Half & Whole Beef · East Texas
How Much Does Half a Cow Cost?
The short answer: it depends on the weight of the animal and how you have it cut, and it arrives as two separate bills. Here is exactly how the number is built, how much beef you actually end up with, and how much freezer you need to clear.
Get Current PricingThe Real Answer
A Half Cow Is Two Bills, Not One
This trips up almost everyone buying beef in bulk for the first time, and it is the reason online prices never seem to match what people actually paid.
01
The beef, paid to the rancher
Quoted per pound of hanging weight, the weight of the carcass before it is aged and cut. Half of a finished animal normally hangs somewhere around 300 to 400 pounds.
02
The processing, paid to the butcher
A kill fee plus a per-pound cut-and-wrap charge, billed by the processing facility directly. It varies by region and by how you want the animal cut, so no ranch can quote it honestly on your behalf.
So what is Vincent Farms charging right now?
It moves with the animal, so we would rather quote you than publish a number that is wrong by the time you read it. Tell us whether you want a half or a whole and we will send the current per-pound price, the processors the ranch works with, and what is actually available this season.
Ask Us for Current PricingWhat You End Up With
How Much Beef Is in an Average Cow?
Typical ranges for a finished beef animal, from a quarter up to the whole thing. Your animal will land where it lands, and the ranch will give you its real weights.
Swipe the table to compare →
| Quarter | Half | Whole | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging weight | 150 to 200 lb | 300 to 400 lb | 600 to 800 lb |
| Beef in your freezer | 100 to 140 lb | 200 to 280 lb | 400 to 560 lb |
| Freezer space | 3 to 4 cu ft | 6 to 8 cu ft | 12 to 15 cu ft |
| Feeds a family of four | Around 3 months | Around 6 months | Around a year |
Take-home weight runs roughly 60 to 70 percent of hanging weight once the butcher has trimmed and boned it. Grass fed animals are leaner, so they tend to sit toward the lower end. Freezer space works out at about one cubic foot for every 35 to 40 pounds packaged.
In the Box
The Cuts You Get From a Half
A half is a full side of the animal, so you get the whole range rather than a selection someone else picked. You tell the processor how thick you want steaks cut and how big you want the ground beef packages.
Steaks
Ribeye, New York strip, sirloin, tenderloin, flank and skirt.
Roasts
Chuck, rump and brisket, plus short ribs and stew meat.
Ground beef
Usually the single largest share of the box, packaged how you ask for it.
On request
Soup bones, organ meats and fat for rendering, if you want them.
Where It Comes From
You Will Know the Name of the Man Who Raised It
This is not beef sourced from a network of anonymous suppliers. It comes from Vincent Farms in East Texas, a third-generation family operation run by Justin Vincent, running regenerative rotational grazing, 100% grass fed and pasture raised for the life of the animal, with no routine hormones or antibiotics.
It is the same pasture, the same genetics and the same standards as the cattle families buy outright through OwnYourHerd. The only difference is that with a beef share you are buying the meat rather than owning the animal.
Meet the RanchGet Current Pricing
Ask About a Half or Whole
Tell us what you are after and we will come back with the current per-pound price, the processors the ranch works with, and what is available this season. No obligation, and no pressure if the timing is not right.
Common Questions
Buying Beef in Bulk, Explained
How much does half a cow cost?
A half beef is normally priced per pound of hanging weight, then processing is paid separately to the processor. So the total moves with the size of the animal and the cuts you choose. Because both parts move, the honest answer is that it is quoted per animal. Leave your details and we will send you the current half and whole pricing along with what is available right now.
How much meat do you actually get from half a cow?
A half beef typically hangs at roughly 300 to 400 pounds, and you take home about 60 to 70 percent of that once it is trimmed, boned and packaged. That usually works out somewhere around 200 to 280 pounds of finished, wrapped beef. Grass fed animals tend to sit at the leaner end of that range.
How much freezer space do I need for a half cow?
Plan on roughly one cubic foot for every 35 to 40 pounds of packaged beef, which puts a half beef at about six to eight cubic feet. A standard chest freezer in the five to seven cubic foot range will take a half with a little organising. A whole beef needs closer to twelve to fifteen.
What is the difference between hanging weight and take-home weight?
Hanging weight, sometimes called carcass weight, is what the animal weighs after harvest with the hide, head and organs removed, before it is aged and cut. Take-home weight is what actually goes in your freezer after the butcher trims and bones it. Take-home is normally 60 to 70 percent of hanging weight. Pricing is usually quoted on hanging weight, which is why the two numbers are worth keeping straight.
What cuts do I get?
A half beef gives you the full range from that side of the animal: ribeye, New York strip, sirloin and tenderloin steaks, chuck and rump roasts, brisket, short ribs, stew meat, soup bones and a large share of ground beef, which is usually the biggest single portion. You tell the processor how you want it cut, how thick you like your steaks and how large you want your ground beef packages.
Is this the same beef as the cattle you sell for ownership?
Same pasture, same genetics, same standards, same rancher. The only difference is that with a beef share you are buying the meat rather than owning the animal that produced it.
How long until I get it?
A beef share is tied to an animal that is already finishing, so it is a matter of the next harvest window and processor scheduling rather than years. When you get in touch we will tell you what is actually available and when.
Can I split a half with someone else?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Two families splitting a half each end up with a quarter, which is a much easier ask of a normal kitchen freezer. Sort out between yourselves who collects it and how you divide the cuts.
Do you deliver?
Collection at the processor is free within the pickup window. If you would rather not drive, shipping or delivery can be arranged at your cost.
Thinking Longer Term?
A Half Feeds You for Six Months. A Herd Feeds You for Years.
Some families start with a half and buy their first cow a year later, once they have tasted the beef and met the rancher. If owning the animals rather than the meat sounds like the better fit, that is what OwnYourHerd was actually built for.
See How Ownership Works