HOW IT WORKS

ORDERING

If you are interested in ordering beef, please contact us first to inquire about availability. Once we confirm availability, you’ll submit a deposit for your beef. We’ll contact you when your beef is ready for butchering and that’s when we’ll set up a delivery date. You’ll want to make sure your freezer is prepped before delivery. There’s more information on freezer prep below.

IMPORTANT TERMS TO KNOW

There are some important terms you need to know so you can get a rough idea* of how much beef will be produced, how much freezer space you’ll need, and roughly how much your order will cost. (*All weights and space requirements are approximate and should only be used as a guide.)

  • Live weight is how much your beef weighs when it’s alive and walking around. While this weight is interesting to know, you won’t need to worry about that when pricing your order.

  • Hanging weight is how much the beef weighs after it has been slaughtered and all the unusable parts are removed (like head, skin, and hooves). Hanging weight includes bones and meat. The hanging weight varies but is usually around 60% of the live weight. This is the most important weight because it’s how much you will pay for your beef.

  • Boxed weight (or packaged weight) is the weight of all the packages of individual cuts of meat that you will put in your freezer. Just like the hanging weight, the boxed weight will vary but typically comes in around 75% to 80% of the hanging weight.

WHY WE BILL ON HANGING WEIGHT

The most important thing to remember when ordering beef is that your final billing weight will be determined from the hanging weight. We use this weight because we are not selling individual retail cuts of beef, but instead are selling in halves or full. This means each cut doesn't need to be individually weighed and it’s why we can deliver better beef at a lower cost compared to individual retail cuts.

We currently charge $4.50 per pound of hanging weight which includes cutting, wrapping, all required inspections, and delivery to your door (we don’t load your beef in to the freezer). When you compare our prices to the prices you’d find in your local store, we’re much more affordable and deliver much higher quality.

BUYING BEEF FROM HANNA FARMS

Beef can be ordered as a full or half. If you’d like less than half, we recommended finding someone to share your oder.

BUYING HALF

When buying a half beef, the hanging weight of the beef will be between 350 and 575 pounds. When you call for availability, you can request your half come from a smaller or larger beef order. We will do our best to accommodate your request based on availability.

BUYING FULL

When buying a full beef, the hanging weight of the beef will be 700 and 1150 pounds of beef. When you call for availability, you can request if you’d like your order on the smaller or larger size. We will do our best to accommodate your request based on availability.

CUTS OF BEEF INCLUDED

Beef from Hanna Farms includes a variety of cuts such as steaks (like filet, sirloin, ribeye, strip, skirt and flank), brisket, roasts (like chuck, sirloin, arm), ground beef, ribs, stew meat, etc. While provide a good variety of cuts but we can also tailor your order to fit your specific needs.

FREEZER PREP

For a half order, we strongly recommend a dedicated freezer. A chest or standup freezer with at least 20 cubic feet of space is recommended. The “budget-friendly” chest freezers you can find at Costco, etc. are typically between 16 and 20 cubic feet.

For a full order, we recommend a chest or standup freezer with at least 40 cubic feet of space.

We recommend keeping your frozen beef at ZERO degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a common misunderstanding that 32 degrees (the temperature at which water freezes) is cold enough. But for safe frozen beef storage, ZERO degrees is recommended.

We also recommend a dedicated freezer for safely storing your beef. When buying a stand-alone freezer, be sure to get one with a lock and key.  This is very important for child safety reasons and because a physical lock will make sure your freezer is securely closed. A separate freezer thermometer is also helpful to monitor the internal temperature of the freezer.

SHELF LIFE OF FROZEN BEEF

When kept at ZERO degrees, our premium freezer paper wrapping will keep your meat fresh, colorful, and flavorful for up to 12 months.