Currently only 6 natural Steers left. We sell halves/whole steers by the hanging weight w/ deposit.

Overview of the process

1. Contact the owner of the steer
2. Agree on purchase terms
3. Steer goes to the processor
4. The butcher processes it down to a hanging carcass
5. The "Cut Sheet" is submitted by you
6. When the preferred hanging time has been reached, the butcher cuts the carcass to order and packages it.
7. The finished product has to be paid in full and then is ready for pick up. 

Now let's break down each step with details and common terms. 

This is not the gospel or the right/wrong way.  This is just a guide to some commonality. 

DISCLAIMER: 

There are laws that govern the care, handling, and sale of food and specifically meat.  Below is for reference only and does not make any claim to the legality of the stated processes.  It is the responsibility of the individuals involved to ensure they are abiding by the law. The livestock owner, processor, and the US FDA are good places to start to gather information on your local process. 

1. You can purchase a steer from nearly any rancher/farmer.  However, it is better for all parties involved to contact one that typically does Farm to Table (FtT) Beef. This is because the process is much different than commercial cattle sales. A quick web search will yield results from packaged and ready beef to folks that have steers "on the hoof" aka live, that you can purchase for future slaughter. You can also ask around if you are in a high cattle numbers area and I'm sure you'll find someone who knows someone. 
2. Purchase terms.  This is where the complication starts to come in. There are multiple ways to work this out.  I'll touch on three more common ways.  
   1. Purchase the live steer calf for a set price and then pay expenses for raising it.  You would then pay for the slaughter/butcher fees to have it processed before getting it home.
   2. Purchase a live steer ready for slaughter for a price per pound "on the hoof" or "live weight".  That means you're paying a significantly lower price per lb since you are buying the hide, head, hooves, tail, etc that you likely won't utilize.  This could be say $0.90/lb or so.  It has its downsides but is still a viable and somewhat common purchase method.  
   3. The most common method is to agree on a processor/butcher with the steer owner and purchase the animal at their "hanging weight".  This weight is what the steer weighs "on the hook" after it has been put down, and most of the non edibles are removed.  the muscle and bone left is hung up on a hook in the cooler and weighed. This often requires a deposit since you're buying far along in the process and the owner is committed. Since you are paying for a much higher percentage of edible animal, your per pound price will be higher.  Something to the tune of maybe $5-7/lb.  This is the way we do it. 
3. Getting the steer to the processor can happen different ways.  If you have purchased the animal butcher ready on a live weight term, you may pick it up and transport it yourself.  You can negotiate it's transport by the owner, or get a third party to handle it.  Most often the owner will bring it to the processor as part of the deal. If you negotiated hanging weight, the owner will bring it to the processor and let you know when it has been hung and weighed.  That is often when payment is due for that type.
4. Processing it down. There are expenses involved in this often overlooked piece of the deal.  Often the processor is not that local and we all know how high the price of fuel is.  Time is also to be considered as the owner most certainly has more than just this one animal to handle and likely has a full day that is disrupted by the delivery.  Time is valuable. Lastly, there is a fee for putting the animal down.  Either the processor charges it or the owner.  Most often the owner will let the animal carry its own weight through the process and and let the butcher put it down. Typically this would be approximately $85 extra over the processing fee. This is a good place to mention the "rule of thirds". If your steer is 1,200 lbs live, it will likely hang at approximately 800 lbs.  You will likely take home about 400 lbs of product.  The cut sheet and butcher techniques can have a significant effect on this number but that is a pretty standard reference to get you in the ballpark.  When you start splitting halves and quarters of beef on to different cut sheets, expect the yield to drop as well.  
5. The Cut Sheet is an order form that provides direction to the butcher on how to process the animal into a finished product.  They vary widely from one business to another but as a general rule, they all ask some similar questions.  Type of steak cuts, roasts, ribs, vacuum or butcher paper wrapped, etc.  The questions you might not be expecting are do you want the tongue, heart, liver, stew meat, soup bones, ox tail. How heavy do you want your roasts, how thick your steaks, how many lbs per package of ground beef, how many lbs of hot dogs.  Some places offer cube steak or summer sausage. Also things like bologna, snack sticks, and jerky.  Keep in mind that the more work that goes in and/or more ingredients added, the higher price per pound the processor will charge.  You may see a processing fee of $.95/lb and find that reasonable. Then when you order jerky and summer sausage and realize they are $7/lb and $3/lb respectively, your bill may give you a heart attack.  Good processors are happy to help you with your cut sheet and are willing to explain their pricing structure.  Many ranchers/farmers are familiar with the processor they are using/recommending and can assist you with it as well.  As soon as you know the processor, request a cut sheet and start filling it out.  This will allow you time to discuss with your family, or learn about the things you're not sure of ahead of time.    It's good for all parties involved if your Cut Sheet can be delivered with the steer. 
6. Time to cut.  Many butchers use a 2-3 week hanging time on the hook.  You can sometimes pay for longer at some places.  Others may offer more aging options.  If you know different aging options and are interested in them, ask the processor what they offer.  If you don't, don't worry. The standard few weeks hang will yield delicious results. Once the butcher starts cutting, it won't take long. Most of them are like wizards with their tools. It will likely be done in hours not days.  Once your beef has been packaged, the clock starts ticking to get it on the road.  
7. Now that it is all done, the total bill for the whole process is due.  You may have paid parts up to this point and if that is the case, then your remaining bill is likely to be settled with just the processor.  If the owner you bought it from is expecting to deliver it to you, make their life easier by scheduling early and being available.  Also, be understanding if they're running a little late.  They may have had to deal with some issues like livestock getting out or a calf taking a high risk swim in a trough.  Life is exciting when you care for livestock.  When they arrive, you'll be receiving hundreds of pounds of meat. Please don't expect that it will fit in your kitchen freezer.  You will need and want a deep freeze.  I recommend a large capacity stand up freezer over the deep chest freezer.  It provides better access and allows for better organization.  Something the cook in the house will greatly appreciate. If you buy a whole beef, don't be surprised when it alone packs the whole freezer full.  If you're able and can help them unload, that is expected.  It also helps to make sure there is not a gauntlet of obstacles, pets, or small children between the driveway and your freezer.  If the whole process was positive and the customer service was worth it, a tip at this point is never expected but always appreciated.  Should you feel like you would really like to help, reviews, personal referrals, and repeat business are the largest compliments.  This process is one that can build a long lasting relationship.  You can get a steady supply of fresh delicious food from people you know for generations. It helps the rancher/farmer and you get a far superior product for your home!  

