How To Buy
BEEF CUSTOM ORDERS
We have both grass-fed/grass-finished and grass-fed/grain-finished beef. All animals are pasture born and raised. The beef is dry-aged for 14 to 21 days, custom cut to the customer’s specifications, vacuum packaged, and flash frozen.
The benefit of a bulk purchase is that it is more cost effective than buying individual cuts of beef, and it is custom cut to your specifications. You know the source of the meat, how it was raised, and what it ate, etc.
WHOLE & HALF BEEF:
We sell whole and half beef as bulk purchases to those who want to fill their freezer with custom cut meat. A half is one side (a front quarter and a back quarter). We can do quarters when we are able to match up others who also want a quarter. A quarter is taken from both front and back quarters. The price is slightly higher than whole and half orders.
OVERALL COST:
The overall cost is the cost of the beef and the processing fee.
The animal cost is based on its hanging weight which is the carcass weight (not live weight).
The processing cost includes the kill fee, dry-aging for 14-21 days, custom cutting, and packaging fees. There may be additional charges if there are special cutting instructions (eg. deboning and tying) and/ or finer processing (eg. making patties or curing the meat).
The animal cost is paid to Croftburn Farm. A deposit is required at time of ordering ($1000 for whole, $500 for half, and $250 for quarter). Final payment is due when we deliver the beef to the processor and get a hanging weight.
The processing cost is paid to directly to the processor at the time of pickup (Fauquier’s Finest in Bealeton).
Total cost estimate: Beef price, whole and half $3.70 per pound hanging weight PLUS Processing fee: estimated $550-600 for a whole beef and $225-300 for a half beef.
Example: If the beef hanging weight is 750 lbs, the cost is 750 lbs times $3.70/lb PLUS the processing fee. If the beef hanging weight is 850 lbs, the cost is 850 lbs times $3.70/lb PLUS the processing fee.
Price is subject to change.
YIELD:
Hanging weight is the weight of the carcass before it is dry-aged. This includes the meat, bones and fat. Some customers want the bones (great for broth and/or dogs), suet, and organ meat, some don’t. This is all up to the individual customer preference.
Final weight is less than hanging weight.
Average hanging weight is between 750-850 lbs. The final weight is about 525-650 lbs. This is just an estimate as each animal is different.
STEP BY STEP HOW TO BUY:
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Contact us by phone or email. We will discuss which type of finish you are looking for (grass-finish or grain-finish) and its availability.
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Send deposit.
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We will send you a cut sheet, specifying which cuts you want, the thickness of the steaks, size of roasts, etc. We will help you fill this out to ensure you receive exactly what you want.
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We deliver the beef to the processor and get the hanging weight.
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Final payment for beef is due.
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Beef is dry-aged for 14-21 days.
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Beef is custom cut to your specifications, vacuum sealed, and flash frozen.
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The processor contacts the customer to tell them the meat is ready for pickup.
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Customer picks up their meat at the processor in Bealeton and pays the processing directly to them.
AVAILABILITY:
We take and fill orders year round. We recommend that you place your order several months before you want to get the meat as we have to schedule the finishing and processing. The longer lead time you can give us the better.
We work with each customer to fill their order, given the requisite lead time. Remember that it takes months to grain-finish an animal, longer to finish one on grass.
We have had a longstanding relationship with many of our customers. Each year they buy a whole or half, sometimes splitting it with friends and family.
We look forward to working with you!
LAMB CUSTOM ORDERS
LAMB:
We sell whole and half lamb seasonally, as we lamb in both spring and fall.
We recommend that you place your order well in advance because of demand and scheduling.
The ordering process is similar to that of beef.
Please contact us about availability and prices.
Price is subject to change.
To place your order or with any questions please email us at croftburnfarm(at)gmail(dot)com