How Much Freezer Space for a Half Pig?
How Much Freezer Space Do I Need For a Half Pig?
When determining how much freezer space you'll need for your half pig, please note that the amount of pork you will get from a half or whole cow or pig varies from farm to farm. Please do not use these calculations for other farm's pork unless you know the hanging weight/finish weight will be similar.
If you select to receive all of the bones, fat, and organs in your half or whole pig, you should anticipate needing more than the recommended amount of space below.
Half Pig Freezer and Cooler Space
The pork from a half pig from Hayfield Farm fills approximately 100 quarts of cooler space 3.5 cubic feet of freezer space, minimum.
Whole Pig Freezer and Cooler Space
The pork from a whole pig from Hayfield Farm fills approximately 225 quarts of cooler space or 7.5 cubic feet of freezer space, minimum.
A Few More Tips
- It is much better to have more space and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
- Life is much easier if you have your freezer space cleared out before you pick up your pork.
- Keep your inventory sheet on the door and mark off items as you go. That way, you'll know which cuts you have left and you can make notes to know what you liked and didn't like for your next half beef.
- Keep in mind that the recommended space above are round numbers to make determining how much cooler and freezer space you need easy!
Snag your half or whole pig or check out articles for everything you need to know about purchasing bulk pork on our Pork Page!
Beef Hanging Weight: Explained
What is a Hanging Weight?
The hanging weight of livestock is when the butcher has the carcass hanging in the cold room and takes a record of the the weight.
Once the animal is dispatched, the hide, head, hooves/feet, and innards are removed. The carcass is then lifted onto a hook, the weight it recorded, and it will hang in a cold room until processing.
Why the Hanging Weight?
The hanging weight is the fairest weight for the producer (farmer) and customer (you).
Fair for the Farmer // Why Not Meat Weight?
Many folks wonder why half or whole beef isn't priced by the meat weight.
The customer has the option to choose bone-in or boneless cuts or can choose to leave cuts as roasts, steaks, or grind the meat. Depending on the customer's selections, the meat weight (or finished weight) can vary greatly.
Farmers raise their beef steers with a goal of sending them to processing when they reach a certain target live weight. Based on breed, live weight, feed program, and body composition, farmers can anticipate that their beef steers will hang at a particular weight. This helps the farmer plan for consistent income.
If the beef was priced by the meat weight, the income from steer to steer would be unpredictable and would vary greatly depending on the customer's personal selections.
Fair for the Customer // Why Not Live Weight?
Live weight is the weight of the steer at the farm or when it arrives at the butcher shop.
Pricing half or whole beef by the live weight would mean that regardless of the yield of the steer, the customer would be responsible for paying the price of the entire weight of the beef steer. Why does that matter?
Picture this. One 1,400lb steer has a hanging weight that is 60% it's live weight. Another 1,400lb steer has a hanging weight that is 50% it's live weight. On the second steer, this means that the butcher has 10% less weight to work. Meat yield would be less, but the customer would have paid the same amount for both steers.
Other questions to consider with live weight pricing:
Do you weigh them when they are full with feed?
Do you weight them when they are empty?
Cattle can eat up to 30lbs in one sitting.
Are they weighed on the farm or at the processor? If they are weighed at the farm, they will drop weight on the trailer ride to the processor.
Long-legged steer is going to have more "waste" (non-meat weight) than a short stocky steer. This is why beef breeds are bred to be short and compact.
Hanging Weight and the Beef Farmer
Beef farmers have a goal of live weight, hanging weight, and meat weight. This means that if a farmer raises their steers to a certain live weight and body composition, they can expect the beef to hang at a certain weight and yield a certain weight of meat. This consistency is good for projecting income.
If a farmer can raise a beef steer as quickly as possible, on the least amount of feed, that means that the steer was happy and healthy enough to grow rapidly, was fed enough to fill out it's frame at a relatively young age and produce top grade beef. It means that it spend a good amount of time on pasture eating grass for free.
Healthy livestock grow well and fast, they produce beef that is tender, marbled, and a lot of it. It is in everyone's interest that cattle are raised well.
Learn More
Learn more about buying in bulk for beef and pork so that you can be fully informed when making your investment.
Beef Cuts in a Half Cow
Beef Cuts in a Half Cow
Purchasing half of a cow (also known as half beef, side of beef, half a steer) can be so daunting. Do you actually get the entire half of the cow? Who has a freezer that large? Will you have to cut it all down yourself? No way! Buying half a cow means that you get all of the cuts of beef that are made from half of the animal. Each section of the cow is custom cut to your specifications.
But! That's a lot of options. Most folks don't know all of the possible cuts of beef. Where do you even start? Right here with your favorite beef farmers.
We will break down (pun intended) each section of beef, the characteristics of each section, and your options for beef cuts. At the end, you can check out our Beef E-Cookbook to get delicious recipes for every beef cut in your half cow. How easy is that?
The More You Know
People like to learn when they are making an investment and purchasing from a local farm is definitely an investment. Will it save you hundreds of dollars in the long run? Absolutely. Is it a lot of money up front? Definitely. If you know the proper verbiage and understand how the process works, you can talk the talk and walk the walk with your friends and family while you are slinging your locally-raised and deliciously marbled steaks on the grill. Knowing all of the beef cuts in your half cow makes it even better.
Technically, it's not a cow. At least, not always.
This just might be a thorn in the side of your beef farmers, but! it's a good thing to know. Technically, most beef (especially locally-sourced beef) comes from steers, not cows. Cows are female cattle who have had a calf. Steers are castrated males, typically raised for beef. Heifers are females who have not yet had a calf. Bulls are intact males, typically used for breeding. If you purchase your beef cuts from the grocery store, your beef is from all four of these categories. It can also be from beef breeds or dairy breeds. But, that's a story for another day.
For the purposes of this lesson, when you purchase from a small farm, nine times out of ten, your beef will be coming from a steer. For the purposes of this article reaching the most people based on what they Google to find this article, we're going to continue to call it a half cow.
