Buying a half cow can save money and fill your freezer for months, but the process can feel confusing at first. As a multi-generation cattle-farming family, we break down exactly how much meat you get, what it costs, what meat cuts are included, and what to expect when ordering beef from a local farmer.
Thinking About Buying a Half Cow? Start Here.
Have you ever wondered what it really means to buy a half cow (also called a side of beef) or even a whole cow? It’s one of the best ways to stock up your freezer with high-quality, farm-raised, local beef – and save too! But it can also feel very confusing the first time around.
We’re 5th-generation cattle farmers, and we’ve sold thousands of pounds of beef from our farm. In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how much beef you get, what it typically costs, how much freezer space you’ll need, what cuts are included, and explain grass fed beef vs grain-fed beef. Then, once you have all this information, you can make an educated decision on whether buying a half cow is right for your family.
Jump to:
- Thinking About Buying a Half Cow? Start Here.
- Why Buy a Half Cow (or Whole Cow)?
- How Much Meat Do You Get When Buying a Cow?
- Buying a Quarter Cow: What You Get
- VIDEO – See a Quarter Cow in a Refrigerator
- Buying a Half Cow (Side of Beef): How Much Meat Is It?
- Buying a Whole Cow: What You Get
- Price of a Half Cow, Quarter Cow, Whole Cow
- How Much Freezer Space Do You Need?
- How Long Does Frozen Beef Last?
- What Cuts of Meat Do you Get?
- What Type of Cow Should I Buy: Grain Fed Beef vs Grassfed Beef?
- How to Buy a Cow (Step-by-Step)
- FAQ
- Join us!
Why Buy a Half Cow (or Whole Cow)?
When you buy a half cow directly from a local farmer instead of your local butcher, you get premium beef cuts – from ground beef to steaks and brisket – for a lower price per pound. It’s one of the smartest ways to fill your freezer, customize your butchered cuts of meat, skip the inflated grocery store price, know where your food comes from and how it’s raised, and support local farmers.
If you’ve ever searched “half cow near me” or “buying a cow for meat”, this is exactly what you’re looking for – a direct relationship with a local cattle farmer.
How Much Meat Do You Get When Buying a Cow?
Whether you buy a quarter, half or whole cow, your local farmer should be able to provide a fairly accurate estimate on the take-home beef. The more you buy, the lower the price per pound. Here’s a general guideline for bulk meat purchases:
| Portion | Pounds of Take Home Beef | Freezer Space Needed | Average Family Use |
| 1/8 Cow | ~55 lbs | 2-3 cu ft | 1-2 months |
| 1/4 Cow | ~110 lbs | 4-5 cu ft | 2-3 months |
| 1/2 Cow | ~220 lbs | 8-10 cu ft | 4-6 months |
| Whole Cow | ~440 lbs | 16-20 cu ft | 8-12 months |
Depending on the ranch where you purchase your beef, each package includes a mix of steaks, roasts, ribs, brisket, and ground beef. Sometimes, organ meats are soup bones are included too.
Farm Tip: If you buy a quarter or half, it’s sometimes called a beef share.
Buying a Quarter Cow: What You Get
A quarter cow equals roughly 110 lbs of beef. With this option, you share the cow’s beef with other families. Here’s a typical breakdown of the beef cuts:
- ~50 pounds ground beef
- 6-7 New York Strip Steaks
- 6-7 Ribeye Steaks
- 5-6 Filet Steaks
- 5-6 Sirloin Steaks
- 4-5 Roasts (chuck, arm, sirloin or rump)
- 2 Short Ribs
- 1 Brisket
- Stew Meat, Soup Bones, and optional organ meats
VIDEO – See a Quarter Cow in a Refrigerator
Buying a Half Cow (Side of Beef): How Much Meat Is It?
When you buy a half cow, you receive about 200-250 pounds of finished beef that you will put in yoru freezer. HEre’s how it typically works out:
- 40-50 pounds of steak cuts (Ribeye, Filet, Sirloin, Strip Steak)
- 50-50 pounds of roast cuts (Chuck, Rump, Arm, Sirloin)
- 90-100 pounds of ground beef
- 10-20 pounds of other cuts (short ribs, stew meat, brisket, etc.)
A half cow feeds most families of 3-5 people for about 6-7 months, depending on how often you cook beef.
