This past week, we were able to take delivery of one-quarter of a beef.  He was a pretty big steer, so the total amount came out to about 150 pounds.  That’s a lot of beef!  It can also be a pretty substantial outlay in cash, but we have found the quality, overall price per pound and peace of mind in knowing where our food came from to be well worth the expense.

If you find yourself eating a lot of a particular type of meat, it makes sense to seek out a source near you and buy direct from the farm.  You will get a tastier, higher quality meat, and if you shop wisely, a meat that has no chemicals or harmful additives.  This is increasingly important in today’s world of recalls and shady feedlot feeding practices.

The cost for our beef averaged out to $3.83 per pound.  That included 67 pounds of hamburger, but the rest was in steaks and roasts.  When you go shopping at the grocery store, you will be hard pressed to find any steak or roast for less than that price, and the quality is always a big variable.

Another nice thing about buying in bulk this way is that the freezer is stocked for an entire year.  That’s one full year of not watching for sales in the store, not worrying about having food on hand, and not having to settle for lower quality mystery meat.

So if you have some extra money in your grocery fund, you may find that you will save a lot overall by buying a portion of beef, pork or other meat direct from a farmer in your area.