Beef Cuts in a Half Cow
Turning a half cow into delicious beef cuts is no small task. Understanding how beef is processed gives you insight into what you're going to stock your freezer with and sheer appreciation for the dying craft of butchering.
Primal Sections
The cow is broken down into eight primal sections, which are large sections of each part of the cow. If you are purchasing a half cow, you will make cut selections for each of the eight primal sections from one side of the cow. If you were purchasing a whole cow, you would make cut selections for each of the eight primal sections from both sides of the cow. It'll make a lot more sense once we move along.
Once your half cow has dry aged and is broken down into the eight primal sections, the butcher takes your cut sheet and cuts each primal section into cuts according to your specifications. For a detailed walk-through of the entire process at the butcher, check out our article The Process, Pricing, and Timeline of Buying a Whole or Half Cow.
Ground Beef
Unfortunately, the entire half cow can't be made into steaks. When most folks inquire about half a cow beef cut options, they often ask for ways they can get the least ground beef and the most steaks.
Picture it like this, the butcher has a giant bowl set to the side for ground beef. All of the trimmings as their working and anything you select to "grind" on your cut sheet goes into that bowl. When the butcher is done, all of the beef in that bowl is ground together into ground beef and packed together. Even if you don't choose to grind any sections of your half cow, you will still get a good amount of ground beef, typically 30-40lbs. The "grind" selection is available for each section of the cow.
If you choose ground chuck, ground brisket, ground round, etc. that means the butcher will take that specific section, grind it separately, and pack and label it separately. More on that later!
Chuck
The chuck, which is the shoulder of the steer, is known for its delicious fatty goodness. Fat equals flavor, y'all. The chuck section is a very large section of the steer that can be made into a variety of different cuts. Since the shoulder tends to bear a significant amount of weight, the beef needs some cook time to break down the tissues to make the meat tender. All of the fat means that you won't need too much help in the flavor department and your risk of the beef becoming dry is very low. The chuck section yields approximately 40 pounds of meat per half cow.
Ground Chuck
Ground chuck is made when the butcher takes the shoulder section, trims it from the bones, grinds the trimmings, and packs it separately from the rest of the ground beef. Typically, you will see ground chuck have a 80/20 lean to fat ratio. This is great for meatballs and making your own burgers, as the fat helps it stick together.
Chuck Roast
By far, the superior roast, in my opinion. With all of the fat, the flavor is awesome! It doesn't need a whole lot of extra TLC like many other roasts do due to their lack of fat. The bone will give it extra flavor. If you select boneless, the roast will come trussed with either twine or a net wrap.
Chuck Steaks
Bone-in and boneless options here. Typically, for a subcategory of chuck steaks that we call "boneless chuck steaks", which are more tender than the main chuck steaks. These are: Denver, Ranch, Flat Iron, or Chuck Eye. Our butcher cuts Denver and Ranch steaks small, under 6 ounches. Flat Irons and Chuck Eye are a lesser known but delicious cut. For your straight up bone-in or boneless chuck steaks under the main category, they will have good flavor. Just remember, since the shoulder gets a lot of work, they aren't going to be as tender as a filet.
Stew Meat
Stew meat in a half cow means that the butcher takes the chuck section, cubes it, and packs it into one-pound packs. This is a great option if you like to just crack open a pack, dump it into the crock pot, and forget it.
Brisket
The brisket is the lower chest area. The brisket it responsible for supporting approximately 60% of the steer's weight. Due to all of that work and connective tissues, cooking the brisket requires a little finesse and a lot of time.
Typically, you'll see the brisket kept whole or cut in half. Our butcher gives the option to make ground brisket, similar to ground chuck, but only on a whole cow.
When leaving your brisket whole or cutting it in half, choosing to get your brisket untrimmed is smart. Meaning the butcher is going to leave most of the fat on. If the butcher trims the brisket, depending on the butcher, they may trim all of the fat off. This is how our butcher does it. Check with your butcher or farmer to know exactly how they will cut the brisket.
Since brisket requires a long cook time to tenderize the tissues, the fat around it keeps the meat from drying out. Fear not, you don't need a fancy smoker or a ton of experience to make brisket taste delicious. Our Beef E-Cookbook has a delicious recipe for tender oven-roasted brisket.
Shank
The shank section is truly between the shoulder and the knee of the steer. It is the leg. The cuts are very distinct, as they have a bone in the center with the meat around it in a disc shape.
Customers do have the option to get the shank whole; however, we rarely see this. The legs carry a lot of weight, obviously. So these cuts are tough and best braised and cooked low and slow to break down the tissues for a tender and flavorful dish. Don't shy away from the marrow - it's delicious and is loaded with nutrients.
Osso Buco
Larger discs with a thickness over two inches are considered Osso Buco.
Soup Bones
When the discs are cut smaller, they are considered soup bones.
Rib
Cue the singing Angels. The Rib section. Tender and flavorful. The rib section is a great indicator of the quality and grade of the entire steer. If the steer was raised and finished properly, the rib section will be heavily marbled with streaks of fat throughout.
Bone-In Rib Steak
Technically, a steak is an -eye (like ribeye) if it is boneless. If it is bone-in, it is simply called a steak. When the bone-in rib steak is left with a few inches of bone on it, it's called a cowboy steak. If it is left with the entire rib bone intact, that is called your Tomahawk steak. Our butcher does not cut Cowboys or Tomahawks, but at least you can get it bone-in and know you're getting all of that delicious beef.
Boneless Ribeye
Otherwise known as a delmonico. Pretty straight forward that it is a boneless steak cut.
Prime Rib Roast
The centerpiece of many Christmas dinner tables. The prime rib roast can be left whole (otherwise known as a seven-bone roast), cut according to your roast weight specifications, or it can be cut into one four-bone and one three-bone roast.
