05/21/2026
Photo for engagement, long read but worth it!
For all of you buying beef straight from the rancher/farmer for the first time, you are going to be amazed at the difference in taste and quality from a retail store. Some things you should keep in mind when going through the process:
1) Weight can be important. A 700-900 pound steer or heifer is not finished enough. It will not yield much meat and quality will not be as good (marbling.) Typically, if you are taking something this small to be butchered, you are mostly getting hamburger. Most people buy a finished beef that will weigh 1200-1500 on the hoof (alive.)
2) Age is important. A cow is usually only good for hamburger and that is only if she isn't too old or in bad condition. The normal age for a beef animal to be finished to butcher is 1.5 to 2 years. Older than this and the fancier cuts like your steaks will start getting tougher.
3) Steer or heifer? Which is best? If they are finished correctly, you will never know the difference. That being said, a two year old bull may give you some tough cuts as the hormones play havoc on all that tender goodness.
4) How they are fed can make a difference in how they taste. The difference being whether they are grain or grass fed primarily. Personally, we like a pasture fed beef that has been given small amounts of grain fed after weaning through processing. To us, that is the perfect balance of marbling and lean and the right amount of age for the animal to develop a deep beefy flavor.
5) Whether they have been given antibiotics or hormones or vaccines. We like to go as natural as possible. Plain and simple we don't use them. Our customers don't want them, we don't use them. If an animal gets sick and needs treatment, we treat the animal but that animal is no longer part of JS2 Cattle beef production.
6) There are so many options for buying your beef. Some people put packages of beef together. Others sell the animal directly to the consumer or they take it to the locker and sell it by hanging weight. Some sell halves and quarters. Make sure you check with the local lockers before purchasing a beef. Many of them are booked out for months because of demand. But with JS2, we handle all of that for you. You deal with us and only us. We take care of the rest to make it easier on you.
7) Did you know that you can customize your order?? One of the best parts...other than superior taste...to having beef butchered for you at the locker is you get to decide what cuts you want! Everyone is different on preferences. It will also depend on whether you purchased a whole,1/2, or 1/4 beef. You can have your steaks cut to your preference and packaged the way that works best for you. We usually do 1.5 pound of hamburger packages, 4-5 pound roasts, a few stew, minute steaks, KC Strips and fillets, etc...
😎 Make sure you have a place for all that meat when it's done. Our farm usually doesn't mind holding onto it for a week or so, but many will charge for anything past that period of time. Out of courtesy, pick it up as soon as you possibly can.
9) Ask about hanging time. We like our meat to hang at least 14-16 days minimum. If you don't ask, they will usually do it around 12 days. That 16+ days timeframe seems to make the meat so much better. Yum!
10) Here is a tricky part. And some people figure it a little differently. Let's take a 1400 pound steer. That is what he weighed when I took him in to the locker and is considered what they call "on the hoof". He will probably hang out around 800-850. That means that is what the carcass will weigh after the hide and other parts are removed and is about 60% of the live on the hoof weight. Okay, now you need to figure that different cuts and such will make a difference on the final poundage of meat you get to take home. Lets say we are going with 800 pounds of regular processing with steaks, roasts, hamburger, etc. There is more waste again as they cut and make your order. Most of the loss will be from bone and fat. Your take home will be around 500+- of meat from that 1400 pound steer. You're probably thinking geez that's not what I thought I was going to get. So let's look at it another way. Your 1400 pound steer cost $3 a pound. That is $4200 up front cost before the cost of transport to and from the processor. You take your steer to the locker and they charge you a $125 processing/killing fee. On top of that, the processing fee is $1.35 per pound. Please keep in mind these numbers are theoretical to give an example for calculation but should be fairly close. Your processing fee is a one-time fee. The $1.35 will be applied to the 800 hanging weight. That would be $1,080. $4200+$1080+$125=$5385 for 500 pounds+- of meat which is $$10.77 per pound. This is when you need to keep in mind those delicious steaks, roasts, brisket, and other specialty cuts that can cost over $20+ a pound at the store. When you look at it that way, it's a heck of a deal! If you are only getting a quarter of that, they sometimes have a special fee for the extra quartering and time that doesn't really add much to the overall price. We take the work out of it for you, we handle transport to and from the processor and dealing with the processor.
Most farmers and ranchers are more than happy to answer questions and help you figure things out. They want a happy customer. Be courteous and enjoy your meat! Oh, and please add too or correct me on anything in this post. I copied and edited it out pretty quick and this is just from our experience. Some people may think or do it differently. Just thought it might help someone out!
