A beef share is a quarter, half, or whole cow bought direct from a farm and processed to your own cut instructions, and buying one comes down to five steps. It is the most economical way to stock a freezer with quality beef, and the process is simpler than it first looks.
The five steps
- Choose your share size. A quarter yields ~100-125 lb of meat, a half ~200-250 lb, a whole ~400-500 lb. Match this to your freezer and how much beef you eat in a year.
- Reserve with a farm. Contact a beef-share farm, confirm the price per hanging pound and availability. Grass-finished farms often book a season ahead.
- Submit your cut sheet. Tell the processor your steak thickness, roast sizes, ground-beef ratio, and which organ meats and bones to keep.
- Pay by hanging weight. Once the animal is harvested, you pay the hanging-weight price plus the cut-and-wrap fee and any slaughter fee.
- Pick up and freeze. Collect your labeled, frozen packages and load your dedicated freezer.
What you actually get
| Share | Hanging weight | Take-home meat | Freezer space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter | ~150-190 lb | ~100-125 lb | ~3-4 cu ft |
| Half (side) | ~300-375 lb | ~200-250 lb | ~5.6-6.4 cu ft |
| Whole | ~600-750 lb | ~400-500 lb | ~12-13 cu ft |
What it really costs
The invoice has three parts: the meat (hanging weight times the per-pound rate), the cut-and-wrap fee ($0.55-$0.80 per hanging pound), and the slaughter fee (~$100-$125 per animal, split by share). Here is a typical half.
| Line item | How it is figured | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Meat cost | 300 lb hanging x $4.50/lb (example rate) | $1,350 |
| Cut and wrap | 300 lb hanging x $0.70/lb | $210 |
| Share of slaughter fee | Half of ~$110/animal | $55 |
| Total paid | ~$1,615 | |
| Take-home meat | ~68% of 300 lb hanging | ~205 lb |
| True cost per pound | $1,615 / 205 lb | ~$7.88/lb |
So a half lands near $1,600 all in, or about $7.88 per take-home pound - paid upfront in one or two invoices. Compare that on a true-cost-per-pound basis, not the hanging rate. See what hanging weight means for the full breakdown.
Getting the cut sheet right
Your cut sheet decides what fills the freezer. Key choices: steak thickness (commonly 1 inch), roast sizes for your household, how much of the animal becomes ground beef, and whether you keep organ meats, bones, and fat. If you are unsure, ask the processor for their standard sheet and adjust from there. A little thought here means fewer surprises and less waste.
Timeline and who it is for
Plan for a few weeks to a few months from reservation to pickup. A beef share fits households with freezer space, the cash to pay upfront, and the appetite to work through a full mix of cuts. If that is not you yet, a meat CSA delivers smaller boxes on a subscription instead, or split a share with friends to share the cost and freezer load.
Related reading
- Freezer space by share size - buy the freezer before the beef.
- Grass-fed vs grain-finished - choose your finish.
- USDA vs custom-exempt - why you buy a live-animal share.
Find beef-share farms: Browse verified butcher shops, processors, and beef-share farms near you on the Butcher Bud directory.
Last verified: July 2026 by the Butcher Bud editorial team. Ranges come from USDA and university extension sources; hanging-weight prices move with the cattle market, so confirm current numbers with your farm and processor.