Loin
Don't you dare grind this, y'all. The loin section holds the most well-known cuts. A fun fact that most people may not know is that a t-bone and porterhouse are the same exact cut. When looking at a t-bone or porterhouse, it is actually the NY strip on one side and filet on the other. When the filet is over 1.25 inches wide, it is a porterhouse. Whenthe filet is under 1.25 inches wide, it is a t-bone.
If you choose boneless steaks, you'd get filets and NY strips. If you choose to keep the steaks large and bone-in, you'll get t-bones and porterhouses. It doesn't get more simple than that. Either way you cut it, you'll get a variety of sizes since cattle aren't perfectly square.
Plate
This rib plate section is the section most folks think of when they think of the ribs. Fatty and flavorful! The rib plate needs either a cook marinade or a long cook to break down the tissues. You can get the plate cut as a whole plate, otherwise known as Dino-bones. We don't typically recommend this unless you have experience with the whole plate, as they can be upwards of 16 pounds.
Short Ribs
If you can picture the ribs coming down vertically, the butcher cuts horizontally every two inches and sections out two bones for each piece. Typically, these come in 3-4 pound packs with several rib pieces inside.
Korean Style Ribs
Otherwise known as franken ribs, korean style ribs are cut very thin, approximately 1/2-inch. Typically, they are 4-5 bones across.
Round
The round is split up into several sections - the eye round, the top round, and the bottom round. The round is a lean tough section as it bears a lot of weight and gets a lot of exercise. Tougher cuts require time to break down those fibers, either through a marinade or cook time, or both. Lean means no fat, so it will need a little help in the flavor department.
Roasts
As mentioned, round roasts are lean and on the tough side. They'll need some extra love and time.
Steaks
While the round can be cut into steaks, it typically isn't recommended for a slap on the grill with some salt and pepper. If anything, folks have the option to get cube steaks. Cube steak is where the butcher cuts the round into steaks and runs the steaks through a tenderizer. Then, you'd take your grandma's favorite recipe and dredge, fry, and pour gravy over top for country-fried steak.
Shaved beef
Just like cheesesteak meat. This is a fan favorite. Sliced very thin, shaved beef is great for cheesesteaks, stir-fry, pho, and more. A great option for making good use of the round section.
Fajita meat
Cut into fajita strips. Dump in the pan and season. Talk about easy.
Kabob meat
Cubed round packed in one-pound packs. This is great for a last minute weeknight dump-and-go meal, although they could use a marinade if you have the time.
Flank
It's a little odd that this is a section all on it's own, since the flank is pretty small. From our butcher, there is only one flank steak per half cow. It's a thin cut, approximately 12-inches in length.
Beef E-Cookbook and More Half Cow Resources
BEEF E-COOKBOOK for a walk through of each section, the cuts that can be made from each section, and delicious recipes for each cut option available. Plus! A guide to cooking the perfect steak and a bunch of our favorite recipes for ground beef to mix up your mundane menu.
If you're wondering how the entire process works from drop off at the processor to pick up, how everything is priced, timeline and more, check out our article The Process, Pricing, and Timeline of Buying a Whole or Half Cow from field to freezer.
For how much meat to expect, as far as the number of beef cuts with half cow inventory sheet examples, our How Much Meat to Expect in a Whole or Half Cow article will get you what you need.
Lastly, if you're wondering how much freezer or cooler space you'll need for your half cow, our article on on How Much Freezer Space Do I Need for Whole or Half Cow or Pig will give you estimates so you can make all of the necessary preparations.
Please note that the information in these articles are based on what our steers yield at Hayfield Farm and what our local butcher shop's practices are.
If you are purchasing from a different farm, your hanging weight, meat (finished) weight, cut options, pricing, and packaging may be different.
The Farmer's Pork Cut Sheets
The Farmer's Pork Cut Sheets
Dylan's Half Pork Cut Sheet
Shoulder Roasts, 3-4lbs each
Grind Hams for Sausage
Bone-in Pork Chops, 3/4" thick
1 Rack of Spare Ribs
Cured and Smoked Sliced Bacon
Sausage Selection:
Brats, 4 per pack
Dylan's Whole Pork Cut Sheet
Shoulder Roasts, 3-4lb each
Grind other Half of Shoulders for Sausage
Grind Hams for Sausage
Bone-in Pork Chops, 3/4" thick
Boneless Pork Chops, 3/4" thick
1 Rack of Baby Back Ribs
1 Tenderloin
2 Racks of Spare Ribs
Cured and Smoked Sliced Bacon
Sausage Selections:
Brats, 4 per pack
Sage Breakfast Patties, 8 per pack
Jalapeno Cheddar Grillers, 4 per pack
Erica's Half Pork Cut Sheet
Grind Shoulders for Sausage
2 Uncured & Smoked Half Hams, 10-11lbs each
Boneless Pork Chops, 3/4" thick
1 Tenderloin
1 Rack of Baby Back Ribs
1 Rack of Spare Ribs
Uncured and Smoked Sliced Bacon
Sausage Selection:
Loose Hot Italian Sausage, 1lb packs
Erica's Whole Pork Cut Sheet
Grind Shoulders for Sausage
2 Uncured & Smoked Half Hams, 10-11lbs each
Grind Other 2 Hams for Sausage
Boneless Pork Chops, 3/4" thick
Boneless Loin Roast
2 Racks of Baby Back Ribs
2 Tenderloins
2 Racks of Spare Ribs
Uncured and Smoked Sliced Bacon
Sausage Selections:
Loose Sage Sausage, 1lb packs
Loose Hot Italian Sausage, 1lb packs
Ground Pork, 1lb packs
Filling Out a Cut Sheet for a Half Hog
Filling out a cut sheet is one of the most daunting pieces in the the process of buying a wholesale pig, especially if you've never done it. We know - this is a lot to read, but it will help answer almost all of your questions and help you fill out the cut sheet - promise! Here, we break down the cut sheet for a Hayfield Farm half hog in simple terms so you can get it filled out quickly and reserve that Butcher Date. When you're ready, fill out the cut sheet form and pay the deposit.
