Gentlemommy Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 How much do you pay for it? I just looked at some places near me, and their price for ground beef (cheapest) was over $9 a pound! Chickens were $7 per pound, with the average bird being 5-7 pounds. We can eat a whole chicken in one meal...that's $30. Just in chicken, so add in another $5-$7 for veggies/salad. Yikes. I'm trying very had to switch us to a Primal diet, but I'm having to buy conventional meats. :glare: And with the amount of chicken/meat/eggs/milk we'd be consuming, I'd be more comfortable going with the good stuff...it just seems impossibly out of our financial reach. :001_huh: Good news is we do have a deep freezer, so I could get a whole big order at once, but is it cheaper that way? And how would I go about finding where to buy that? Thanks in advance!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 try the website local harvest. It lists farms by area, and yes, it is much cheaper to buy a lot at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Depends on the cuts. I get ground beef from my CSA for $4.88 per pound, but their steaks amd other cuts range up to $11.00 per pound. There's a homeschool mom I know whose family has a farm, and they will occasionally offer meat for $5.00 per pound for all cuts. They just give you a variety from what they have. I order 30 lbs. at a time when she offers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 If I watch sales I can find grass fed, organic beef for $4.99/lb. That is for ground beef. I bought a pound last week and used it to make tacos. I combined the meat with one can black beans for the taco filling. Around here (AZ) grass fed beef is between $6-7/lb. That would save you a little but then you usually have to buy a minimum of 1/4 a cow. The cost of groceries has gone so high. The only good thing I have noticed recently is that at one grocery chain the organic and regular produce prices have gotten really close. Last week the price for a regular head of lettuce was 99 cents and it was the same price for the organic lettuce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in North CA Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 USDA grass finished beef here is $6.75/lb for burger. You can probably do better if you purchase in bulk, because by purchasing a whole "live" animal (or a quarter, or half) you can circumvent the requirement that the meat be butchered and processed in a USDA facility. If you purchase a beef directly from a farmer, it can be butchered, cut and wrapped by a community butcher that is not USDA certified. We raise grass-finished beef, and we sell them direct as live animals. We hire a butcher to come and butcher them on the farm, than take them away to cut and wrap. Our customers get a freezer full of beef for right around $6.00 per pound, for ALL cuts....burger to prime rib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 $8.99 per pound for beef and around $18 for a whole chicken. It's not cheap but we eat meat less in general now so I just pay more to get healthier/better quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I raise my own but I think they sell for $4.40-$6/lb depending on the cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 USDA grass finished beef here is $6.75/lb for burger. You can probably do better if you purchase in bulk, because by purchasing a whole "live" animal (or a quarter, or half) you can circumvent the requirement that the meat be butchered and processed in a USDA facility. If you purchase a beef directly from a farmer, it can be butchered, cut and wrapped by a community butcher that is not USDA certified. We raise grass-finished beef, and we sell them direct as live animals. We hire a butcher to come and butcher them on the farm, than take them away to cut and wrap. Our customers get a freezer full of beef for right around $6.00 per pound, for ALL cuts....burger to prime rib. :iagree: we buy 1/4 annually from a local farmer. Up front cost is high, usually in the $300 range for both the meat and the packaging, but it lasts us all year and it is so nice to be able to 'shop' from our freezers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in North CA Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 One thing you want to look for, if you are going to pay the high price, is that the beef is actually "grass finished". That means, the cattle have eaten grass all the way through to butchering. It is the grass diet in the final stages that really effects the nutritional quality of the meat...increasing the omega 3s, decreasing saturated fats, increasing (greatly) the conjugated lineolic acid, one of the most potent anti-cancer substances found in food. A lot of beef will be labeled "grass fed." Let me tell you a secret. ALL beef are grass fed at some point in their lives. But most are shipped off to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) as yearlings and are finished on a diet of corn, soy, silage, and who-knows-what-else. So if you're going to pay the big price, make sure it's grass FINISHED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 We do get it on sale occasionally, but if it's not, I just use less beef. We eat smaller portions of meat, or I'll use bread crumbs in meatballs or hamburgers or meatloaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 One thing you want