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Buying Whole and Half Cows

2,524 Views | 24 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by John Cocktolstoy
XpressAg09
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AG
Posted on Houston, but looking here, too. Anyone know of folks near NW Harris County selling whole or halve?
TwoMarksHand
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Not sure how much longevity you're going to get out of a half a cow.

BurnetAggie99
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Better off buying a steer instead of a cow. Steer will eat better. Cows are meant for breeding purposes not meant to be finished out to eat.
XpressAg09
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AG
Got a rec for one of those?
cavjock88
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You're not going to find anything near as good as what you can get at the grocery store or your meat market by buying half a beef carcass in Houston, if you can even find it. Hell, I'm not even sure anyone is even slaughtering in the Houston area any more, plus, even if they were, the quality wouldn't be near as good as the grocery store. There just isn't enough local supply of grain nor sufficient grass to feed steers or heifers locally to match national fed beef.

The closest you might get is Readfield in BCS (doubt they still slaughter) or STX in Corpus, and I'm pretty sure STX stopped selling carcasses long time ago when it was Sam Kane. There was also one in Navasota or Brenham, but I don't think either slaughters fed beef still. You might try Rosenthal too, but that is going to cost through the nose and supply depends on research studies and the supply of fed beef for them (it's sporadic).

Best to just stick to the grocery or your local meat market. It's all boxed beef now locally. Plus, why bother with storing all that beef yourself. Let the grocery worry about that. What you're talking about is a bygone thing.
Stringfellow Hawke
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https://www.katerraexotics.com/


Give them a call or message. Might be able to help.
TRSAggie01
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I tend to disagree at least here in East Texas. I have seen a big increase in those looking to buy from local producers as well as supply. Beef quality is on a different level than grocery stores.
cavjock88
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TRSAggie01 said:

I tend to disagree at least here in East Texas. I have seen a big increase in those looking to buy from local producers as well as supply. Beef quality is on a different level than grocery stores.


That may be the case on folks wanting to buy local, but we're just not in an area that lends itself to better quality beef than you can get from national providers. The supply chain is much better than it ever was to get beef from the areas that can produce it to the nation on a quality level. Local is a niche, and if you find better quality locally, it's a unicorn in SE Texas.
BurnetAggie99
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Stringfellow Hawke said:

https://www.katerraexotics.com/


Give them a call or message. Might be able to help.


Check with the local FFA Ag teacher and see if anyone has a show steer that didn't place at a show for sale .
fishag04
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The show steer idea is a good one. Most of the school district shows will have barn sales for the animals that don't make auction. You buy animal and it is transported to processor for you. You usually get a choice of 2-3 processors.

Additionally, I met Anthony Thomas on a flight to Nashville when he was headed to buck horses in Franklin. He was studying the Bible in the flight and came across as a really fantastic dude. I have never had his product but have heard good things.

https://www.thomascattleandcatering.com/
agfan2013
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If you still cant find anything in Harris County and dont mind driving up the road a bit, here is a great operation in Brazos County that's run by an Aggie family doing their own direct to consumer beef marketing. Real high quality, everything we've purchased from them looks like it would grade choice or prime and we've gotten everything from steaks to brisket to ground meat. They're farmers and ranchers so feeding some of their own crops as part of the ration, leads to a real consistent quality in the stuff you get from them.

Their website doesnt specifically list a half or whole on the shop page, but they definitely can do it, just reach out and they'll work it out with you.

Field to Family Beef
Ctree
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Thunder 6 Cattle Company in Bryan.
zooguy96
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You can probably find something if you are willing to drive an hour or two.

Course, I live outside of Knoxville, and we usually buy a 1/3 of a steer once or twice a year (there are tons of people around here that do it). Tastes so much better than anything from the store. I worked in the meat dept of a local chain while I was training to be an asst manager (only did it for 2 months between jobs). The meat quality is easily better with a local steer, at least in this area.
Independence H-D
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agfan2013 said:

If you still cant find anything in Harris County and dont mind driving up the road a bit, here is a great operation in Brazos County that's run by an Aggie family doing their own direct to consumer beef marketing. Real high quality, everything we've purchased from them looks like it would grade choice or prime and we've gotten everything from steaks to brisket to ground meat. They're farmers and ranchers so feeding some of their own crops as part of the ration, leads to a real consistent quality in the stuff you get from them.

