Beef Share - A Quarter of a Cow

HOW IT WORKS
Congratulations, you're about to own a 🐮 cow!  (on paper, only, of course 😄).  When you order this service, you'll own a 25% share of a real live cow from our partner farm, Mud Creek Farm, and we'll process it according to your instructions provided below.  You get “tongue-to-tail” eating and with everything that a cow yields, which includes the commonly-known cuts like ribeye steak, chuck roasts, filet, skirt, brisket, and the list goes on.

You’ll receive an estimated 130lbs of frozen beef in conveniently sealed packages, delivered to your door on dry ice. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Reserve Your Share – Pay your deposit now to secure your portion of a live beef animal, raised with no added hormones or antibiotic regimens.
2. Buy the Steer – On the day of harvest, you'll be invoiced for your share of a steer on a LIVE WEIGHT basis (yeah, you're buying livestock).  Congratulations, you're now a farmer... on paper, of course, and only for a few minutes before the harvest.
   
3. Customize Your Cuts – Once the animal is harvested, you’ll speak directly with our trusted butcher, Montgomery Meats, to choose how you want your beef cut and packaged.
4. Dry Aging - You can't rush perfection.  Every beef hangs for at least 2 weeks to dry age for perfect tenderness and flavor.
   
5. Paying the Butcher? – To keep things simple, we will pay the butcher on your behalf.  The live-weight price you pay for the animal includes all the service fees for butchering AND shipping to your door with dry ice.

WHAT'S IT COST?
You're going to pay $4.30/lb on a live-weight basis.  The typical beef steer weighs 1,450 lbs.  That makes your quarter 363lbs live, costing approximately $1,560.  That quarter cow will yield ~130lbs of meat.  Every animal is different, but these numbers are typical (and we harvest hundreds of beef a year, so we would know).  After harvest, your final invoice will reflect the actual live-weight of your cow and we will either refund or charge your card the balance remaining after actual animal weight is recorded. 

TIMING
You may have guessed, this is NOT A STOCKED ITEM.  Your beef is currently chewing cud.  From the time you reserve your share until you receive your beef could be up to 6 weeks.  That involves the farmer hauling to the butcher, processing, and dry aging.  For that reason, you only need to put down a $250 today.  Your final bill will reflect the live weight known after harvest. 

ABOUT THE FARM 🧑🌾
On Mud Creek Farm's pastures in Howard County, Indiana, the beef you're buying are pasture-raised, Angus-cross cattle that live with full access to the outdoors on a pasture. A significant portion of their diet is foraged greens (grass, clover, and alfalfa hay in the winter) as well as silage, hay, and some supplemental grains to aid marbling.  The cattle are never given any antibiotic or hormone regimens.