top of page
Writer's picturegmicrofarm

You Purchased Half a Cow, Now What?

Thank you for trusting us at Geraghty's Micro Farm to provide your family with premium, dry aged Angus Beef. Let's go through a step-by-step process of how you'll fill your freezers.


Josh and I started Geraghty’s Micro Farm six years ago because we realized we had a huge disconnect with our food. We had no idea what it was fed, it’s living conditions, or how it was treated. We realized our food deserved better. For us, we had the drive to do it all ourselves. We wanted to make every decision that went into the process.


I realize this photo below may make people uncomfortable, I’m not naive to that. But what I want you to ask yourself is, why?


This steer lived a life he deserved. He was treated with respect, handled humanely and the families he will go onto feed will be grateful for every meal.


We should all want to know our farmers. If you don’t currently get your produce, meats, eggs etc. from a neighbor I urge you to reach out to one. Josh and I can’t feed the entire world but we can feed our local community. And that, I’m proud of.



First Step: Reserve Your Harvest Date

As you'll notice on our website we have several dates available - we harvest beef every other month. When selecting your harvest date, please keep in mind that since our beef dry ages for 21 days you need to plan accordingly for when you'll need beef. After we drop off our cattle - packaged beef ready for you is three to four weeks later. Our beef shares are for pick up only, we do not deliver or ship our meat. We've had countless families travel from states away to pick up their beef. What to expect on the day of pick-up is discussed a bit later.


When reserving your date you are required to submit payment for a $500 deposit which goes towards your final payment due at pickup. We charge $4.99/lb based off of the hang weight of your half cow. Hang weight is right about 60% of the live weight of the animal. Our cattle will be in the range of 325-350lbs hang weight. In addition, you will be responsible for processing fees from the butcher. The breakdown of their cost is as follows: $1.15lb (based off the hang weight), $37.50 flat rate for dispatch, and a $9 one-time fee for steaks wrapped 1 per package versus 2 per package.


Our beef comes USDA inspected and vacuum sealed. We use Gentle Harvest Custom Processing, which is 2.5 miles from our farm. They are Certified Animal Welfare Approved which is based on the guidelines of the American Meat Institute, but goes a step further.


You will get to choose exactly what cuts you receive back by filling out a cut sheet before your selected drop off date.


You may reserve your share here:


 

The most important part - from your perspective.


We've taken care of the hard part. We tend to our cattle every day. On the hottest summer days to the coldest winter storms. We hold ourselves to the highest standard of care & we are confident that'll show in the end product. Now it's time for you to choose just how your family would like to utilize the beef by filling out the cut sheet we sent you.



My biggest piece of advice here is, don't over complicate it! What are you currently purchasing for your families beef? As a general rule I always suggest to keep about 90% of the cut sheet to what you KNOW your family will eat. I don't think it's a bad idea to get a few things here and there (in small quantity) of new cuts to try. But, you need to ask yourself, will you cook it?


If you love to experiment with new recipes and new cuts on the regular - I'd say go for it!! On the contrary, if you like to stick to what you know.... you may want to limit the variety to things you are confident you will cook and serve for your family and friends.


Let's Breakdown the Cut Sheet.


This is something I've previously done one-on-one with our customers. I know personally just how intimidating it is to fill that cut sheet out. Before we raised our own beef I had never filled on out. So, rest assured, I had the same questions that are running through your mind as you look over this daunting task. Let's do it together and remember, keep it simple. Before getting started I'm going to cover two very common question that is asked almost immediately.


Q: What size roasts should I get?

A:We get all our roasts 2-3lbs & we also prefer bone-in for all our roasts & steaks. We personally believe the bones bring in so much value for taste AND health benefits. If you know for a fact you wish to get boneless cuts, please choose so but this is what we always recommend. Feel free to get larger roasts for your family if that's what you currently purchase, but we find for our family (and for the market) that's the sweet spot.


Q: What thickness should I get my steaks?

A: We recommend you get your steaks a minimum of 1". Most steaks we choose to get cut at 1.5", except for our Filet Mignon and New York Strip - for those we actually get cut at 2". The reason being is the thinner the steak, the easier it is to overcook it. Again, if you know for a fact you like your steaks a certain thickness, please feel free to get them cut at that size but this is our suggestion.




