Whole Cow Ground Beef

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An 850 carcass is a big cow. Like in the 1,600 pound live range. Cows don't hang up with a good a percentage as steers. I just figure 50% and anything over that is a bonus. I wonder about the feeding corn for 30 days. That is added expense. Over the years I have killed and ground a number of cows old and young. Both homegrown and purchased cows. Never put a drop of feed into them. People always raved about the quality of the burger. Just cows coming off grass in decent shape.
 
We had a 7 yr old Braford type cow processed in mostly ground beef. The processors said that she was in good shape and thought we should get some steaks and roasts. We got the filets and a few roasts. She was a big cow in pretty heavy condition to start with. and I finished her out just like I do young cattle, full feed for 90 days or so. We got 980 lbs of meat. The hamburger is great, the steaks were good, but not quite like a young beef. We had the first roast a week ago and it cooked in a crockpot for several hours but was tender and had a real good flavor. That much beef should do us for at least a couple years.
 
We do one or 2 occasionally for hamburger. We do cut out the loin (filet) and grind the rest, most all the time. If you figure that you are going to clear around 1200 after expenses, how would it not be worth it? $5/lb hamburger is fair compared to store prices here. If they pack it in 1 lb packages, and you basically have it sold, then how can that not be a fair thing? We figure that if we make 1 1/2 to 2 x what she brings at the market, then it is worth it. Plus, it gives you some more exposure to get people to want some more "better" beef.... like a quarter or a half???? Actually, doing all hamburger, you have less aggravation than if you have to deal with helping people make decisions about what cuts, how thick for the steaks....etc and so forth.
Cull prices here are in the 40's.... at $.50 a 1200 lb cow is $600 less the commission but for round figures say 600.... how much extra work is taking it to be done in all hamburger.... You still have to transport it to a destination....so picking up the meat is extra time....tell the people they have to either take delivery and pay for it on your way home from the plant.... or come pick it up.
If we could sell 6 a year for hamburger, we would do it in a heartbeat.
Very much appreciate that Jan. Kind of my thoughts.

The meat isn't spoken for entirely yet. But doubt it will have trouble going.

What would you get per pound if you were selling it? 50 cent a pound processing and 40 dollar kill.
 
An 850 carcass is a big cow. Like in the 1,600 pound live range. Cows don't hang up with a good a percentage as steers. I just figure 50% and anything over that is a bonus. I wonder about the feeding corn for 30 days. That is added expense. Over the years I have killed and ground a number of cows old and young. Both homegrown and purchased cows. Never put a drop of feed into them. People always raved about the quality of the burger. Just cows coming off grass in decent shape.
We too will probably pull the filets for ourselves. Looking for a little corn flavor. Not much concerned with adding weight. Theyre already in good condition thankfully.

Would be far from full feed. Maybe 1 percent bodyweight.
 
Found out today that the 3 good processors in our town. All increased to $0.70/pound processing and a 50 dollar kill. I dont blame them one bit, probably weeding out thr customers they don't want to deal with. Cleaning up the appointments list sort of.

Anyone else seen processing fees increase like this? 30 to 40 percent per pound increase in this area with the better places.

They will still get my business.
 
Found out today that the 3 good processors in our town. All increased to $0.70/pound processing and a 50 dollar kill. I dont blame them one bit, probably weeding out thr customers they don't want to deal with. Cleaning up the appointments list sort of.

Anyone else seen processing fees increase like this? 30 to 40 percent per pound increase in this area with the better places.

They will still get my business.
Does that include the new place?
 
Found out today that the 3 good processors in our town. All increased to $0.70/pound processing and a 50 dollar kill. I dont blame them one bit, probably weeding out thr customers they don't want to deal with. Cleaning up the appointments list sort of.

Anyone else seen processing fees increase like this? 30 to 40 percent per pound increase in this area with the better places.

They will still get my business.
Our guys went up $75 to butcher, $150 for emergencies. $0.85 to cut/wrap, $0.95 to grind.
 
Our guys went up $75 to butcher, $150 for emergencies. $0.85 to cut/wrap, $0.95 to grind.
What does corn finished halves and wholes fetch your way, per lb not counting processing? How about ground beef like I'm talking about? 5 bucks sounds very reasonable to me on ground. 100 pounds at a time.
 
Last spring I bought one to grind. Based on the brand and the part of this world she came from she was a replacement heifer from a bigger ranch that must have slipped her calf. She weighed 1,100 something and cost around 53 cents. I do remember the price came to $635. I bought her on a Wednesday and the kill truck came on Friday. She had obviously been been fed well and wasn't too old. She hung up at 650 pounds which worked out to about 57%. We kept some of the best steaks and a few roasts off her. The rest went into hamburger. The thing I remember most is she cost $635 and the kill and process cost $632. The total cost was $1,267. There was about 300 pounds of burger. Had I sold the burger at $5 a pound I would have profited $233.
 
Those 2 year olds are my favorites to buy and beef. The 3 so far were home runs. Thats what im looking for now.
 
What does corn finished halves and wholes fetch your way, per lb not counting processing? How about ground beef like I'm talking about? 5 bucks sounds very reasonable to me on ground. 100 pounds at a time.
When we sell privately, we sell based on the live price that we could have got at Tyson. Our last load of fats avg 1415lbs live and yielded 62%. So 877lbs hanging. They brought $1.10 live which = $1,556 per animal. Divide that by 877 and you get $1.77/lb hanging with no processing.
If we have an emergency, they get ground. We sell 1½lb packages for $5.

I have a good friend who sells quarters. He pays the processing. He charges $5.25lb. He said it works out to about $200 per str more than he would get from the packers. I think he sold 20 strs that way last yr. They keep about 300 on feed year round so it's still a small %.
 
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Dave - you had a $233 profit plus the steaks you kept!! LOL
I generally have my butcher pull any steaks that he thinks are going to be good/great. I have kabobs made out of next tender cuts, cube steaks, brisket, and flank steak. Then I sell the hamburg at $5/lb
 
I sell my freezer beef by the hanging weight - $3.25/lb hanging with H-L-T included in weight. They pay the processing & kill.
What does H-L-T mean?

We have been doing family at 3.00 and others at 3.50. Starting this Fall we are going to 3.75 or 4.00. Ive been planting the seed. We sold 2 in 2019, 13 in 2020. We have reserved 20 slots for this year. Debating getting a handful more at the new place that just opened.

Jeanne - That corn finish recipe is killin it! You have no idea how thankful we are that you shared it on CT. So thanks again!
 
Cull cow prices in Minnesota
grade & yield 1.10 lb for good cow carcasses 1.04 lb for excessively fat

cows
premium white .64-.71 lb extreme top .72
boning/utility .58-.64
cutter .48-.60
light/shelly & full .10-.49
 
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What would be the expected yield percentage for a mature cow. Say a BCS of 6 or 7.

Getting people lined up to buy ground beef, assuming I can get a couple slots. And assuming I can make it pencil out.

I am wanting to think 35%. But don't know how I got that number.
It easily pencils out up here (North Dakota), but that's a lot of hamburger. If she's a fairly young cow in good shape, I just have her cut about the same has I would a butcher steer, only I make New York Strips instead of t-bones, and make the steaks a little thinner (3/4). Last year I think the cow we did was about 6 or 7 years old and had no problem selling -- a half to a friend, a quarter to a relative, and the rest is downstairs! All very good meat. Not tough at all. I think she was about 750 lbs. on the rail.
 

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