Buying a Whole Cow: What You Get
A whole cow gives you the full animal, which is about 400-450 pounds of take-home freezer beef. It offers the lowest cost per pound of beef. You get double the cuts of a half cow (above), and you can customize the butcher instructions:
- steak thickness
- roast sizes
- how many pounds of ground beef per package
- bone-in or boneless options
- keep or decline the organ meats.
Price of a Half Cow, Quarter Cow, Whole Cow
Prices vary depending on your local farm and market, but here’s a very rough guideline:
| Portion | Average Price | Cost per Pound (Take-Home Weight) |
| Quarter Cow | $700-850 | $7.00-$8.50/lb |
| Half Cow | $1,300-1,600 | $6.50-$7.00/lb |
| Whole Cow | $2,400-$3,00 | $6.00-$6.50/lb |
To understand is buying a cow worth it, divide the total cost by the take-home pounds.
You’ll often find that your price per pound — including steaks — is less than the cost of grocery-store ground beef.
Understanding Hanging Weight vs Take-Home Weight
When shopping, ALWAYS confirm if the farm charges by hanging weight or take-home packaged weight. Terms like beef hanging weight vs packaged weight can seem confusing at first, but they’re VERY important to understand.
- Live Weight: The cow’s weight before butchering.
- Hanging Weight: After slaughter, with head, hide, and organs removed (~60% of live weight).
- Boxed or Take-Home Weight: The final packaged meat you store in your freezer (~60% of hanging weight).
Example: If a farm charges $3.75 per pound hanging weight, your true cost will be closer to $6.25 per pound, plus processing fees (typically around $600 per cow)
How Much Freezer Space Do You Need?
The rule of thumb is 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every ~30 lbs of cut and wrapped meat. A standard upright or chest freezer will easily hold a half cow.
| Portion | Take Home Beef | Freezer Size Needed |
| 1/4 Cow | ~110 lbs | 4-5 cu ft |
| 1/2 Cow | ~220 lbs | 8-10 cu ft |
| Whole Cow | ~440 lbs | 16-20 cu ft |
Farm Tip: Select a freezer with a lock and key to ensure the door stays fully sealed — it’s important for child safety and making sure your beef stays frozen.
How Long Does Frozen Beef Last?
When properly vacuum-sealed, beef lasts about one year in the freezer. If it’s wrapped in paper or shrink wrap, the shelf life is shorter.
For best results, choose vacuum-sealed packaging. Also, be sure to label packages with dates and cut types.
What Cuts of Meat Do you Get?
When you purchase a half or whole cow, you receive a variety of cuts from different parts of the cow. You’re not just getting meat from the front or back half – you get cuts of meat from all different parts of the animal.
- Ground Beef
- Roast (Chuck, Arm, Round, Rump)
- Brisket
- Steak (Ribeye, T-Bone, Tenderloin/Filet Mignon, Strip Steak (NY Strip / KC Strip), Sirloin, Flank, Skirt, Tri-Tip Steak)
- Ribs
- Stew Meat
- Offal (Beef tongue, heart, liver and tallow)
- Soup Bones
| Primal Section | Common Cuts You Receive |
| Chuck | Chuck roast, arm roast, ground beef |
| Rib | Ribeye steaks, short ribs |
| Loin | Filet mignon, New York strip steaks, sirloin steaks |
| Round | Rump roast, round roast, ground beef |
| Brisket | Brisket |
| Plate | Skirt Steak, short ribs |
| Flank | Flank Steak |
| Shank | Soup Bones, Stew Meat |
Farm Tip: There is also the option of organ meats (offal) such as liver, heart, tongue and oxtail.
What Type of Cow Should I Buy: Grain Fed Beef vs Grassfed Beef?
We are often asked what the difference is between grain-finished beef and grassfed beef. Since we raise both on our farm, we can easily talk about both. Here’s the short answer. We go into much more detail in these blog posts about what is grain-finished beef and what is grass-fed beef.
- Grass-finished beef is fed grass only, from start to finish
- Grain-finished beef is fed grass most of its life, but in the last few weeks/months, it has access to natural grains, which gives it more marbling and flavor.
How to Buy a Cow (Step-by-Step)
We’ve written a full guide on how to buy a cow from a farmer, but here’s a quick overview
- Find a local farm – search “half cow near me”, find a farmer at a local farmer’s market, contact your local extension office for a recommendation, or talk to friends/family that have purchased beef locally.
