Anchor Ranch

05/17/2025

To further explain why we have made the decision we did… here is an excellent explanation of the cattle industry. And when you add what we do with grass finish that number rises even more.

💥Looking for BEEF?! Here’s what’s up💥

We’ve been receiving many messages from past customers, desperate for beef, and I wanted to openly explain why we’re not currently selling beef. I’ll do my best to explain it in a way that those who have no understanding of the interior workings of the cattle industry can understand it.

Here is a picture of today’s CME Cattle Futures prices. For those not in the industry, this likely makes about as much sense as algebra… let me explain…

The CME Futures set the live cattle prices that producers and feedlots receive for their cattle. Pricing is scheduled out up to a year in advance. The price posted in this screen shot is as of today.

$298.825 USD ($412 CAD) per 100lbs of ‘on the hoof’ feeder steer. A feeder steer is a yearling steer between 700lb-900lb, that is ready to enter the feedlot/finishing stage. $412 x a 900lb steer comes to $3708 CAD.

This 900lb steer will enter the feedlot and be fed out to finish. With feed and grain prices being at an all time high as well, this is a very expensive endeavour. Most recent numbers I can obtain are for Ontario in March, costing an average of $360 per 100lbs gained on a steer. The 900lb feeder steer will need to gain approx 600lbs before he’s ready to harvest. So 600lb gained x $360 per 100lb comes to $2160

Cost of steer $3708
Cost to feed $2160
Totaling $5868

Now, add in $1500 butchering fees, comes to $7368 BREAK EVEN price. This 1500lb steer would yield approx a 900lb hanging weight carcass. Meaning the break even, no profit to the finisher price comes to $8.19/lb hanging weight, again BREAK EVEN.

Now to complicate things further, this is just the market daily price. Often, on live sales, with eager buyers, the prices they’ll pay can be higher than the futures.

Morale of the story is, we’re not even slightly interested in having to charge that much for beef to even think about squeezing out a drop of profit. My rule always has been, ‘If I wouldn’t pay it myself, I’m not charging it’

05/17/2025

Update from ANCHOR RANCH

Hey everyone — We have been getting a lot of messages regarding orders for this years sides of beef and unfortunately we do not have great news 😢

We’ve made the tough call to not offer sides of beef this year. With cattle prices at all-time record highs, it just doesn’t make financial sense for us or our customers right now. On top of that, we’ve been dealing with some unexpected health issues in the family, which has made prepping and planning even more difficult.

We’re really sorry for the inconvenience — we know many of you were looking forward to filling your freezers this year and we are just as sad.

That said, we’re working on getting ground beef back in stock and will let you know as soon as it’s available.

Thanks for your continued support — it means a lot to our family.

Much Love,

The ANCHOR RANCH Team

03/21/2025

Hey friends!

We have had such a great experience meeting and chatting with you all over the last few months! We would love if you could show us some love here on our page for future customers to check out!

We would love to know what you think of our customer service, our product and the knowledge we have been sharing! Leave a comment below 🥰

Thank you for making the launch of our business such a good one! We can’t wait to meet more of you soon!!

03/15/2025

Just a reminder for those coming this morning. We will only have enough for those who placed an order, confirmed by us!

We will have a restock soon!!!

Looking forward to meeting you all today at 12!!!!

We are blown away from the community support and so excited to continue working towards keeping up with all your orders!

For this week we are SOLD OUT!

For those who have put their orders in and we have confirmed we will meet you Saturday Morning!

Thank you ⚓️🥩

03/11/2025

We are blown away from the community support and so excited to continue working towards keeping up with all your orders!

For this week we are SOLD OUT!

For those who have put their orders in and we have confirmed we will meet you Saturday Morning!

Thank you ⚓️🥩

03/10/2025

Happy Monday!

Get your ground beef orders in this week for a Saturday Morning pick up in Quispamsis!

Have a great week!

