HOLY COW

[Rodney Bledsoe]

A friend butchered a bull I bought half of it. I just picked it up. If I did my math correctly it cost $2.40 a pound.

[R.D.]

YEP.........Sides are not Cheap anymore.....but if you Average it out.....you just paid $3.00 for some nice T-bones & Strips as well........but the Burgers are about right


been a LONG time since anyone in my Family bought a Side...........sounds like I need to get one soon B4 it goes up again

[Richard F.]

Thats how we buy ours too. Like Ryan said they get you on the burger but you get them on the steaks.

[R.D.]

actually......that is a Deal.......I think there is a local shop that averages around $5 per pound when adding in "Processing" fee's

[hooks2bset]

Never have too pay for anything but the processing so I don't have a clue what the actual meat cost.

[R.D.]

Des Moines, IA Wed, Dec 23, 2009 USDA Market News

USDA BEEF CARCASS PRICE EQUIVALENT INDEX VALUE

CHOICE SELECT
Index 600-900# 600-900#
Values => $124.75 $117.52
Change => 0.62 0.52
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Index Reflects the Equivalent of 291,061 head of cattle.
SUPPLY (Live) 196,072 Hd
Equivalent: $122.88 $115.99
DEMAND (Box) 94,989 Hd*
Equivalent: $126.63 $119.06
Live-Box Spread: ($3.75) ($3.07)
---------------------------- Input Breakdown -----------------------------
National Daily Direct Cattle : Boxed Beef Cutouts
(5 day accumulated wghtd avg) : Ch 600-900# $138.63
Weight Price Head : Se 600-900# $131.06
Live Steer: 1351 $81.13 58,618: Current Lds: 356.9
Live Heifer: 1225 $81.03 52,970: Previous Lds: 270.8
Drsd Steer: 888 $130.03 53,558
Drsd Heifer: 807 $129.83 30,926
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grading % Breakdown : Drop Credit : 9.48
Ch 600-900# : 71.02% : Steer Dressing % : 63.40%
Ch 600-750# : 23.33% : Heifer Dressing %: 63.42%
Ch 750-900# : 47.69% : Processing Cost : 12.00
Se 600-900# : 28.98% : Slaughter Cost : 50.50
Se 600-750# : 6.80% :
Se 750-900# : 22.18% :
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Equivalent Values for Outlying Beef Carcass Types
Basis Value = 124.75 Carcass Weights
400-500# 500-600# 600-900# 900-1000# 1000#/up
Qlty/Yield (1) -25.83 -9.23 0.00 -2.87 -17.73
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prime 1-3 9.22 $108.14 $124.74 $133.97 $131.10 $116.24
Certified 1-3 3.68 $102.60 $119.20 $128.43 $125.56 $110.70
Choice 1 3.08 $102.00 $118.60 $127.83 $124.96 $110.10
Select 1 -3.32 $95.60 $112.20 $121.43 $118.56 $103.70
Stndrd 1-3 -17.00 $81.92 $98.52 $107.75 $104.88 $90.02
Prime 4 -3.63 $95.29 $111.89 $121.12 $118.25 $103.39
Choice 4 -11.67 $87.25 $103.85 $113.08 $110.21 $95.35
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Reflects total boxed beef load count from past 5 days
multiplied by 75, the average head per boxed beef load.
(1) differentials based upon current premiums and discounts.
Note: Index reflects simple average of live and box equivalents.

Source: USDA Market News, Des Moines, IA
Phone: 515-284-4460 email: desm.lgmn@usda.gov
24 Hour recorded market information 515-284-4830
http://www.ams.usda.gov/LSMarketNews

[War Eagle1]

i'm thinking about buying the whole fricken cow, that should last me and the wife at least a year

[jbassman87]

It's the only way to do it IMO. Best meat you will ever have!!!

[PII Magnum]

I thinking about buying a whole hog myself

[TimS]

Matthew buying whole hogs is a good idea, you can get them dirt cheap.


$2.40 including processing is a little steep, but not that far out of line. Processing has gone way up lately as numbers go down. Most lockers I know charge $.40-$.50 lb hanging weight plus a kill fee, usually $30-$50. Throw in the actual cost of the beef and you're close, but $2.40 still seems a little high.

[Bigbassbo]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TimS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Matthew buying whole hogs is a good idea, you can get them dirt cheap.


$2.40 including processing is a little steep, but not that far out of line. Processing has gone way up lately as numbers go down. Most lockers I know charge $.40-$.50 lb hanging weight plus a kill fee, usually $30-$50. Throw in the actual cost of the beef and you're close, but $2.40 still seems a little high. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Shouldn't the kill fee be the cost of a twelve gauge round? Thats what I've heard they use to put em down. The $30-50 kill fee would seem more appropiate if they were using a .50 BMG or something

[shawn18182000]

have a steer right now being fattened. Weighs about 500 now will let him get to about 1100 before we take him to the locker. Then after he is butchered will let him hang for 2 weeks before we process. Nothing is tastier then aged beef!
You can't buy that in a store.

[bigfishingstud]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bigbassbo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Shouldn't the kill fee be the cost of a twelve gauge round? Thats what I've heard they use to put em down. The $30-50 kill fee would seem more appropiate if they were using a .50 BMG or something </TD></TR></TABLE>

don't think they can use lead, i belive they use a Stainless Steel spike

[Rodney Bledsoe]

Even if the price is a little higher than some can get we a happy with it. We know it was grazed feed, then gain feed the last month and no hormones. When all is average we can't go to the grocery store and bought the same amount of everything for this price.

It was hung for 2 weeks

[Bigbassbo]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bigfishingstud &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

don't think they can use lead, i belive they use a Stainless Steel spike</TD></TR></TABLE>
All I know, is the guy I know that used to butcher everything under the sun said they just used bird shot to the head. This may be wrong though

[Edward]

I sure hope he didn't butcher the bull, that would be some pretty tuff meat. I get a quarter or half of beef from my dad every year, but I just have to pay for the processing. The meat is a lot better than what you get at the store in my opinion.

[nitrobasser]

Processing is really going up. We pay $0.45 per pound locally. My Mom used to go to Ottawa, but they are up to $0.69 per pound. If you want anything tenderized, or want burger in 1 lb. packages it is extra. It is the best way to buy meat in my opinion. I know if you buy the meat from the locker it is usually $2.10 to $2.40 per pound for a quarter, depending on front or rear. So $2.40 might have been a little high, but it is in the ballpark.