Visit our How Much Meat is in a Wholesale Hog page to read more about how much pork to expect and to see some examples of what half hog customers have received in the past, plus what they paid.
Let's Get Started
Open up our Half Hog Cut Sheet to follow along with this article. Getting a whole hog? Head on over to our Filling Out a Cut Sheet for a Whole Hog page.
Working with our Processor
Our local butcher, Fauquier's Finest, only allows a certain number of selections per section. Our butcher will only cut pork according to what is listed on the Half Hog Cut Sheet and there are no alterations. Requests beyond what is listed on the cut sheet will not be honored. The exact number of cuts or amount of pork you get depends on what your specific hog yields. Sausage selections require a 15lb minimum, please follow the directions closely. All cuts are vacuum packed and labeled.
Pick up will be directly from the processor - Fauquier's Finest 11746 Ag Industrial Drive Bealeton VA. Please note, they are open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. We do not ship or deliver.
Pricing + Processing Fee
We require a $250 non-refundable deposit for wholesale pork. Our wholesale pork is $2.95/lb on the hanging (carcass) weight. Our half hogs typically hang at 100lbs. Processing fees are not included since smoking, curing, sausage options, the hanging weight, weight of the meat itself, and how that meat is processed can fluctuate the processing fee greatly.
Smoking and curing is $2.50/lb on the weight of the section you choose to smoke and cure.
Sausage options range from $0.20/lb for loose seasonings all the way up to $2.50/lb for breakfast patties and links.
The processing fee is determined by the butcher upon pork completion. *We do not give estimates on processing fees before the pork is complete*.
Once your pork is complete, we will email you the details for pick up and will send over the remaining balance invoice.
Ok, here we go!
First, fill out your contact info.
Chop Thickness: If you choose to get chop cuts in the loin selection, the butcher will follow your thickness specification here. If you've had our pork chops before, they are 3/4". If you don't want chops, check the box at the bottom: "I do not want chop". If you want chops, be sure to select them when you get to the "Loin" section.
Roast Weight: We recommend 3/4lb to 1lb per adult. Whole shoulders can sometimes weigh in at 10lbs or more. If you don't want roasts, check the box at the bottom: "I do not want roasts". If you want roasts, be sure to select them in the shoulder or ham section.
Steak Thickness: If you choose to get any steaks cuts, the butcher will follow your selection. We recommend 3/4" for steaks. If you don't want steaks, check the box at the bottom. If you want steaks, be sure to select them in the shoulder, loin, or ham section.
Bacon Thickness: Your choice! The thicker the slices, the less bacon total. If you do not want bacon *gasp* or you want the belly left in a whole slab, select that respective option.
Ground Pork & Sausage Packaging: Your ground pork/sausage consists of all the trimmings and anything you choose to grind. Choose one option here.
Bones and Fat: Keep the dog occupied for a while or make pork stock with the bones, render down the fat into lard for a healthy bioavailable oil and flaky biscuits.
Shoulder: Grind it to add to your ground pork/sausage pile, get it into roasts for pulled pork, or try some shoulder steaks. Grinding this section AND your Ham section below gives you one additional sausage selection.
Ham: Grind it to add to your ground pork/sausage pile. Ham roasts will follow the Roast Weight you selected above. Bone in ham steaks and center cut ham steaks can be prepared any way, we prefer fresh. Half hams are approximately 10-12lbs each and ready for your holiday table. Smoked and uncured means no nitrates or nitrites, it's a brown sugar and sea salt cure instead. Grinding this section AND your Shoulder section above gives you one additional sausage selection.
Loin: You can choose to grind this, leave it as a roast, cut it into bone-in or boneless chops. If you choose a boneless roast or boneless chop option, you will get the baby back rib and tenderloin. If you choose a bone-in roast or bone-in chop option, the baby back rib and tenderloin will be attached to your cuts.
Rib: The rib rack. Choose one option.
Pork Belly: BACON! Leave it as a whole slab or get it sliced according to your desired thickness above. You can leave it fresh, have it cured and smoked, or have it smoked with no nitrates or nitrites - it's a brown sugar and sea salt cure instead. Don't you dare grind this!
Sausage Selections: Sausage is made from the trimmings and anything you chose to grind. The butcher requires a 15lb minimum to make sausage. If you did not grind anything, there is a good chance you will be under that 15lb minimum and the butcher automatically keeps your trimmings as ground pork - still delicious! Here are the rules:
1. If you did not choose to grind anything, choose only one sausage option.
2. If you chose to grind only the shoulder, only the ham, only the loin, or only the rib. Choose only one sausage option.
3. If you chose to grind the shoulder AND the ham, choose two sausage options.
Done! Prove you're not a robot and hit submit. Wait a few seconds to be automatically redirected to pay the deposit.
If you need to make a change after submission, please fill out another cut sheet and contact us to let us know.
Once we have your cut sheet and deposit, you are booked for our next available butcher date! Check out Wholesale Page for our next available butcher dates.
Please remember, pork takes approximately 2-3 weeks to complete from your butcher date, you will be contacted as soon as it is complete and ready for pick up.
Filling Out a Cut Sheet for a Whole Hog
Filling out a cut sheet is one of the most daunting pieces in the the process of buying a wholesale pig, especially if you've never done it. We know - this is a lot to read, but it will help answer almost all of your questions and help you fill out the cut sheet - promise! Here, we break down the cut sheet for a Hayfield Farm whole hog in simple terms so you can get it filled out quickly and reserve that Butcher Date. When you're ready, fill out the cut sheet and pay the $250 deposit.
Visit our How Much Meat is in a Wholesale Hog page to read more about how much pork to expect and to see some examples of what whole hog customers have received in the past, plus what they paid.
Let's Get Started
Open up our Whole Hog Cut Sheet to follow along with this article. Getting a half hog? Head on over to our Filling Out a Cut Sheet for a Half Hog page.