to look for, if you are going to pay the high price, is that the beef is actually "grass finished". That means, the cattle have eaten grass all the way through to butchering. It is the grass diet in the final stages that really effects the nutritional quality of the meat...increasing the omega 3s, decreasing saturated fats, increasing (greatly) the conjugated lineolic acid, one of the most potent anti-cancer substances found in food. A lot of beef will be labeled "grass fed." Let me tell you a secret. ALL beef are grass fed at some point in their lives. But most are shipped off to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) as yearlings and are finished on a diet of corn, soy, silage, and who-knows-what-else. So if you're going to pay the big price, make sure it's grass FINISHED. Wow. Good to know. What I'd love to do is find a reputable farmer and purchase a side or half or whatever. Plus I'd want to know that their butchering is somewhat humane...I've read horror stories about the process. :( The goal is that someday we are able to have a little farm, but that's not going to happen for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 One thing you want to look for, if you are going to pay the high price, is that the beef is actually "grass finished". That means, the cattle have eaten grass all the way through to butchering. It is the grass diet in the final stages that really effects the nutritional quality of the meat...increasing the omega 3s, decreasing saturated fats, increasing (greatly) the conjugated lineolic acid, one of the most potent anti-cancer substances found in food. A lot of beef will be labeled "grass fed." Let me tell you a secret. ALL beef are grass fed at some point in their lives. But most are shipped off to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) as yearlings and are finished on a diet of corn, soy, silage, and who-knows-what-else. So if you're going to pay the big price, make sure it's grass FINISHED. :iagree: I paid $3.5 pd for the last one, dh and I helped butcher as well though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I pay about $1 per pound more than regular beef at a local store that sells local grass-fed beef. Beef is a splurge around here anyway. The chicken I buy is Foresters Farmers Market brand from Walmart. No chicken can be given hormones, but this one is also antibiotic free, no animal product feed, cage free, no ingredients added. So it's not grass fed, but it's the same price as their other chicken. I am not on a particular diet, just trying to eat healthy foods and I buy some stuff organic, buy safer stuff from the regular produce, and make some compromises like the chicken, which I am actually quite pleased with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 I don't buy from the grocery store but through the farmer/processor hamburger is $5.00 a pounds roasts are about $6.50 a pound and steaks are anywhere from $9.00 a pound to about $15.00. However, I buy by the half cow and my price for take home meat was about $4.58 a pound and not only to I get a mix of all the above, I can specify the cuts I like or don't like, what size package for hamburger, how many steaks per package, size of roasts etc. I definitely think buying by the quarter, half or whole is a much better way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in North CA Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 If you can find grass finished in bulk for less that $6 a pound, that is a screaming deal. Buy it! Grass finished is always going to cost more because: a) it requires more land and better management to ensure the cattle are getting the adequate nutrition solely from grass. Grass-farming is much more complicated that one would think. b) most grass finisheres are limited as to when they can harvest their beef. Beef must be harvested when they are gaining weight, or off flavors will result. That means that grass finished beef must be butchered when there is plenty of grass...which is most temperate climates is for a limited season. Grain finished beef may be harvested anytime, since grain stores and is available year-round. Also, on the humane concern...I"m with you. On-farm butchering is a much more peaceful, conscientious process, and the animals are never stressed. Not so in the slaughterhouse. We say on our farm, our animals live a great life and have one bad day. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 How much do you pay for it? I just looked at some places near me, and their price for ground beef (cheapest) was over $9 a pound! Chickens were $7 per pound, with the average bird being 5-7 pounds. We can eat a whole chicken in one meal...that's $30. Just in chicken, so add in another $5-$7 for veggies/salad. Yikes. I'm trying very had to switch us to a Primal diet, but I'm having to buy conventional meats. :glare: And with the amount of chicken/meat/eggs/milk we'd be consuming, I'd be more comfortable going with the good stuff...it just seems impossibly out of our financial reach. :001_huh:Good news is we do have a deep freezer, so I could get a whole big order at once, but is it cheaper that way? And how would I go about finding where to buy that? Thanks in advance!:001_smile: We buy a 1/2 each year and pay $3.30lb hanging weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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