Organic Grassfed Beef

 Our goal is to supply high quality, certified organic, humanely-raised, and affordable beef. The animals have not been vaccinated.

Our beef is sold both wholesale and retail.
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​Between 18 and 30 months of age, the beef is processed at a small USDA processing facility - usually Leona Meats in Troy, PA. It is aged for 10 days, then cut, wrapped in cryovac packaging, and frozen.

When retail orders are placed on the website you will receive a confirmation email. When your order is filled and ready for pick-up you will receive an Order Ready email. 

All filled orders will be in the freezer labeled ORDER PICK-UP  (against the left wall in the Outpost) in a bag or box with your name on it and you can pick up at your convenience.

Wholesale Beef is Sold By the Hanging Weight of the animal -  $5.75/pound.  Payment methods include Check, Cash, Venmo. We do not accept cards.


Hanging Weight

"Hanging Weight" (also known as Hot Carcass Weight) is the weight of a side of beef as it hangs on the rail in a meat cooler. All beef sold as hanging weight will lose some of that weight in the cutting and trimming process. The amount of fat and bone that must be trimmed (cutting loss) from a side thus has an influence on the final price per pound of meat that is wrapped and frozen for you.

With an average live weight of 950 lbs. and the average yield of 62%, the typical steer will produce an approximately 500-600 lb. hanging weight carcass. The yield is dependent upon both the live weight, and type of cuts ordered (boneless vs. bone-in).
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The hanging weight for this 'average' animal will yield approximately 570 lbs. of red meat and trim (trim includes the average of 27 lbs. of organ meat: liver, heart, tongue, etc. and about 145 lbs of fat and bone. This is roughly a yield of 80% from the dressed or hanging weight.

Processing cost is generally around $.92 per pound, which includes organic handling and labeling . Animal weights vary, but ours are usually in the 550-650 pound range hanging weight.

Wholesale Beef is $5.75/lb, hanging weight; plus processing.   

**All of this explanation aside, a split half (a quarter, with cuts from both front end & hind end) runs about $1000 plus or minus.  This includes processing; and you can double that for a half.**
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Here is the cut sheet for customizing your order from Leonas, and here is a beef cuts chart. Alternatively, we'd be happy to call in the cut sheet for you if you prefer; after a conversation so that we know what you'd like.

2024 Beef Dates:   We have beef scheduled for each month of 2024, so there will be minimal wait time once the order is placed. To place an order, or if you have any other inquiry, please email maureen@cobblestonevalley.com, and we can get things started. Alternatively, there is an order placement form just below.
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IS OUR BEEF 100% GRASS FED?

It is increasingly often that we are asked this question, and we cannot say that we are 100%. Our guesstimate is we are 98% grass fed, and here's why:

During pasture season - May through October - the beef herd's diet is pasture. When/if needed due to the weather, they are supplemented with dry hay or haylage.

In the wintertime if help is short and/or there is inclement weather, we may feed the animals corn silage that is here on the farm to feed our dairy cows. This is by no means a common occurrence, but it cannot be ignored.

Corn silage is on the farm for a winter feed for the dairy cows, as extra energy for their diet at that time of year; it is not grown for the beef cows.

Corn silage is fodder made of corn that is chopped - the stalk, the ears - all of it. It is not just corn kernels. The amount of 'grain' in the corn silage is small, because the ears are just a small part of the silage.

If you have any further questions about this topic, please reach out - maureen@cobblestonevalley.com.

Aging beef by keeping it unwrapped under refrigeration for extended periods of time increases its tenderness because natural enzymes are released that help soften the connective tissue in the muscles. Not only is dry-aged beef more tender, but also a great deal of moisture evaporates (there may be as much as a 20% weight loss), concentrating the flavor. The meat mellows, and the rich, beefy taste is accentuated.   
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Some excellent resources for cooking grass-fed beef follow. Please consider them a sound investment in your culinary experience!
 
The Grassfed Gourmet , The Farmer and the Grill, and the new Long Way on a Little, all by Shannon Hayes - The Radical Homemaker. These books are especially relevant as cooking grassfed meats are a little different than the grain-fed, supermarket meats that we have become accustomed to.

Lastly, as a cooking aid for all of this meat you are thinking about buying, there is an inexpensive tool that is absolutely essential for proper preparation of meat. An instant read thermometer, digital or otherwise, takes all the guesswork out of cooking. We highly recommend one for your cooking adventures.
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Payment methods include cash, check, Venmo. We do not accept credit cards.  Frozen beef is available as the following:

• Retail Cuts - order button at top of page -
• Whole
• Half
• Split half - one quarter that includes cuts from both front and hind.