Working with our Processor
Our local butcher, Fauquier's Finest, only allows a certain number of selections per section. Our butcher will only cut pork according to what is listed on the Whole Hog Cut Sheet. Requests beyond what is listed on the cut sheet will not be honored. The exact number of cuts or amount of pork you get depends on what your specific hog yields. Sausage selections require a 15lb minimum, please follow the directions closely. All cuts are vacuum packed and labeled. Pick up will be directly from the processor - Fauquier's Finest 11746 Ag Industrial Drive Bealeton VA. Please note, they are open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm. We do not ship or deliver.
Pricing
We require a $250 non-refundable deposit for wholesale pork. Our wholesale pork is $2.95/lb on the hanging (carcass) weight. Our whole hogs typically hang at 200lbs. Processing fees are not included since smoking, curing, sausage options, hanging weight, weight of the meat, and how that meat is processed can fluctuate the processing fee greatly. Smoking and curing is $2.50/lb on the weight of the section you choose to smoke and cure. Sausage options range from $0.00/lb for loose seasonings all the way up to $1.65/lb for breakfast patties and links. The processing fee is determined by the butcher upon pork completion. We do not give estimates on processing fees. Once your pork is complete, we will email you the details for pick up and will send over the remaining balance invoice.
Ok, here we go!
First, fill out your contact info.
Chop Thickness: If you choose to get any chop cuts, the butcher will follow your selection. If you've had our pork chops before, they are 3/4". If you don't want chops, check the box at the bottom. If you want chops, be sure to select them in the Loin section.
Roast Weight: We recommend 3/4lb to 1lb per adult. Whole shoulders can sometimes weigh in at 10lbs or more. If you don't want roasts, check the box at the bottom. If you want roasts, be sure to select them in the shoulder or ham section.
Steak Thickness: If you choose to get any steaks cuts, the butcher will follow your selection. We recommend 3/4" for steaks. If you don't want steaks, check the box at the bottom. If you want steaks, be sure to select them in the shoulder or ham section.
Bacon Thickness: Your choice! The thicker the slices, the less bacon total. If you do not want bacon *gasp* or you want the belly left in a whole slab, select that option.
Ground Pork & Sausage Packaging: Your ground pork/sausage consists of all the trimmings and anything you choose to grind. Choose one option.
Bones and Fat: Keep the dog occupied for a while or make pork stock with the bones, render down the fat into lard for a healthy bioavailable oil and flaky biscuits.
Shoulder: Grind it to add to your ground pork/sausage pile, get it into roasts for pulled pork, or try some shoulder steaks. Or choose two options! If you chose to only grind this entire section, you can choose one additional sausage selection.
Ham: Grind it to add to your ground pork/sausage pile. Ham roasts will follow the Roast Weight you selected above. Bone in ham steaks and center cut ham steaks can be prepared any way, we prefer fresh. Half hams are approximately 10-12lbs each and ready for your holiday table. Smoked and uncured means no nitrates or nitrites, it's a brown sugar and sea salt cure instead. You can select up to two options! If you chose to only grind this entire section, you can choose one additional sausage selection.
Loin: You can choose to grind this, leave it as a roast, cut it into bone-in or boneless chops. If you choose a boneless roast or boneless chop option, you will get the baby back rib and tenderloin. If you choose a bone-in roast or bone-in chop option, the baby back rib and tenderloin will be attached to your cuts. You can select up to two options here!
Rib: The rib rack. Choose one or two options!
Pork Belly: BACON! Leave it as a whole slab or get it sliced according to your desired thickness above. You can leave it fresh, have it cured and smoked, or have it smoked with no nitrates or nitrites - it's a brown sugar and sea salt cure instead. Don't you dare grind this! Choose up to two options!
Sausage Selections: Sausage is made from the trimmings and anything you chose to grind. The butcher requires a 15lb minimum to make another sausage type.
Here are the rules:
1. If you did not choose to grind anything, choose only one sausage option.
2. If you chose to grind the entire shoulder, choose another sausage option.
3. If you chose to grind the entire ham, choose one additional sausage option.
Max options: 3
All sausage/ground pork will be split into thirds, 50/50, or one, depending on how many you choose.
Done! Prove you're not a robot and hit submit. Wait to be automatically redirected to pay the $250 deposit.
If you need to make a change after submission, please fill out another cut sheet and contact us to let us know.
Once we have your cut sheet and deposit, you are booked for our next available butcher date!
Please remember, pork takes approximately 2-3 weeks to complete from your butcher date. We will contact you immediately when your pork is ready for pick up.
How Much Meat is in a Whole + Half Hog?
If you're not a farmer or a butcher, how are you supposed to know how much meat is in a whole (or half) hog? How many chop cuts should you expect? More importantly, how much bacon will you be getting?
First things first. While we, as the farmers, have target weights, hogs are not perfect clones of each other. How much meat you get in a whole (or half) hog depends on what that specific animal yields. Additionally, when buying a whole or half hog, each section is custom cut by the customer's specifications. All examples provided here are just that, examples of what past customers have chosen.
At Hayfield Farm, our pricing for wholesale pork is based on the hanging weight, plus the processing fee. Most farms price their bulk meat this way. Hanging weight is the weight of the carcass, after it is cleaned and on the hook in the cold room. How much a half hog or whole hog hangs at varies from farm to farm. It depends on the breed, age, and feeding practices.
At Hayfield Farm, our whole hogs hang at approximately 210 pounds and our half hogs hang at approximately 105 pounds. Whole hogs yield approximately 140 pounds in meat, half hogs yield approximately 80 pounds in meat.
The difference in the hanging weight and the weight of the meat, or finish weight, is the parts of the carcass that are not made into product. This would be the bones that aren't included in cuts, organs if they are not chosen, extra fat, tendons, and other trimmings that are not ideal for eating.
