How Farm Direct works
1. Find a share. Every offer shows the farm, the sizes and prices, the month it will be ready, how many shares are left, and how the animal was raised and processed.
2. Reserve it. Choose your size and send a reservation request. It goes straight to the farm, which contacts you to confirm and collect any deposit.
3. Pick up your meat. The farm schedules processing and lets you know when your packaged, labeled meat is ready. Your free account tracks every request.
Why buy direct from a farm
Buying a share puts more of your money in a local farmer's pocket than any grocery store can, and it gives you a freezer full of meat with a known origin at a lower cost per pound than buying cut by cut. It also keeps small farms and local processors in business, which keeps local food supply strong when national supply chains are stretched.
Before you reserve, run the numbers with the free beef share calculator or whole hog calculator, check your space with the freezer size calculator, and plan your cuts with the cut sheet planner.
For farms: sell your shares here, free
Raise beef, hogs, lamb or poultry? List your farm free or sign in to your dashboard and open Farm Direct to post your shares. Buyers who asked for alerts in your state hear about them right away, reservations arrive in your dashboard with lead tracking, and Premium farms are listed first.
Frequently asked questions
How does buying a beef share direct from a farm work?
You reserve a share of an animal, such as a half or quarter beef, from the farm before it goes to the processor. Most farms ask for a deposit to hold your spot. When the animal is processed, you pay the balance based on hanging weight and pick up your packaged, labeled meat from the farm or processor, usually two to three weeks after processing.
Is buying meat direct from a farm cheaper?
Usually, per pound of finished meat, because you pay one blended price for every cut from ground beef to ribeye and there is no grocery markup. You do pay for the whole share at once and need freezer space. Use the free beef share calculator to see your true cost per pound before you reserve.
What does price per pound hanging weight mean?
Hanging weight is the carcass weight after slaughter, before it is cut and trimmed. Most farms price shares per pound of hanging weight, and you take home about 55 to 70 percent of that weight as packaged beef. Processing fees are often charged separately per pound of hanging weight.
What is the difference between USDA inspected and custom exempt?
USDA inspected meat is processed under a federal inspector and can be sold by the cut. Custom exempt processing is for meat the buyer already owns, which is why many farms sell live shares of an animal: you buy part of the animal, and the processor cuts it to your order for your own household. Ask the farm which one they use.
How do I reserve a share on Butcher Bud?
Open an offer, choose the size and how many shares you want, and send the reservation request. It goes straight to the farm, which contacts you to confirm and collect any deposit. Your free Butcher Bud account tracks every request and shows when the farm responds.