NOTES:

Wholes, Halves, and Quarters of beef.  If you're a single person ordering a whole beef, you can expect to eat on that beef for two years or more. Excepting of course those on the carnivore diet or some other reason for abnormally high meat consumption rates. A quarter beef is a far more typical choice for you.  Married couple with a typical diet usually orders a half beef each year and a family of four would maybe get away with a whole if they eat beef 3-5 meals a week. 

What is a steer and why buy them. A steer is a castrated male.  Since they are no longer in the process of reproduction, they make great fare. Speaking generally, an intact male (Bull) can tend to the neighborhood of 30 cows in a pasture. That means you need far fewer bulls than cows to continue a calving operation. So the owner will choose his best bull calves for his program and then castrate the remaining balance. Some will only use purchased bulls on their cows and therefore castrate all of their own bull calves. A steer will then be fed until they are ~20 months old and then sent to the processor. They are at their optimal weight and health at that age.

How long to keep it in the freezer. I highly recommend to try to order only what you'll eat in a year. Err on the side of less over more. There are a few reasons for that. You want to always eat fresh quality beef.  You don't want to be "stuck" with something you may have changed your mind about (roasts v. steak or 2 lb burger packages v. 1 lb etc.). If you only order for a year at a time, you can stay on the rancher's cycle and always have fresh beef coming in. However, if you do over order and have plenty left at the year mark, don't fret.  2-3 years is still edible.  You will notice a decline in taste and texture but its not fit for the dogs yet.  Keep track of what's left in the freezer at that 2yr mark though.  That may be what you order less of or none at all on the next round.  It clearly wasn't what you were craving.

Vacuum Sealed vs Butcher Paper. Depending on how you're going to store it and how much moving of the packages you'll do is a good first test to see what packaging method you prefer.  If you have a stand up freezer with lots of shelves and you won't be moving it much, vacuum sealed can save space and make for a tighter shelf stack.  If you have a chest freezer and you'll "have to go digging" for the right cut for company tomorrow, butcher paper may be the way to go.  Check with your processor and see what they offer. Some may only have one option and that sure makes the choice easy. 

How much to budget for a FtT beef purchase. There is certainly sticker shock the first time you go through this process. However, if you were to price out just the 1 for 1 cuts between the grocery store and your FtT purchase, you'll see the incredible savings.  That says nothing about the much higher quality of product. Let's do a very generalized wag of the numbers.  800lbs on the hook at $6/lb is $4,800.  That buys the whole steer.  Then you'll pay processing and that can vary a lot.  Let's say it's $400 plus slaughter fee that is $85. Then let's say the owner walked you through the whole thing and delivered it to your freezer so for the awesome experience and excellent customer service you tipped $100 (not expected).  

$4,800 + $400 + $85 + $100   =   $5,385 For a whole of high quality beef.

Seem like a big number? Let's break it down across a family of 4.  

$5,385 / 52 weeks =  $103.56/wk

$103.56/ 4 people =  $25.89 per person per week

$25.89 / 4 meals per week =   $6.47 per meal

Where can a person get a premium cheeseburger for that little nonetheless a delicious bone in ribeye or filet mignon.  With FtT that filet is still only $6.47. Ok but it's still over 5 grand right? What if you purchased with a tax return? How about auto paying a monthly payment to a savings account? Consider also, you won't be buying beef at the grocery store so you'll have that savings.  It also often happens that your other meat purchases go down because you look forward to what's in the freezer at home.  This is for a whole beef as well. If you're splitting it with someone, these numbers get real low real fast.  A family of four with two growing boys for example, could match that bill with weekly grocery bills in under 4 months.  

Want to give it a shot or have questions? 

We have beef steers and are happy to answer your questions. Just call, text, or email and we'll be happy to help.