Below are a few inventory sheets from previous whole and half pork orders. These examples will give you an idea for how much meat you can expect from a half pork or whole pork. Since customers get to choose their own cuts, you'll see some variances.
Get started with reserving your whole hog on our Wholesale Page!
Curious about the entire process? We cover the wholesale hog process from paddock to plate.
Whole Hog
4 Boston Butt Roasts, 4-5lbs each
4 Picnic Roasts, 4-5lbs each
6 Ham Roasts, cured & smoked, 4-5lbs each
34 Bone-in pork chops, 3/4", two chops per pack.
20 packs of bacon, smoked with no nitrates, sliced medium
17 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb each
The processing fee for this whole hog was $396.78
Whole Hog
2 packs of leaf fat
2 packs of back fat
4 Boston Butts, 4-5lbs
4 Picnic Roasts, 4-5lbs
2 cured and smoked whole hams
2 baby back rib racks
27 packs of boneless pork cops, 3/4", two chops per pack.
2 tenderloins
2 spare ribs
23 packs of bacon, cured and smoked, sliced medium
17 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb packs
19 packs of loose ground pork, 1lb packs
2 packs of heart
2 cured and smoked jowls
1 pack of kidney
1 pack of tongue
The processing fee for this whole hog was $282.64.
Half Hog
2 Boston Butts, 4-5lbs
2 Picnic Roasts, 4-5lbs
15 Bone-in pork chops, 3/4", two chops per pack.
1 spare rib rack
11 packs of bacon, cured and smoked, sliced medium
17 packs of loose chorizo sausage, 1lb packs
16 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb packs
The processing fee for this half hog was $153.85
Half Hog
1 pack of leaf fat
3 packs of bones, 3lbs each
3 Boston Butts, 2-3lbs
3 Picnic Roasts, 2-3lbs
2 Whole Hams, cured & smoked
1 tenderloin
1 baby back rib rack
5 Boneless Loin Roasts, 2-3lbs
12 packs of bacon, cured and smoked, sliced medium
11 packs of loose sage sausage, 1lb packs
The processing fee for this half hog was $197.15
From Paddock to Plate: The Process, Pricing, and Timeline of Buying a Whole + Half Hog
Custom Whole + Half Pork
the process of buying pork, from paddock to plate
First things first...
Read over this blog and check out the Wholesale Page in the Resources section about how much meat to expect and sample inventory sheets, how much cooler space you'll need for pick up, how much freezer space you'll need for storage, and our guides for filling out the cut sheets.
The Timeline and Butcher Date
The butcher date is the day that we, Hayfield Farm, take the live hog to the butcher shop. We all know what happens there. This is the date customers book with us. This is not the pick up date. Pork processing takes approximately three weeks to complete from the butcher date to pick up.
Our Wholesale Page shows the approximate next available butcher date, so you can get a ballpark idea on a timeline. When you fill out your cut sheet and pay your deposit, we will email you your exact butcher date based on our schedule. We must have your cut sheet and deposit to reserve your butcher date for you.
The Cut Sheet
One of the most intimidating pieces of the bulk meat process is the cut sheet. The cut sheet is your custom specifications of how you want each section of the hog to be cut and packaged. Luckily! We have made the cut sheet forms easy to fill out.
Half Pork Cut Sheet // Whole Pork Cut Sheet
Behind the Scenes at the Butcher Shop
Each farm that works with our local butcher, Fauquier's Finest, is scheduled at the beginning of the year for their butcher slots. At Hayfield Farm, we send multiple livestock to the butcher each and every month.
Why do you care about that?
#1 ...because it gives you an idea on timing if you aren't ready to book just yet. If our Wholesale Page says that our next available butcher date for pork is early this month, you would be correct in assuming that we have open, unreserved butcher dates for later this month, all next month, and so on.
#2 ...because some farms only butcher a certain time of year - but not us! We are lucky enough (thanks to you!) to have a customer base that requires us to raise hogs and steers all year round.
Our butcher is USDA-inspected. This means that from livestock drop-off to customer pick up, the butcher shop is required to maintain extremely strict humane and cleanliness standards under the constant supervision of a USDA-inspector.
We deliver the livestock, the butcher takes your cut sheet and dresses, cuts, packs, weighs, labels, and flash freezes all of your pork cuts, according to your specifications. The butcher first breaks down the hog into primal cuts. Shoulders, midsection, hindquarter (ham), etc.
The butcher then cuts off the roasts, loins, hams, ribs, and other sections. Using your cut sheet specifications, the butcher hand trims all of your cuts - this is not done by machine. All of the trimmings go into a pile to be ground for ground pork/sausage. If roasts are desired, they are cut to your specifications. Chops are sliced, ribs are trimmed, the bacon is sliced, cured, and sent to the smokehouse (if that's what you've chosen). You get the idea.
Once the meat is all cut, the sausage is made, the bacon is sliced, and everything is vacuum packed with commercial grade packaging, labeled with the name of the cuts and weight, and flash frozen. Bone guards are used for bone-in cuts to protect packaging from piercing. With proper handling and storage, this grade of vacuum seal keeps pork cuts for over two years. You will not be able to get your pork unfrozen, as this is against USDA standards.
Pricing
A non-refundable $250.00 deposit is required to reserve a butcher date with us and is paid directly after completing the cut sheet. Please do not complete the cut sheet if you are not prepared to be automatically redirected to pay the $250 deposit immediately afterward. Cut sheets submitted without a deposit are automatically deleted and you will need to fill out and submit a new sheet (and pay the deposit) to book with us. This deposit goes toward your total pork cost.
Our pork pricing is broken down into two categories: the hanging weight cost and the processing fee. All payments are made to us, Hayfield Farm. The deposit is paid when you complete the cut sheet. The remaining balance (hanging weight cost and processing fee, plus tax) is paid via invoice when your pork is complete, before pick up.
The hanging weight is the weight of the hog's carcass when it is on the hook in the cold room. This is typically how farms price bulk meats.
