I flipped the wrong breaker at home and lost all my food in my 25cuft deep freeze. So now I am going to refill it. I called for a price on a whole cow ($2000) and pig ($375). I didn't really want black Angus but that's all they have, I was wanting a Charolais. Anyways, are these good prices for the market now these days? I want to get a fair deal but never done this before. My parents want to go in half so I might end up trying to buy a lamb too. What kind of space would I need for half cow and half pig? I think this might be a tough one to answer because I see the numbers are all over the place
live prices? beef is alittle cheap, hog is quite high. alot depends on the weight, fat cattle are trading around $ 1.50 -$1.60 / lb butcher hogs are trading around $.80 -$.85 /lb for 240 -270 lb hog
That's out the door price. Animal+butch prices. Cow should be 1100-1200# hog I have no idea. Just talked to mom and she just bought half a cow without me. So I guess I will get a whole one now.
Why don't you buy the other half of her cow??
Quote from: Magicman on October 20, 2014, 08:42:15 PM
Why don't you buy the other half of her cow??
Because she bought that in Madison, IN and that was the last of what they had for this year. She got the vary last of it unfortunately. Where I called is in oden, IN and they still have moo-moos. Ya know, I should ask for the price of a goat also when I am there ;D
Of course I was joking, but even pies have a last slice. food6
You are kidding (pun intended) about eating Poston's baby brother right??
Quote from: Magicman on October 20, 2014, 10:25:40 PM
Of course I was joking, but even pies have a last slice. food6
You are kidding (pun intended) about eating Poston's baby brother right??
You're a Baaaaaaaaad Man! :D :D :D :D
Quote from: Compensation on October 20, 2014, 07:20:45 PM
I didn't really want black Angus but that's all they have, I was wanting a Charolais.
We never preferred the Angus meat either. My Dad and Uncle used to raise Charolais. Are best beef came from crossing them with Brahmas. Very tender meat.
Sometimes that slice is half a pie and a belly ache. :D
Poston, what one do you use as the bull? I was planning on getting 4 calf's next year. Was going to get 2 Charolais and 2 black Angus. Sell the Angus's and pay for my Charolais. I would have the vet come out and inseminate them so I could keep a turn going. I don't think you could ever run out of customers wanting Angus, I really don't know why.
Research a little bit on what AI will cost you. Wasn't worth it to me. Cheaper to feed a bull.
Quote from: LeeB on October 21, 2014, 02:48:32 AM
Research a little bit on what AI will cost you. Wasn't worth it to me. Cheaper to feed a bull.
I will have to ask the vet next time I see him. If its raised much in 12 years I might look into renting a bull. I don't have alot of land to loose where I am at unfortunately. Plus my neighbors would get tired of seeing a fat guy riding a tame bull around his back yard claiming to be a professional bull rider. Maybe one day I will seek counseling. :D
black angus,raised right will melt in your mouth. :) we have cool season grasses along with a more moderate climate which will add to the quality of the meat both in flavor as well as texture.
there is a fine resturant in our area which happens to buy beef and pork from me that has on the menu, if your steak or porkchop is less than fantastic the meal is on the house. thats been on there for over 2 yrs and they have yet had to buy someone's meal.
i don't think our cool climate can help a goat ;D just sayin :)
If you were to buy the beef, "on the hoof" and condition it by keeping it confined in a small area and give it a couple hundred pounds of cornmeal over the course of 4-6 weeks, it will produce some very nice beef!
Quoteand give it a couple hundred pounds of cornmeal over the course of 4-6 weeks
Feeding Northern cows Grits?? :D
Quote from: Compensation on October 21, 2014, 12:48:26 AM
Sometimes that slice is half a pie and a belly ache. :D
Poston, what one do you use as the bull?
We used a Charolais Bull.
Not going to turn this into a Ford, Chevy, Dodge thing but we raise primarily Angus cattle with a little herferd crossed in from way back (or when the neighbor's bull pays a visit). We butcher what we raise and I like it, but I personally love going to the neighbors for dinner, corn fed longhorn, just melts in your mouth. Of coarse 99.9% of this is probably the cooking (just like your grandma used to do it), I've milked for different people that just can't believe anyone would eat anything but corn fed Holstein, have yet to get a good taste from one of those but to each their own, never have cooked a steak with the hide still on it. ;) I will stand behind a good dirt raised pig though, pork from those raised in confinements always seem really slimy? to me, I guess that's the word I'm looking for.
And the way they raise chickens these days, if it wasn't for salmonella, chicken would not have any flavor at all.
Quote from: Magicman on October 21, 2014, 08:21:28 AM
Quoteand give it a couple hundred pounds of cornmeal over the course of 4-6 weeks
Feeding Northern cows Grits?? :D
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D good one MM never thought of it that way
Wild Bill and I had a 1300 lb on the hoof steer packaged up. We got 804 lbs of meat. It filled 23 CU Ft of freezer.
Have a 300-350lb hog we are doing next month. Figuring/hoping we'll get 250 lb from it, maybe a bit less.
Those are some big returns on meat Bill. Thanks for the size to cubic foot comparison. Makes me fell better going into this.
