Our cattle are raised on pasture in Northern Kentucky, grazing freely on grass for most of their lives. In the final finishing phase, we supplement their diet with locally sourced grains to enhance marbling and flavor (often called “grain-finished”). We never use added growth hormones or routine antibiotics – our beef is all-natural and hormone. This pasture-raised, grain-finished approach gives you the best of both worlds: beef that’s lean and richly flavored from grass, with the tenderness and marbling from a grain finish. We aim manage the entire process from birth to butcher on our farm, ensuring humane animal care and top quality at every step

No. We do not use growth hormones or steroids on our cattle. We avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary for an animal’s health; in the rare case an animal needs treatment, it is handled appropriately and not included in our beef program. Our focus is on raising healthy cattle through good nutrition and low-stress handling, so medications are seldom needed. The result is clean, natural beef you can feel good about feeding your family.

“Grass-fed” means cattle eat an all-forage diet (grass, hay) their whole life. Our cattle are grass-fed for the majority of their life but finished on grain in the last few months. This grain finishing (typically a mix of corn or distillers grain) adds extra energy to their diet, which improves the marbling, tenderness, and rich beefy flavor of the meat. Many steak aficionados prefer the taste of grain-finished beef, as it tends to be juicier. Rest assured, our cattle still live on pasture – even during finishing – so they are never confined in feedlots. We believe this approach yields the best quality beef while still raising animals humanely on grass.

When you buy a share of beef, you receive a proportionate mix of all the major cuts from the animal – from premium steaks to roasts, stew meat, and ground beef. For example, a typical Quarter Beef (~90 lbs of meat) will include a selection of steaks (such as Ribeye, Sirloin, maybe NY Strip or Filet, and some lean round steaks), a few roasts (like Chuck Roast, Rump Roast, Sirloin Tip), some short ribs or other slow-cook cuts, and a large portion of ground beef. A Half Beef (~175 lbs) will contain roughly double that: a wider variety of steaks (including Ribeye, T-Bone/Porterhouse or NY Strips and Filet Mignon, Sirloin, etc.), more roasts (Chuck, Brisket, Round cuts), stew meat, short ribs, and a substantial amount of ground. A Whole Beef (~350 lbs) yields the full range of cuts the animal has to offer – you’ll get every cut, from high-end steaks to soup bones and organ meats (if desired). We do our best to distribute cuts fairly and evenly in each share. (See the product descriptions for a detailed breakdown of approximately how many pounds of each cut category you get with each share.)

Because some specialty parts of the animal only come in limited quantity (for example, there’s only one oxtail, one tongue, two hanger steaks per animal, etc.), not every quarter share can contain those particular items. In our quarter and 25 lb box packages, we focus on providing a balanced selection of the more common cuts. We generally do not include organ meats (like liver, heart, tongue) in the standard quarter/half share unless you specifically request them – and even then, those may be limited to first-come-first-served. The whole beef option, however, allows you to get everything the animal yields (if you want it). If there’s a particular cut you care about, let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate when possible. But overall, rest assured that each share will include all the core cuts (steaks, roasts, ground, etc.) in the promised quantities, with any rarer cuts either distributed fairly or replaced with equivalent value in more common cuts.

We sell by final packaged weight, not live or hanging weight, so the pounds we quote (25 lbs box, 90 lbs quarter, 175 lbs half, 350 lbs whole) are the net weight of meat you will receive, wrapped and frozen.

A good rule of thumb is you need about 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 20–25 lbs of meat. In other words:

• A 25 lb Beef Box will fit in a standard refrigerator-freezer combo (about the space of a large freezer drawer).
• A Quarter Beef (~90 lbs) needs roughly 4 cubic feet of space – about the capacity of a small chest freezer or an uncrowded top-freezer compartment.
• A Half Beef (~175 lbs) needs about 8 cubic feet. This will fill a small standalone chest freezer, or about half of a large upright freezer.
• A Whole Beef (~350 lbs) will require 14–16 cubic feet of freezer space. That is roughly the size of a large chest freezer (approximately 5 feet long).
  

To visualize, a typical 7 cu ft chest freezer can hold about half a beef, and a 14 cu ft can hold a whole. It’s always better to have a little extra room so air can circulate. We recommend organizing your freezer by cut (steaks together, ground beef together, etc.) and labeling each package (our processor labels each cut and date) to keep an inventory. Properly frozen and packaged meat will last a long time.

Because our beef is vacuum-sealed and flash-frozen at processing, it can last at least 12 months in the freezer without quality loss – often up to 18–24 months. We generally say use within a year for best flavor and texture, especially for steaks. Ground beef and roasts can remain good for 1–2 years frozen. Make sure to keep it in a consistently cold deep freezer (0°F or below). With vacuum-sealed packaging, you shouldn’t encounter freezer burn or off flavors even long-term. We’ve had customers enjoy steaks well over a year old that still taste great. (Of course, we suspect your freezer will be empty long before then once you start tasting our beef!)

