture and have forage available at all times (grass when available and hay during winter months).
Grass finished calves are fed exclusively grass or alfalfa hay through their finishing weight.
Grain finished calves are fed grass, alfalfa (a type of grass hay), & grain to reach their finishing weight.
(Finishing weight is the weight at which an animal is at optimal weight for processing-including a good amount of fat for marbling & tenderness.)
Pricing Info:
Updated 5/24
Grass finished calves are $6.00 per pound hanging weight.
Grain finished calves are $5.50 per pound hanging weight.
The following info is not applicable for the remainder of 2024 since prices are set for the remainder of the year. I am leaving this here just so you have an idea of how the process normally works.
**Please see the important NEW info about pricing this year:
- As many of you expected, the price has increased for 2024. The majority of this fee is a price increase because cattle prices in general have gone up. For the last two years, cattle prices & feed costs have been extremely volatile. We are doing our best to keep our prices as reasonable as possible, but at the same time we have to be business smart. It is not sustainable for us to continue to sell beef at the price it has been when we could take our calves to the sale barn & sell them for a higher price without the extra time we are committing to beef sales. The amount of time, management, & feed we are putting into these calves for beef is too much to not try to monitor the current cattle prices & adapt ours. We appreciate you & you can count on us to continue to provide the best quality beef for your families.
- This part is new & extremely important: We are allowing you to make your reservation with an "estimated" price. We do not foresee this price changing, but we want to allow us to do that if needed (this goes back to us needing to be sustainable with our business). Six months before your beef is scheduled to be processed, we will confirm your price with you (it is "locked in" at that point). If the price has changed, you will sign & return an updated contract, & your entire deposit will be due.
- In order to make your reservation this year, you will need to pay half of your deposit now & return a contract. If the final price changes & is no longer an option for your family, the half you paid will be refunded & your contract voided.
Steers are to be harvested on a scheduled date. Your balance will be due when your hanging weight is available from the processor. The balance MUST be paid by cash, bank transfer, or credit card (3-4% fee added). All beef will be delivered to the processor for you & available to pick up on the farm in South Cleveland. All cuts are USDA inspected, dry aged for a minimum of 14-17 days, & vacuum sealed. Estimated hanging weight for a whole animal is 600-850 pounds. This is an estimate & will vary among animals. Processing is included in the total price. It will be available for pickup on the farm in South Cleveland-boxed & ready to go.
If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please email us!
Frequently Asked Questions
What cuts do I get?
When you purchase a half or whole, you get to select all of your cuts.
Standard cuts available are listed below.
Roasts: chuck, shoulder, rump, sirloin tip, top round
Steaks: ribeyes, sirloin, chuck eye, T-bone OR New York Strip & filet mignon
Ribs: short ribs or Korean style ribs
Flank & Skirt Steak
Cube steak or top round steak
Ground beef (with additional options of hamburger patties, Italian sausage links or ground Italian sausage or chorizo)
Organ meats
Stew/kabob meat
Soup Bones
Any cuts you do not want will be ground into ground beef.
Additional cuts are able to be requested as well for an additional fee (sausages, sausage links, burger patties, specialty steaks).
How much meat am I getting?
The total pounds of beef that you receive will depend on what cuts you select (bone-in cuts weigh more than boneless). Typically this is around 50% of hanging weight (300-400 pounds of meat for a whole animal depending on what the hanging weight is).
I can’t purchase a whole animal. How much will a half cost?
Below are estimates on what a half or whole steer would cost.
These are estimates as every animal will weigh differently & the hanging weight on each animal will be different.
Whole animal-average 700 lb hanging weight
$3675 Grain Finished, Half animal $1837.50
Whole animal-average 700 lb hanging weight
$4025 Grass Finished, Half animal $2012.50
How do I pay?
You may pay with cash or card. There is a 3-4% credit card fee to pay online. We *cannot* accept checks as your final payment. The final payment is due within 5 business days of the invoice. We will send an invoice as soon as we receive the hanging weight from the butcher.
When do I make my cut selections?
We will send you a cut sheet along with instructions a couple of weeks before your processing date.
When will my beef be ready?
We have appointments throughout the year. Beef is ready to pick up about three weeks after the processing date. You will pick up your beef on the farm in South Cleveland (if the processor is closer to you, we can make other arrangements).
How much freezer space do I need?
The rule of thumb is one cubic foot of freezer space for every 35 – 40 pounds of packaged meat. This will also vary a little bit with the freezer design as well as the choice of cuts selected and weights selected.
I need more than a half or whole beef for a year, but I don't have enough freezer space....
We have many customers who purchase a half or whole & then have another reservation six months or so later for another half or whole. This is a great option to keep beef in your freezer year round without purchasing an additional freezer!
Can I purchase a quarter?
At this time, we are only accepting reservations for a half or whole beef. Many of our customers split a half with a friend.
More questions or you’d like to reserve your beef?
Contact us with any questions:
thousandhillsfamilyfarm@gmail.com 423-380-8030
You will be given instructions on how to pay a nonrefundable deposit to reserve your beef. (The deposit is refundable in the event that we are not able to provide your beef.)
Deposits:
whole beef $1600
half beef $800
*Deposits may be split into two payments upon request. In this case, full deposit is due 6 months before the processing date.
You may pay with cash or card. There is a 3-4% credit card fee to pay online. If you would like to pay online, please contact us & we will send you the payment link.
Need info on different beef cuts?
Here is a handy chart with retail beef cuts & recommended cooking methods:
http://www.beefretail.org/CMDocs%5CBeefRetail2%5CEducation%5CBeefMadeEa sy%20Cut%20Chart%208x11.pdf
Click here for a really useful document about how much meat to expect.
Make your reservation request here.