May is Beef Month

May is Beef month. When you buy a beef, you want to know exactly how much beef you’ll put in your freezer. A few variables to consider are: weight of the live animal, weight and condition of the carcass and breed, and, what they’ve been eating.

The American Angus association’s guidelines suggest: a 1200 lb steer yields 500 lbs of retail cuts from a 750lb carcass (this is your “hanging weight”)

It could be broken down into 22% steaks, 22% roast, 22% ground beef and stew meat, 30% fat, bone and shrinkage. You can switch up how much you want it ground or processed, but these proportions will never allow you to have more of the expensive cuts vs. the thrifty cuts. (It would be nice if 22% could be converted to just ribeyes but that’s not how the animal is built unfortunately).

Breed matters. There is a reason a Jersey cow is made for milking and an Angus steer is made for the BBQ. When you are shopping for beef make sure you understand what breeds are going to give you good meat to bone ratio. Consider how much fat you might be paying for (some customers like a lot of fat). Consider how age and genetics as well as feed contribute to marbling and muscle. I’m the farmers wife, farmhand and business partner. I’m usually writing the blog, communicating with customers and selling beef from my freezer at the Farmers Market. We also have a farm store and we welcome you to come get your meat directly from the farm.

So for Beef month, I urge you to do your homework and make the investment in good beef raised by a local beef producer.

This week I was paid the highest complement from a return customer. When discussing some of the options for his hanging beef and his next purchase, he said, “Mary Lynne, I trust you”.

Return customers and repeated business speaks volumes, but when customers appreciate and enjoy interacting with their beef producer it makes for happy feelings all around. Celebrate beef month with us, join us for a burger and taste what you could have in your freezer.