- Choose your portion size – quarter, half or whole
- Contact the farmer to reserve your beef. Pay for order or make deposit.
- Choose cuts (if needed)
- Pick up or receive delivery of order once beef is ready
- Store your beef properly. Here are 5 tips after you buy a cow on storing bulk beef.
FAQ
A half cow is typically about 170–220 pounds of finished, packaged beef. This includes steaks, roasts, ground beef, brisket, ribs, and more.
Buying a half cow is worth it if you want high-quality beef cuts at a lower price per pound. You get a full variety of cuts, you know where your beef comes from, and you can restock your freezer for months.
Buying a whole cow is the most cost-effective option if you have the freezer space and want the lowest price per pound on high-quality beef. A whole cow typically yields 400–450 pounds of take-home meat, including steaks, roasts, brisket, ribs, and a large amount of ground beef. Because you’re purchasing the full animal, you can fully customize your cuts (such as steak thickness, roast size, and how much ground beef you prefer).
The rule of thumb is 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every ~30 lbs of cut and wrapped meat.
A side of beef and a half cow are the same thing — both refer to one side of the animal, not split front/back.
We’re glad you asked! We are a cow-calf farm, which means we own a cow herd (cows are the mama cows) and then we sell the calves. This process is very common in the U.S. Here’s more detail on how we raise our cattle and facts about our farm.
Join us!
Do you want to learn more about our farm, or get more easy beef recipes? Sign-up for beef recipes to your inbox.
Here are a few other links you may like:
- What is Grass Fed Beef?
- What is Grain-finished Beef?
- 5 Tips After You Buy a Whole Cow
- Questions to Ask Before Buying a Side of Beef (Half Beef)
- Difference Between Grass Finished vs. Grain Finished Beef
- Grass-Fed vs Organic Beef vs Grain-Fed: What’s Better?
- What Do Cattle Eat: How Grass Provides Nutrition for Cows
- What Do Cows Drink? Water, Milk or Both? (Video)
- 53 Facts About Beef
- The Difference Between a Bull, Steer, Cow and Heifer (Video)
- Do Cows Have Teeth? Estimating Cattle Age with Teeth (Video)
- Head of Cattle vs. Herd: What Beef Lifestock Terms Mean
(Originally Published February 2016, Updated November 2025)
No, I’m sorry but we are not able to take food stamps.
Do you accept food stamps?
How much for half of cow total cost?
Hi Linda! Thanks for the question. We list all of the pricing in our store, along with how much beef you’ll get in a half. http://www.clovervalleybeef.com/store/
Hi Terry, A quarter, half and whole will include hamburger, roast, brisket, stew meat, kabob meat, sirloin steak, filets, tri tip, strip steak, Ribeye , ribs, liver and soup bones. We go into more detail on this blog post: http://www.clovervalleybeef.com/beef-cut-clover-valley-beef/ and the cost is listed in our store http://www.clovervalleybeef.com/store/
How many steaks and what type of cuts are in a half or a quarter,and what is the cost involved plus shipping,ribeye,t bone etc,ty
I’m interested in buying half a cow. How much would that cost?
I was a meatcutter from 1969 to 1984 and I am planning to get back into it. I know the beef comes broken down and in boxes so swinging beef is probably a thing of the past. Actually how different is it? Thanks, Mike Huys
Great question! The beef will keep in the freezer for about 12 months. Yes, ribs come with the purchase of either a quarter, half or whole. You can find all of the pricing and the cuts on our store page: http://www.clovervalleybeef.com/store/
Please let us know if you have more questions. Thanks!
I have a family of 4 ,two question is 1. How long does it keep frozen? And how much would it cost for A half the cow? Does that come with ribs.
If I buy a 1/2 beef w hanging weight of 300 lbs..what would be my take home weight in beef??
Thanks for the message. Our prices are available in our store, http://www.clovervalleybeef.com/store
How much for a whole cow please
Hi Rachel, Great question. A quarter of beef is $700. That’s for 135 lbs of beef (includes approx. 60 lbs of hamburger, and the remaining 75 lbs are in a variety of cuts like steaks, roasts, ribs, brisket, tenderloin, etc.). That’s the total price – there is an additional cost for processing or delivery. Please let us know if you have other questions. Thanks!
How much is a quarter of beef