Also called carcass weight, it’s the weight of the cow AFTER the beef has been humanely slaughtered and had all inedible parts removed but BEFORE it’s been trimmed, cut, and packaged.

Quarters average $1,600, but final price is determined by hanging weight at time of processing.

Hanging weight varies by cow, but quarters average 225 lbs hanging.

Choose the beef share that’s right for you and place your deposit to reserve your spot. Once your beef is ready to go to the processor, we’ll send you an update, and you’ll receive another notification when your beef is ready. We’ll then coordinate delivery with you, and your beef will arrive frozen and ready for your freezer.

Hanging weight is the weight of the beef carcass before cutting and trimming, while processed weight is the actual amount of packaged beef you take home.

Take home weight of a quarter is approximately 125 lbs.

Short answer: No

We price by hanging weight because that’s the fairest thing for the producer and the consumer (it’s also the industry standard). It’s the weight the butcher uses to determine how much beef you purchased and how it’s processed. It’s the carcass weight after the animal is harvested and prepared for processing, before it’s cut into individual steaks, roasts and ground beef.

That weight includes things that won’t end up in your freezer — bones, fat, connective tissue, etc. So your final take-home weight will always be lower than the hanging weight.

For example, if your quarter has a 225-lb hanging weight and you take home 125 lbs of packaged beef, you are not paying for 100 lbs of beef that you didn’t receive. You’re paying for the 225-lb carcass at the agreed-upon hanging-weight price, and that carcass is then turned into your 125 lbs (give or take) of finished cuts.

This is also why you can’t directly compare our $/lb hanging-weight price to the $/lb price on a package of boneless steak at the grocery store. They’re two different points in the process.

Think of it like buying a whole rotisserie chicken. You pay for the chicken by its weight, but you don’t end up with that exact weight of boneless chicken in your refrigerator. You paid for the whole product, and the usable meat is a portion of it.

So yes, your take-home price per pound will be higher than the hanging-weight price — but that doesn’t mean you’re being charged for meat you aren’t receiving. It’s simply two different ways of measuring the same animal at different stages of the process.

A quarter beef share will need approximately 3.5 cu ft of freezer space.

Right now, we are taking deposits for December beef.

Typically, beef is 8-12 weeks out. Your deposit secures your spot in line.

Totally understandable! You can fill out a submission form on our website

(www.barjfarms.com/contact) and we will get back to you within 24 hours!