The hanging weight cost is $2.95 per pound. The typical hanging weight of a Hayfield Farm whole hog is 200lbs. The typical hanging weight of a Hayfield Farm half hog is 100lbs. Please note that hanging weights can vary greatly from farm to farm.
The processing fee is the cost of the butcher's work. Due to the variances in smoking, curing, and sausage options and prices, this is a separate fee. The processing fee is determined by the butcher once the pork is complete and is dependent on the weight of the hog, the weight of the meat, smoking, curing, and sausage options and weights of those sections, etc. We are unable to give you an exact price of your processing fee, as it is dependent on the weight of the meat. Smoking, curing, griller casings, link casing, and patty forming come with additional costs and we will say that the more of these options you choose, the higher your processing fee will be.
Check out our article about how much meat to expect to see sample inventory sheets, with costs included.
Half hog customers can typically expect their processing fee to be $150-250, depending on selections. Whole hog customers can typically expect their processing fee to be $250-400, depending on selections.
With a 100lb hanging weight on a half hog, customers can expect to spend $450-$550, plus tax, total. With a 200lb hanging weight on a whole hog, customers can expect to spend $900-$1,200, plus tax, total. Curing, smoking, and sausage selections will fluctuate this price. Please note these hanging weights and pricing are approximate.
Pick Up
Once your pork is complete, the butcher notifies us. We will email you immediately with pick up details and send the remaining balance invoice to your email immediately after.
- The butcher shop does not give order status updates to us. They will only notify us when your pork is ready for pick up.
- Customers are required to pay the remaining balance invoice prior to pick up
- Customers are required to pick up their meat from the butcher shop within seven (7) business days of notification.
The butcher shop, Fauquier's Finest, is located at 11746 Ag Industrial Drive, Bealeton VA. Pick up hours are Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.
When you arrive, check in at the front office by letting them know you are picking up pork for *your last name* under Hayfield Farm. You do not owe the butcher any payment. The staff will hand you an inventory sheet and direct you to the loading dock. They will roll out your cart filled with pork and you will load up your coolers before heading home to stock your freezer with natural, local, delicious pork!
Thank you so much for supporting your local farmer!
How Much Meat in a Half Cow?
How Much Meat in a Half Cow?
If you're not a farmer or a butcher, how are you supposed to know how much meat is in a half cow?
How much meat is in a half cow? How many steak cuts should you expect? Are you going to be drowning in ground beef?
First things first. While farmers have target weights, cattle are not perfect clones of each other. The amount of meat you will receive in a half cow (or whole cow) depends on what that specific animal yields. Additionally, when buying a whole or half cow, each section is custom cut by the customer's specifications. All examples provided here are just that, examples of what past customers have chosen.
Hanging Weight
At Hayfield Farm, our pricing for half/whole beef is based on the hanging weight. Most farms price their bulk meat this way. Our post, Hanging Weight: Explained, goes into detail about what the hanging weight is and why bulk meat is often priced by the hanging weight.
Total Pounds of Meat to Expect
Our whole beef hang at approximately 800 pounds and our half beef hang at approximately 400 pounds. You can expect approximately 600-650 pounds of meat from a whole cow and 250-300 pounds of meat from a half cow.
Sample Inventory Sheets
Below are a few inventory sheets from previous whole and half beef orders. These examples will give you an idea for how much meat you can expect from a half cow or whole cow. Since customers get to choose their own cuts, you'll see some variances.
See our Beef Resources page for everything you need to know about buying beef in bulk.
Whole Beef
13 packs of stew meat
2 packs of marrow bones
129 pounds of ground beef, 1lb packs
4 half untrimmed briskets
8 packs of korean style ribs
3 packs of 2" short ribs
11 packs of osso bucco
31 bone-in ribeye, 1"
51 pounds of ground chuck, 1lb packs
5 boneless chuck roast, 3-4lbs
12 flat irons
10 chuck eye
2 whole flanks
7 porterhouses, 1"
7 T-bones, 1"
22 boneless filet, 1"
14 NY strip, 1"
32 boneless petite sirloin strips, 1"
4 half eye round roasts
4 top round roasts, 3-4lbs
8 london broil
3 bottom round roasts, 3-4lbs
8 packs of cube steaks
7 sirloin tip roasts, 3-4lbs
2 whole tri tip
1 tongue
2 skirt steaks
3 packs of ox tail
1 hanging tender
14 packs of liver
4 packs of heart
2 packs of kidney
Half Beef
9 packs of stew meat
17 packs of 1/3 burger patties
29 pounds of ground beef, 1lb packs
1 whole trimmed brisket
4 packs of 2" short ribs
4 packs of osso bucco
16 3/4" boneless delmonico
50 pounds of ground chuck, 1lb packs
10 ranch steaks
6 flat irons
11 boneless filet, 3/4"
20 NY strip, 3/4"
7 bone-in sirloin steaks, 3/4"
3 packs of kabob meat
7 london broil
4 bottom round roast, 2-3lbs
1 whole tri tip
1 tongue
1 skirt steak
1 hanging tender
10 packs of liver
2 packs of kidney
Half Beef
10 packs of stew meat
3 packs of marrow bones
8 packs of beef fat
32 pounds of ground beef, 1lb packs
2 untrimmed half briskets
6 packs of soup bones
12 bone-in ribeye, 1"
44 pounds of ground chuck, 1lb packs
6 flat irons
4 chuck eye steaks
1 whole flank
12 boneless filet, 1"
9 NY strip, 1"
12 boneless petite sirloin strips, 1"
2 half eye round roasts
3 top round roasts, 3-4lbs
2 bottom round roasts, 3-4lbs
3 sirloin tip roasts, 3-4lbs
1 whole tri tip
From Field to Freezer: The Process, Pricing, and Timeline of Buying a Whole + Half Cow
Custom Whole + Half Beef
the process of buying beef, from field to freezer
First things first...