Their website doesnt specifically list a half or whole on the shop page, but they definitely can do it, just reach out and they'll work it out with you.

Field to Family Beef
agsalaska
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cavjock88 said:

TRSAggie01 said:

I tend to disagree at least here in East Texas. I have seen a big increase in those looking to buy from local producers as well as supply. Beef quality is on a different level than grocery stores.


That may be the case on folks wanting to buy local, but we're just not in an area that lends itself to better quality beef than you can get from national providers. The supply chain is much better than it ever was to get beef from the areas that can produce it to the nation on a quality level. Local is a niche, and if you find better quality locally, it's a unicorn in SE Texas.
I haven't bought beef in a grocery store in 20 years. Maybe longer. Haven't bought sausage or fish either. Just birds.
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you never know if they are genuine. -- Abraham Lincoln.



ChampsAg
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There are multiple farm to table meat sellers at the farmers market in town.

We were at Field to Family on Saturday for a pop-up event and they are great people. Multiple other ranchers in the area are starting to offer products as well.
B-1 83
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Here's your folks. She used to lease the ranchito and is top notch with her feeding and cutting. I just talked to her and they DO deliver all the way to College Station and Houston.

https://www.barnardbeef.com/
Being in TexAgs jail changes a man……..no, not really
BurnetAggie99
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We got 4 show steers this year between my 2 daughters. We usually place every year at the Majors. In those rare years we don't place at a major, I'll sale one. I'll keep you in mind if that happens. Our County show is not terminal show like some other County shows. We won't be done showing till after the Houston show. Houston is the last Major show of the year.

Check with those local FFA Ag teachers as there will be some steers that won't place at some of these county shows. Be helping out a local kid on his FFA/4-H project & get some quality beef.
John Cocktolstoy
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4H Steer - Whole Calf or Sides of Beef Available
In Classifieds on here.
jh88ag
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Weimar Meat Co.

The Elstners are good folks. They posted about having some wagyu steers about ready.
canadianAg
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Bellville meat market I believe does half/whole beefs. Every year at the start of school in July/august they do a sale on it
NoahAg
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cavjock88 said:

You're not going to find anything near as good as what you can get at the grocery store or your meat market by buying half a beef carcass in Houston, if you can even find it. Hell, I'm not even sure anyone is even slaughtering in the Houston area any more, plus, even if they were, the quality wouldn't be near as good as the grocery store. There just isn't enough local supply of grain nor sufficient grass to feed steers or heifers locally to match national fed beef.

The closest you might get is Readfield in BCS (doubt they still slaughter) or STX in Corpus, and I'm pretty sure STX stopped selling carcasses long time ago when it was Sam Kane. There was also one in Navasota or Brenham, but I don't think either slaughters fed beef still. You might try Rosenthal too, but that is going to cost through the nose and supply depends on research studies and the supply of fed beef for them (it's sporadic).

Best to just stick to the grocery or your local meat market. It's all boxed beef now locally. Plus, why bother with storing all that beef yourself. Let the grocery worry about that. What you're talking about is a bygone thing.

I have a lot of questions here, but it looks like several other posts have provided counters to this one.

Personally, we just bought half a grass-fed finished steer from friends in Normangee. About 230 lbs of packaged beef. Quality has been great so far, and I've typically been critical of grass-fed.
HoustonAg926
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I've had good luck with https://kandccattle.com/

They are in Austin but deliver to Houston areas once a month. You meet the driver in either Katy, Stafford, or The Woodlands and he gives you the meat. My family enjoys the beef and the pricing is very fair.
cavjock88
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I'd be glad to answer any specific questions.

Just because there are some counters to what I said, doesn't mean what I said, on the average, prevails. I've been in the beef industry for a long time and have dealt with both the large and small providers nationwide, both on the cattle and the beef side. If a local provider and show cattle can get you what you're looking for, then that is great for the industry. You have to look closer there, though.

I was speaking of the generalities of the industry and the makeup of the SE TX market specifically, as to the consistent ability to grass feed and especially to consistently grain feed. There's a reason, with the exception of Southern California into AZ (mostly Holstein steers), the NW and South TX, most of the cattle are shipped to and slaughtered in the Midwest. Much more quality beef is available there, as a result.
John Cocktolstoy
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In Nebraska you learn Reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and cattle butchering.
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