03/07/2025

SHORT NOTICE DROP💥

Good Morning Saint John!

We are heading to the west side this afternoon for those who may want to pick up some ground beef! Get a headstart in meal planning for back to school after March Break!

$7.50/lbs frozen in 1lbs packs!

Send us a message before 2pm to get your order in. We will be at the Bowlarama for 3pm

02/26/2025

Get stocked up for burger season around the corner! 🍔

02/26/2025

Please fill our our form to get your name on our list for our upcoming season.
Thank you for amazing support! We look forward to meeting you!

If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out directly we are happy to have a conversation.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xcT8KP_sEB_XKeJDeaTU--gc4AJjugvWXwonZFNZmrY/edit

02/24/2025

Are you wanting to fill your freezer with local raised grass finished delicious ground beef?
Vacuum sealed in 1lb blocks for easy freezer storage.
Contact Anchor Ranch today

02/22/2025

QUESTION: How does the meat come after I order?

ANSWER: We work together with our butcher and have all our cuts vacuum sealed & labeled.
Our ground beef is vacuum sealed in 1 lbs flat packaging that makes for easy stacking in your freezer!

02/19/2025

How much is 1/2 a cow?

When you buy beef from a local rancher, especially if you’re purchasing in bulk like a 1/2 cow or a whole cow, you may notice that we, along with most ranchers charge based on "hot hanging weight". What exactly is hot hanging weight? and why is it used as the pricing standard? Here’s a breakdown of why ranchers charge this way and how it affects the price you pay!

What is Hot Hanging Weight?
Hot hanging weight refers to the weight of the carcass right after the animal has been slaughtered and is hanging in the cooler, typically in the first few hours after butchering. It’s the weight of the animal before any further processing (like cutting, trimming, or aging) is done.

Why Use Hot Hanging Weight?
Accuracy of the Animal's Actual Weight
Hot hanging weight represents the most accurate measure of the cow’s true size because it's based on the weight of the carcass right after slaughter, which is standardized for all animals. It’s consistent and not affected by any trimming, waste, or bone removal that happens during processing.

Minimizes Variability
The weight of the cow’s hide, head, hooves, and other non-meat parts are NOT included in the hot hanging weight. This provides a fairer measure of the meat you're actually going to get, so ranchers can charge based on the actual value of the meat.

Protects the Rancher’s Costs & Input
The rancher must pay for all aspects of raising the animal—feed, care, transport, slaughtering, etc. Since each animal varies in its bone, fat, and moisture content, hot hanging weight is the most consistent and reliable measure of what the rancher is selling. They’re charging based on the amount of meat that can be further processed and cut into consumer-ready portions.

Reflects the Market Standard
Hot hanging weight is a standard practice in the meat industry. It's the benchmark that helps both ranchers and processors determine pricing. It’s not the final weight of the meat you'll bring home, but it’s the most consistent and accurate starting point.

Less Waste Consideration for the Buyer
Since the meat is based on the customers order and will undergo trimming (fat removal), bone-in cuts will be separated from boneless cuts, and there will be some shrinkage during aging, hot hanging weight ensures the rancher is compensated properly for their entire animal and the processing involved.

What About the Yield?
While you'll end up with less meat than the hot hanging weight (due to trimming, bones, fat, etc.), it’s important to understand that this method allows you to understand the amount of meat in relation to the actual carcass. Typically, once the meat is processed, you can expect to receive about 60-70% of the hot hanging weight in the form of usable cuts.

Bottom Line:
By charging based on hot hanging weight, ranchers can ensure fair pricing for both parties—ensuring that they are compensated for the full weight of the animal and that consumers understand the true cost of what goes into raising high-quality, responsibly-raised beef. It’s the most equitable and transparent system for determining the price of bulk beef purchases.

Have you ever bought beef by hot hanging weight before? Let us know your experience!

Anchor Ranch
Anchor Ranch
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