Front Quarter


Chuck

Options here are chuck roasts and chuck steaks. You CAN choose both if you'd like both options. Please refer to the questions and answers above on weight/thickness of steaks. Both are well marbled roasts/steaks. These will not be a super lean cut. If you do select boneless you have the option for flat iron steaks.


If you choose to get neither chuck roasts or steaks you would choose to grind it, which would become your ground beef.


Arm

Arm roasts are from the shoulder and are ideal for slow-cooking as it is a lean cut of beef. If you choose not to get arm roasts, you would select grind for ground beef here.


Rib

Again, you have the choice of roasts or steaks here. Roasts are a tender and flavorful cut with a large fat cap that gives it that flavor. Rib steaks are your ribeye. We always recommend bone in and 1-1.5" in thickness. If you do not wish to get either of those, you would select grind for ground beef here.


Brisket

Briskets are more versatile than just throwing them on the grill, despite it being the first thing that comes to everyones mind. You can choose between a flat cut, point cut, or leaving it whole. Here's a good article describing the differences. If you do not wish to get the brisket, you would select grind for ground beef here. You do have the option of grind for ground beef or stew meat here as well.


Short Ribs

Short Ribs consist of portions of the rib bones and the meat surrounding them. Think slow cooked & braised for a fall-off-the-bone meal. Your options here are to get them or grind the meat into your ground beef.


Fore Shank

This is the leg of the cow. It's an extremely lean cut of meat most commonly used for a budget friendly meal. Best cooked in a moist, low heat.


Notes Section


Ground Beef

Choose if you'd like your ground beef in 1lb or 2lb packages.


Steaks

Choose how many steaks you'd like in each package or the pounds per package. Please note, if you choose to do 1 steak per package it will be a flat rate fee of $9 for the additional materials needed to wrap them.


Kabobs

Kabobs will come from various locations of your cow and will be prime cuts that would otherwise be put into ground beef. You can choose as little as 2lbs to give it a try or a higher quantity such as 10lbs here, or none.


Bones

These will be the marrow bones. Perfect for bone broth, or your furry friend as a special treat.


Organs & Fat

This is pretty self explanatory. Please know if you do know wish to utilize these we will get them back and use them so they aren't going to waste.


Hind Quarter


Sirloin Tip

This will be a lean cut as it is found on the rear leg. Roasts are great braised and steaks are perfect for salads, fajitas, etc. As every other option, if you'd like neither choose grind for ground beef.


Top Round

Top round and London broil are both roasts, but from a slightly different part of the animal. If you'd like to get London broils I recommend getting them 2" in thickness. Minute steaks are pretty much what you would think - thin steaks that can be cooked within minutes. They will come from the portion listed as. They are great to have on hand for a quick meal as they thaw quickly.


Bottom Round

This is another lean cut - steaks are a perfect options for things such as cube steak.


Eye Round

The center of the round - great for soups, stews, or anything requiring cubed steak. As you have come to realize - all the cuts within the hind are lean. This is no exception.


Short Loin

This section always causes confusion, and did for me in the beginning too. You can pick either line 1 or line 2. You cannot choose steaks from both choices, but you can choose all three steaks from one line.


Flank

Located below the loin. A lean steak that is extremely flavorful.


Hind Shank

Exactly the same as the fore shank, just from the back leg.


Skirt Steak

Skirt steaks are your hidden gems on a cow, if you ask me. Cooks within a couple minutes. Full of flavor and SO tender. It's one of our personal favorites.


There you have it, you've successfully completed your cut sheet!!! If you have any questions regarding the cut sheet that were not answered above, please do not hesitate to reach out. We would be happy to assist.

What to Expect for Pickup.

We will notify you via email when your beef is ready for pickup. You'll receive an invoice via Square where you can pay via card. We also accept payment via Venmo or Cash. You will need to bring boxes or coolers (depending on how far you're traveling) to transport your beef as the crates we have it in you will not be able to take with you. A half cow will require approximately 300 quarts of cooler space (give or take). When you get home you will need about 20 cubic feet of freezer space to store your beef. Now it's time to enjoy endless meals of steaks, roasts, homemade burgers and hearty meals with ground beef for months to come!! Don't forget to reserve your next half share once your personal inventory is getting low.


We can't thank you enough for trusting us to feed your family. We'll see you soon!

Josh, Dayna, Hadley & Gavin

207 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page