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American Beef Direct
Ranchers, List Your Ranch

Buy Beef Direct

Buy beef direct from American farms and ranches.

Whole, half and quarter beef, beef shares, bulk freezer beef and individual cuts, bought from the farm or ranch that raised the animal. American Beef Direct helps you find the producer; the producer sells you the beef.

Buy by the share, or in bulk.

Most beef bought direct is bought in quantity: a share of one animal cut to your order, or a bulk box packed by the producer. Each page below explains how that way of buying works, what to ask, and which producers sell it.

Whole Beef

The entire animal, cut to your instructions. The most control over every cut, and the most freezer space.

About Whole Beef: Whole Beef

Half Beef

One side of the animal, split down the backbone. Half of every cut, and the size most families choose.

About Half Beef: Half Beef

Quarter Beef

A quarter of the animal, often as a split half. A mix of cuts in a small chest freezer, and the easiest first share.

About Quarter Beef: Quarter Beef

Bulk & Freezer Beef

Shares, bulk boxes and bundles bought in quantity to stock a freezer. Lower cost per pound, and fewer trips to the store.

About Bulk & Freezer Beef: Bulk & Freezer Beef

Beef Shares

A portion of one animal, from an eighth to a whole, paid on hanging weight and cut to your order.

About Beef Shares: Beef Shares

Share sizes at a glance.

Approximate ranges for a typical finished steer. The animal, the breed and your cut sheet all move these numbers, so ask the producer what recent animals have hung at. Prices are set by each producer and are not listed here.

Approximate hanging weight, take home weight and freezer space for a quarter, half and whole beef
ShareHanging weightTake home beefFreezer spaceSuits
Quarter150 to 210 lb90 to 145 lbAbout 4 cu ftA first purchase, or a household of two or three
Half300 to 425 lb180 to 290 lbAbout 7 to 9 cu ftA family that eats beef most weeks
Whole600 to 850 lb360 to 590 lb15 cu ft or moreA large family, or several households splitting one animal

Take home beef is usually 60 to 70 percent of hanging weight, and one cubic foot of freezer holds roughly 35 to 40 pounds of packaged beef. The guides on hanging weight and freezer space explain both.

Buy from a farm, a ranch, or straight from the producer.

Small family farms, cattle ranches and every producer in between sell beef direct. These pages explain how each tends to sell and how to find one close to home.

Local Farms

Family farms raising cattle close to home, often alongside pork, poultry and crops, and selling the beef themselves.

About Local Farms: Local Farms

Local Ranchers

Cattle ranches that keep some of their herd through to the box, and sell the beef under their own name.

About Local Ranchers: Local Ranchers

Direct From Producer

No packer, distributor or grocery chain in between. You buy from the farm or ranch that raised the animal.

About Direct From Producer: Direct From Producer

How buying beef direct works.

  1. Find a producer close to you

    Open your state page or the map. Every state page lists the farms and ranches on record there, the nearest ones in neighboring states, and those that ship.

  2. Read how they raise their cattle

    A profile tells you the breed, the grazing, the finish, the processing and the aging, written from the producer's own material.

  3. Choose how to buy

    By the cut or the box for a first taste, or a quarter, half or whole share to stock the freezer.

  4. Buy from the producer

    You order and pay with the farm or ranch on its own site or by phone. American Beef Direct never takes the order, the payment or a commission.

The beef buying guide.

Plain answers to the questions first time buyers ask most: hanging weight, freezer space, cut sheets, grass fed versus grass finished, and how producers price a share.

Whole, Half and Quarter Beef

What a whole, half or quarter cow is, how each purchase works, and the cuts that come with it.

Read the Guide: Whole, Half and Quarter Beef

Beef Shares and Bulk Beef

What a beef share is, how shares work, bulk and freezer beef, and how long a share lasts.

Read the Guide: Beef Shares and Bulk Beef

How Much Beef You Get

Hanging weight versus take home weight, and roughly how much meat a whole, half or quarter cow yields.

Read the Guide: How Much Beef You Get

Freezer Space for Beef

The cubic feet a quarter, half or whole cow needs, what size freezer to buy, and how long the beef keeps.

Read the Guide: Freezer Space for Beef

What Beef Direct Costs

How producers price shares and bulk beef, how to compare quotes, and whether buying a share is worth it.

Read the Guide: What Beef Direct Costs

Processing and Cut Sheets

Custom processing, USDA inspected versus custom exempt, choosing your cuts, and where local beef is processed.

Read the Guide: Processing and Cut Sheets

See the Whole Guide

Find beef producers in your state.

All 50 states, with what each one holds. Pick yours to see the farms and ranches on record there.

Find the producer. Know the story. Buy direct.

The map, the state pages and every profile end in the same place: a real farm or ranch's own website.

Open the MapBrowse by State