We try to keep it simple and transparent. To reserve a share, you place an order through our website and pay a 25% deposit up front. This deposit secures your beef and goes toward the final price. Once we receive your order, we’ll follow up with an email confirmation and details. When the beef is ready (after processing), you’ll pay the remaining balance (the other 75%) at pickup or delivery. You can pay the balance via cash, check, or any major card – we’ll coordinate that with you. No hidden fees – the price we quote (e.g. $1,200 total for a quarter) already includes processing and basic butchering to our standard cut list. You will not be surprised with extra charges from the butcher for standard cutting, wrapping, or labeling. The only possible additional cost would be if you request some special processing (for example, making beef bratwurst or jerky out of your share, etc., which our processor could quote separately). But for the standard cuts we list, everything is built into the price. We believe in straightforward pricing with no surprises.

e process beef twice per year – typically May and October. Depending on when you place your order, your share will be fulfilled at the next processing date (if available) or the one after that if we’re already sold out. For example, if you reserve now for our 4th of July promotion, the next harvest will be in October, and your beef would be ready later that month. Once processing begins, it takes about 2–3 weeks to dry-age, cut, and package the beef. We will keep you updated via email. In short: place your deposit, and we’ll notify you of the exact butchering week and when to expect pickup/delivery. We always aim to have shares ready as quickly as possible while ensuring proper aging. If you ever have a timing question, just ask – occasionally we have some inventory or an earlier slot to fulfill an order sooner, but generally plan on a few weeks lead time around those processing months. Also note: we often sell out months in advance, so it’s wise to reserve early.

We offer free local pickup at our farm and free local delivery within ~30 miles of our farm (Washington Trace Farm in California, KY). We’re happy to work with you on a convenient pickup time or to meet you at a location in the NKY/Greater Cincinnati area. If you live further away, we can arrange shipping at your cost. We can ship frozen beef in insulated coolers with dry ice – many farms do this. However, shipping and handling of a large share can be expensive, so most of our customers opt for local pickup. If you’re outside our immediate region but really want our beef, you will need to cover the shipping fees; contact us and we will get you a quote or work out the details. All meat is delivered frozen (either by us or via overnight shipping) to ensure it stays safe. We’ll make sure you get your beef in the best condition possible!

Whole Beef orders: Yes – when you purchase a whole cow, you’ll get a cut sheet consultation where you can decide exactly how you want the beef cut up. You can choose steak thickness, roast size, which cuts to turn into ground or stew meat, how many steaks per package, etc. You essentially tell the butcher your preferences (with our guidance if needed) so the beef is processed exactly to your liking. Whole share customers can also opt to keep special parts like organ meats, soup bones, fat for rendering, etc. It’s a truly custom experience. We’ll help coordinate all of this right after your order and walk you through the cut sheet.

For Quarter and Half Beef orders: these are processed to our standard cut specifications to keep things simple and ensure everyone gets a fair share of each type of cut. At the quarter/half level, we typically do not offer full customization of cuts (because your meat will be cut together with the other share from the same animal). However, we do try to accommodate minor requests if possible. For example, if you have a strong preference (say you’d rather have flank steak instead of it being ground, or you prefer more roast vs steaks), let us know and we’ll see if it’s feasible. In most cases, though, quarters and halves will all be cut the same “classic” way which gives a nice variety of steaks, roasts, etc. This ensures consistency and that the animal is divided equitably. The good news is our standard cut list is based on what most families prefer (a mix of everything). And because we handle the butchering decisions, you don’t have to stress about a cut sheet for a quarter/half – we take care of it. (If you really want some say in the process, we’d recommend going for a whole beef share, which is the best value and fully customizable.)

Absolutely. Many customers will go in together on a half or whole and split it among two or four families. If you want to do that, we welcome it – it’s a great way to buy in bulk and save money per pound, yet not be overwhelmed with too much meat. We can either deliver the share to one location and you divide it up, or if you let us know ahead of time, we can even quarter a half and package/label the quarters separately for two families, etc. Just communicate your plan to us and we’ll help. Buying a whole steer and splitting it four ways is usually the most cost-effective option (each family would get ~87 lbs of beef in that scenario). Bulk buying with friends is a smart move and we’re happy to accommodate where we can.

Yes. Our standard process is to hang the beef for around 14 days (2 weeks) before cutting. Dry-aging the carcass for about 10–14 days is common with our processor, as it allows natural enzymes to tenderize the meat and deepen the flavor. We find ~2 weeks strikes a good balance – you get improved tenderness and taste, without excessive weight loss. All the shares will benefit from this aging time. (Exact aging time may vary slightly based on processor scheduling, but it’s generally in that range.) After aging, the beef is cut, vacuum-sealed, and flash-frozen to lock in that quality. So yes, you will be getting dry-aged beef.

Our beef is processed at a local custom butcher shop that we trust. Because we sell beef by the share (quarter, half, whole cow), the processing is done under custom-exemption, not USDA inspection. This means the packages will be labeled “Not for Sale” and are meant for the owner’s personal use. In practical terms, when you reserve a share of a live animal from us, you become the owner of that portion of the animal prior to processing. The local processor then butchers and packages your beef specifically for you, adhering to all food safety standards (the facility is state-inspected). This is a common method small farms use to offer farm-fresh beef. While the meat isn’t USDA-stamped for retail, it is handled with the same care and quality. We coordinate the processing details and ensure your beef is vacuum-sealed, labeled, and frozen for safety and freshness. (Note: Because of these regulations, we cannot resell individual USDA cuts at this time – we only sell by the share.)

We’re here to help! You can always reach out to us via email or the contact form on our site with any question – no question is too small. If something is unclear about the process, pricing, or you’re not sure how to cook a particular cut, just ask. If there’s ever any issue with your order upon receiving it (for example, a mistake in cutting or a concern with quality), please inform us right away. We stand by our product and want you to be 100% satisfied. We can address any problems if they arise – our family’s reputation is behind this beef. Finally, if you’re new to buying bulk beef, we know it can be a learning curve; we’re happy to guide you through it so you can confidently fill your freezer. Just send us your questions – we likely will add them to this FAQ to help others too!