Chasing Dream Farms

06/24/2026

A few basic cow facts for those who aren't around cattle every day:

A cow is pregnant for about 9 months, just like humans. The average gestation is around 283 days.

A mature beef cow will eat roughly 25-35 pounds of forage (grass or hay) every day, depending on her size and stage of production.

Water is one of the most important nutrients. A cow may drink anywhere from 10-30 gallons of water per day, and even more during hot weather or while nursing a calf.

Most calves weigh between 70-90 pounds at birth and can double their birth weight in just a couple of months.

A cow has four stomach compartments that help her turn grass into high-quality protein for us.

Cows spend 6-10 hours a day grazing and several more hours chewing their cud.

The average beef cow weighs between 1,100-1,400 pounds, although some can be much larger.

A healthy cow can live 15 years or more, but most ranch cows are retired earlier depending on their productivity.

What cow fact surprised you the most?

03/28/2026

Today we welcomed a new herd bull to our family. He is only 14 months old. He originates from the Kingdom family. We are currently looking for a name for him.

03/26/2026

20th calf hit the ground today! 16 heifer calves so far this year. 12 more calves expected!

03/13/2026

02/06/2026

We dedicated the week to attending CattleCon in Nashville, focusing on staying updated on the latest technological advancements and best practices in beef production. CattleCon

12/23/2025

Purchasing beef direct is not about saving money. It’s about supporting your local farmers and knowing exactly what you are consuming! 🥩

12/15/2025

“You want HOW much for a ¼ cow?!”

Let’s break it down.

A beef calf right now, at 400 lbs, is running about $4.00/lb.
That’s $1,600 right out of the gate.

Now we feed that calf for roughly a year.
Even at a cheap all-stock feed — $12 per 50-lb bag — and averaging 3 lbs/day, you’re looking at around $300 in feed. But when you’re feeding more, or higher quality feed - keep packing on the cost.

So now we’re at $1,900, assuming:
• it grows on schedule
• doesn’t need extra time
• doesn’t get sick
• nothing goes wrong

But wait… you forgot hay.

Hay math (because cows don’t live on air):
• Avg weight during grow-out: ~800 lbs
• Intake: 2.5% of body weight
• That’s ~20 lbs of dry matter/day
• With hay at ~90% dry matter → ~22 lbs as-fed
• About half the diet as hay → ~11 lbs/day
• Over 365 days = ~4,000 lbs of hay

That’s roughly 3–5 round bales, depending on size and waste.
At $40 per bale, add another $120–$200.

So now we’re well over $2,000 — and we haven’t even talked about the butcher.

Processing isn’t cheap either:
• $1.75 per hanging pound
• Plus a dispatch/kill fee

And finally — let’s be real —
Farmers aren’t doing this for fun or boredom.
This is labor, land, feed, time, equipment, and risk.
We have families to feed too.

So when you see the price for a ¼, ½, or whole cow, maybe skip the snide remarks.

👉 You’re getting:
• A freezer full of beef
• Raised with care
• No mystery meat
• No supply chain games
• And you know exactly where it came from

That peace of mind?
It has value.