As for the breed of cow, no one wants to put effort in meat quality. Its too simple for people to just pull it off the pasture and sell it. I had a amazing black Angus steak once. It was just a simple new York strip I got from the store. But for the most part they just seem bland more often than not. I guess its like a kobi cow (don't know the spelling). Those cows get daily rub downs to keep them tender and make amazing meat. According to a guy that bought one, you can take that same breed of cow and raise it in a field only to get a disappointment in the end.
I was talking to my other half about selling our house and buying more land for all the animals I want to raise. It makes me nervous to take on a big risk like that but I should be fine. I was wanting 40 acres and to build this 60'x140'x16' pole barn on it. Once all the inspections are done, build a 3000sqft house in the end of it so we could live there until we build our dream house. It would be nice to have a little more freedom when raising animals with that much land.
We have butchered a few in the past that for whatever reason, were not so tender. That makes for a lot of chewing before it is gone.
We've never done a hog before so my weights are guesses at best. Will know for sure next month.
We filled a 15 cu ft freezer to bring back with us and left a 7 cu ft full there plus gave some to neighbors.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14445/20130930_093838.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14445/20131011_142946.jpg)
Thanks for the info and pictures. I placed my order on the cow and got a mixture of options. But she never mentioned anything about filet mignon. Should I be worried or what other steaks are near by that cut? The pig wasn't so bad, I just said bacon, ribs, chops, hams, loins, and sausage.
I'm no butcher, nor do I have a "steak chart". Always called the filet the two strips inside the body cavity along the rib cage. Am I wrong?
Papaw always said not to fret to much about if you don't get it cut-up exactly right. What is not in one piece will be in another. Course he and i were the butchers and consumers.
bradmarks
The filet I believe is the tip of that tenderloin which is the two strips inside the body cavity along the backbone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filet_mignon
Quote from: BradMarks on November 06, 2014, 04:27:26 PM
I'm no butcher, nor do I have a "steak chart". Always called the filet the two strips inside the body cavity along the rib cage. Am I wrong?
You are correct it is on the inside but towards the short loin end. If you look at a Porterhouse or t-bone in the showcase you'll see the Strip Steak on the top of the back bone and the tenderloin or filet on the other side.
bill
is the picture of the red cow the one you put in the freezer?
the proper way of finishing animals is, first they have to reach full body frame at that point they start putting the final fat layer on. if an animal is pushed grain to hard to early your animal won't be truely body finished.
i grass finish all my animals, when looking at the top of the back you shouldn't be able to see the hip bones or the pin bones . it should look more like a rounder barrel and the tail head will have fat wrinkles also.
every animal finishes at differant weights some it's 1200 lbs others it might be 900 lbs. a resturaunt in my area buys 20 beef from me each year and on the menu its says if your steak is not to your satisfaction, the meal is on the house. this has been the last 3 yrs and they havent bought a meal yet. :)
I guess I have intertwined the words filet and tenderloin to be the same. I only cut up deer or elk, and that inside tenderloin is my filet! Outside is the backstrap. Only thing I really know is YUMMY.
OK, I am sure I will get it somehow. Just didn't want it to end up as hamburger. It was funny when she asked about the pig. Later my woman had to take over the discussion so we would get more stuff so I agreed with her but should be alot of bacon and brats (sausage).
She said "how do y...."
Me: "Bacon!!!"
her: "OK, how...."
Me: "Bacon!!!"
her: "well we can't make bacon out of a roast"
Me: "Brats"
her: "OK, and how..."
Me: "Bacon!!!"
her: "Well..."
Me: "Brats!!!"
That was pretty much the whole pig discussion.
Pigs are easy for me, I call them sausage, bone it, trim it, grind it, and stuff it ;D. Actually I like ham and bacon too, you can have the chops, nobody will ever cook them like grandma used to.
Haven't bought a beast in a while....Time to do it again. Goats , sheep I butcher up myself. Over 200 pounds we send to a professional. This thread is making me hungry .....Rob
Quote from: red oaks lumber on November 06, 2014, 06:41:41 PM
bill
is the picture of the red cow the one you put in the freezer?
the proper way of finishing animals is, first they have to reach full body frame at that point they start putting the final fat layer on. if an animal is pushed grain to hard to early your animal won't be truely body finished.
i grass finish all my animals, when looking at the top of the back you shouldn't be able to see the hip bones or the pin bones . it should look more like a rounder barrel and the tail head will have fat wrinkles also.
every animal finishes at differant weights some it's 1200 lbs others it might be 900 lbs. a resturaunt in my area buys 20 beef from me each year and on the menu its says if your steak is not to your satisfaction, the meal is on the house. this has been the last 3 yrs and they haven't bought a meal yet. :)
Yepper the red one was ours. Got a black one this time, same dad different mom.
Pretty much completely grass fed. Little to no grain but that's not my call. Personally I'd finish it off with some kind of feed for a bit but it's not up to me. :-X
We use this meat for cooking and some grilling but if I want a nice tender juicy steak I buy a Publix Greenwise.
If you ever get a tough beef, try the "all-day-cook" in a crock pot.
They'll make the toughest ones tender! digin1
there is a right way and a wrong way to cut some parts of a beef trust me :) we had steaks half of it would melt in your mouth the other half wouldn't go through a meat grinder it was so tuff ;D
A pressurecooker will make tough meat tender in a shorter time than a crockpot