Read over this blog and check out the Halves + Wholes Page in the Resources section about how much meat to expect and sample inventory sheets, how much cooler space you'll need for pick up, how much freezer space you'll need for storage, and our guides for filling out the cut sheets. You are about to make an investment - please be sure to learn everything you can using these resources we've provided.
The Timeline and Butcher Date
The butcher date is the day that we, Hayfield Farm, take the live steer to the butcher shop. We all know what happens there. This is the date customers book with us. This is not the pick up date. Beef processing takes approximately four weeks to complete from the butcher date to pick up.
Our Halves + Wholes Page shows the approximate next available butcher date, so you can get a ballpark idea on a timeline. When you fill out your cut sheet and pay your deposit, we will email you your exact butcher date based on our schedule. We must have your cut sheet and deposit to reserve your butcher date for you.
The Cut Sheet
One of the most intimidating pieces of the bulk meat process is the cut sheet. The cut sheet is your custom specifications of how you want each section of the steer to be cut and packaged. Luckily! We have made the cut sheet forms easy to fill out.
Half Beef Cut Sheet // Whole Beef Cut Sheet
Behind the Scenes at the Butcher Shop
Each farm that works with our local butcher, Fauquier's Finest, is scheduled at the beginning of the year for their butcher slots. At Hayfield Farm, we send multiple livestock to the butcher each and every month.
Why do you care about that?
#1 ...because it gives you an idea on timing if you aren't ready to book just yet. If our Halves + Wholes Page says that our next available butcher date for beef is early this month, you would be correct in assuming that we have open, unreserved butcher dates for later this month, all next month, and so on.
#2 ...because some farms only butcher a certain time of year - but not us! We are lucky enough (thanks to you!) to have a customer base that requires us to raise hogs and steers all year round.
Our butcher is USDA-inspected. This means that from livestock drop-off to customer pick up, the butcher shop is required to maintain extremely strict humane and cleanliness standards under the constant supervision of a USDA-inspector.
We deliver the livestock, the butcher takes your cut sheet and dresses, cuts, packs, weighs, labels, and flash freezes all of your beef cuts, according to your specifications. The butcher first breaks down the beef into primal cuts. Chuck (shoulder), midsection, hindquarter (round), etc.
The butcher then cuts off the roasts, loins, ribs, and other sections. Using your cut sheet specifications, the butcher hand trims all of your cuts - this is not done by machine. All of the trimmings go into a pile to be ground for ground beef. If roasts are desired, they are cut to your weight specifications. Steaks are sliced, ribs are trimmed, rounds are shaved (if you desired). You get the idea.
Once all of the meat is cut, everything is vacuum packed with commercial grade packaging, labeled with the name of the cuts and weight, and flash frozen. Bone guards are used for bone-in cuts to protect packaging from piercing. With proper handling and storage, this grade of vacuum seal keeps beef cuts for over two years. You will not be able to get your beef unfrozen, as this is against USDA standards.
Pricing
A non-refundable $500.00 deposit is required to reserve a butcher date with us and is paid directly after completing the cut sheet. Please do not complete the cut sheet if you are not prepared to be automatically redirected to pay the $500 deposit immediately afterward. Cut sheets submitted without a deposit are automatically deleted and you will need to fill out and submit a new sheet (and pay the deposit) to book with us. This deposit goes toward your total beef cost.
The cost is $4.75 per pound on the hanging weight, with all processing fees included. Typical hanging weight on a Hayfield Farm whole beef is 800lbs. Typical hanging weight on a Hayfield Farm half beef is 400lbs. These weights are approximate.
With a 400lb hanging weight on a half beef, customers can expect to pay $1,900, plus tax, total. With an 800lb hanging weight on a whole beef, customers can expect to pay $3,800, plus tax, total. Please remember hanging weights vary from steer to steer. These weights and pricing are approximate.
All payments are made to us, Hayfield Farm. The deposit is paid when you complete the cut sheet. The remaining balance is paid via invoice when your beef is complete, before pick up.
A note from the farmer about hanging weights:
Hanging weights can vary greatly from farm to farm. A farm's feeding practices, breed selection, live/hanging/finish weight goals, finishing prioritization, etc. all have a great impact on the hanging weight of cattle. At Hayfield Farm, we have very specific goals for our steer's live weight, hanging weight, and finish weight (the weight of the meat). We prioritize finishing our angus and angus-cross steers at the optimal age of 18-24 months old (that's a long time!) and at a live weight of 1,200-1,300lbs. Finishing simply means that the steer has gained enough weight and has developed the body composition that make it ideal for market, which means it will produce the amount of beef and quality of beef that is expected from the producer (farmer).
Improper finishing or sending steers to market too early is like painting a wall without primer. Yes, it will work, you will get a painted wall at the end of the day - but is it really the quality that it should be? No. Are you giving respect to the animal that you just raised for meat by not letting it reach its full potential? We don't think so. We invest time, money, and effort into our steers to be sure that they have reached their full potential, at the appropriate age and ideal weight, and will produce the amount of beef and quality of beef that is expected by us and our customers.
This long-term commitment to our steers pays out in premium beef.
Pick Up
Once your beef is complete, the butcher notifies us. We will email you immediately with pick up details and send the remaining balance invoice to your email shortly after.
- The butcher shop does not give order status updates to us. They will only notify us when your beef is ready for pick up.
- Customers are required to pay the remaining balance invoice prior to pick up
- Pick up is at the butcher shop - not at Hayfield Farm.
- Customers are required to pick up their meat from the butcher shop within seven (7) business days of notification.
The butcher shop, Fauquier's Finest, is located at 11746 Ag Industrial Drive, Bealeton VA. Pick up hours are Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.
When you arrive, check in at the front office by letting them know you are picking up beef for *your last name* under Hayfield Farm. You do not owe the butcher any payment. The staff will hand you an inventory sheet and direct you to the loading dock. They will roll out your cart filled with beef and you will load up your coolers before heading home to stock your freezer with natural, local, delicious beef!