What does it mean to buy a "cattle share"?

Not everyone is familiar with buying beef direct from the farm - we thought we'd help break down how the process works!

Ranch raised cattle grow up here

We source young calves from other farms, or from our breeding herd (as it continues to grow) and raise them here until they are of proper size and weight. While on the ranch, they eat a diet of hay, grass, forage, and spent brewer's grains exclusively from Corner Point Brewing Company. Raising a single cow to the proper market weight can take up to 2 years.

When a cattle share is purchased, you are buying a quarter of a live cow, and the deposit is applied to the total cost of the butchered quarter. When cattle shares are sold, the wait time can be up to a year before the actual beef is received. Be sure to check the dates in the product page closely when you purchase, in order to know when you should anticipate your DR beef.

Cattle are processed at the butcher

When the cattle reach market weight, we trailer and haul them to a butcher facility that we scheduled a date for, at times, a year in advance. It is not easy to reschedule or change these dates.

The cattle arrive at the facility, and are handled humanely. They are processed and the weight is provided back to Dirigo Ranch in order for us to generate the remainder invoice for our customers, as the total cost is based on the price per pound and that outcome is not known until they are being processed.

At this time, Dirigo Ranch will send invoices to customers to pay for the remaining total of their share. Customers only ever recieve beef from the exact cow they purchased. There is no interchange between cows and purchase dates.

Visit the ranch to pick-up your frozen beef

When the butcher is finished, Dirigo Ranch picks up the frozen boxed beef, and brings it back to the ranch. We ensure that shares are evenly divided, with equal amounts of roasts, steaks, and ground beef.

Dirigo Ranch then sends notification of the pick-up date to the cattle share customers. All beef will remain frozen!

Cook at home & follow along for recipes!

Arrive at the ranch for pick-up day! Directions are sent via email in advance, but we can also work with customers if a specific time or date needs to change. Let us know! Bring a cooler or two to bring your beef home in, then cook away and follow our pages for recipes and cooking tips! Tell us your favorite cuts!