Our beef is an Angus cross. This means the mama is one breed and the papa is another. In our case, our Holstein dairy cow (remember - we are dairy farmers too!) is bred with Angus... and we get a cross. This actually gives us complimentary genetics of animals that are great at converting their food to energy (Holstein) and using it to put on lots of muscle (Angus).

This might be why our steers 'dress out' about 5% higher than industry standards (aka. we get about 5%+ more meat from our Angus cross than is typical for most organic, grass-fed farmers).

This is a HUGE topic, and there is tons of research out there about cattle, feed, and meat production. So, this is just a super-basic slice off the steak.

Grass-fed beef is specifically cattle that spend their days grazing on grasses and other forages, along with harvesting these crops and feeding them during the cold winter months.

Grain-fed beef is when farmers feed cattle a grain-based high energy, fattening diet like corn, barley, and soy. The amount of grain is typically between 60-85% of their daily intake during the last few months before they are butchered.

The diet of the animal affects the size, texture, marbling, flavour, and nutrition of the meat!

ORGANIC: It's not just a buzzword around here. Our farm is certified organic, and accredited by CSI (Centre for Systems Integration), a third-party organization that inspects, audits and enforces federal regulations.

We 100% guarantee our beef:

• has never been treated with antibiotics** or artificial hormones
• is free from vaccines
• has never been fed any GMO, or "bioengineered" food, or feed treated with pesticides, herbicides, or any other '-cides'

** If it was medically necessary to use antibiotics for the well-being of an animal, we would do so; however, we would then sell it to another farm.

GRASS-FED: Our animals are raised in the pasture with Intensive Rotational Grazing principles, and we harvest the same pasture forages for them to eat throughout the snowy months.

We don't claim '100%' grass-fed because we sometimes feed small amounts of corn silage during the winter to help maintain a healthy energy balance. When we do include the silage, the actual grain portion amounts to about 0.5% of their daily ration.

So, we're 99.5% grass-fed... you're welcome to round up if you want! :)
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Great question!

RULE OF THUMB: You can fit 35-40lbs of frozen beef in one cubic foot.


So, if you can clear a 12" x 12" x 12" space in your upper compartment freezer - you can order most of our smaller variety boxes. HOWEVER, our larger bulk shares of beef will likely need a chest freezer.

Whole share: 480lbs = 13-15 cubic ft (large deep freezer)
Half share: 240lbs = 6-7.5 cubic ft (medium chest freezer)
Quarter share: 120lbs - 3-4 cubic ft (bottom compartment)


Variables:

• Ground beef packs tight - like books - so you can stack them very efficiently. Our 1lb packages also fit well in most door compartments.
• Roasts are the opposite - their rounded, sloping sides, and non-uniform shapes create gaps in your freezer when packing.

So, if you order a bundle with more roasts, you'll need more space than just buying ground beef.

First, a "share" is what we call the portion of the whole carcass that you are buying. For example, a half share means you're purchasing half of an entire beef. Simple.

For comparison, some farms sell LITERAL halves or quarters - like the front or back half, or the front-right quarter or back-left quarter.

The problem with this is that the cuts of beef that come from a steer are not consistent throughout the carcass. For example, the Loin primal is located in the back half - so if you order a quarter, you might get the front-right and miss out on all the striploins or t-bones steaks. Ordering a back half or quarter means you miss out on the ribeyes, though.... Hmmmm.... choices, choices...

Instead, here at Keyser Creek Farms, we sell 'mixed' shares. This means we put all the different cuts into one pot (figuratively speaking), and divide them as evenly as possible into the different shares. That way everyone is coming away with an equal value, and will have an excellent variety of cuts from across the entire beef.

For example, if we get 20 T-bone steaks from a steer, a quarter share would get 5 T-bones, and a half share would receive 10. (As opposed to someone ordering the back half getting all 20 T-bones, and the front sections getting none). Easy math, right... ?

This also allows us to charge an even $12.97/lb for all shares. Otherwise, the price might adjust for particular items - like the quarter or half with the tenderloins would be more expensive, right...?

A mixed share is equal on cut variety, weight, and value - that's how we can guarantee the exact weight and price.

I'm actually going to give you a couple terms, so you can compare them and keep them straight.


1) Live weight (LW)

This is how much the steer weighs when it walks on the trailer at our farm to head to the butchers.


2) Hanging weight (HW)

(or "Hot Hanging Weight" - HHW)
This is the weight of the cow after the initial butchering is done. The carcass is still 'warm', but the hide and organs are removed, and it's about to be hung up in the freezer. This is sometimes called the 'dressed weight', or 'carcass weight'.

This is typically about 60% of the live weight.


3) Freezer Weight (FW)

Beef hangs in a freezer for, typically, 12-14 days. During this time, it dehydrates, and often loses 3-5% of the hanging weight.


4) Packaged Weight (PW)

The first step is to cut the main frozen sections into the 8 main 'primal cuts'.

This is where the true craftsmanship of the butcher takes the primal cuts and turns them into the delicious steaks and roasts we enjoy!

This means trimming off excess fat, gristle or cartilage, and deboning certain cuts.

This process will drop the final product to about ~70% of the freezer weight - or ~40% of the original live weight of the steer.

First, please understand that this is just a super simple example with nice round weights. These numbers change with EVERY SINGLE steer. Difference in live weight alone could be due to the age, genetics, diet, and 'lifestyle' of each animal. (Yes, some are just lazy)

1. Let's say the steer goes in at 1000lbs live weight.
   The dressing percentage for grass-fed beef is, as an industry average, somewhere between 53-58%. Our animals have typically been 'dressing out' at 65%! So for easy figuring we'll just take 60% - which means 600lbs 'dressed weight' on the hooks.
   
   How well a steer 'dresses out' can change slightly due to how heavily boned the animal is, or even if it just ate a lot before getting on the trailer.
   
   
   
2. From here, the hooks hang in the freezer for 12-14 days. The dehydration concentrates the flavour, and tenderizes the meat. The weight loss at this stage is around 3-5 %. (We'll use 5% for simple numbers) So, the carcass goes in the freezer at 600lb, but comes out at 570lbs.
   
   
   
3. Next, the butcher takes the sides of beef and cuts them down into the ''primals".
   The final packaged weight has quite a bit of variation depending on what cuts the butcher takes out, or the buyer requests.
   
   For example - if the buyer (us, the farmer - or you, the end customer) wanted everything boneless... well! That's a huge weight difference! Do you want T-Bone steak, or tenderloin and striploin steaks? It could decrease your final packaged weight as much as 20% of the hanging weight if you go completely boneless. (For this example, that could be up to 120lbs!!)
   
   
   
   At the end of the day the typical packaged weight is approximately 40% of the original live weight of the cow; but as you can see, there's LOTS of room for variation.
   
   So, here's the recap:
   Live weight: 1000lbs
   Hanging weight: 600lbs
   Freezer weight: 570lbs
   Packaged weight: 400lbs
   
   
   There is a lot of variability between the live weight, hanging weight, and packaged weight; if you want a great in-depth explanation check out this resources from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (University of Nebraska-Lincoln): How Many Pounds of Meat Can We Expect From A Beef Animal? | UNL Beef
   
   
   

When you order a share of beef from use here at Keyser Creek Farms, the final packaged weight ONLY includes the retail beef cuts. It does NOT include bones, organ meat, or suet. If you are interested in these options being included in your share, that's not a problem - let's talk!