Frequently Asked Questions

How do you raise your animals?

We’re focused entirely on the well being of the land and the cattle in our care. A healthy herd and a healthy environment gives us the opportunity to share our beef with you and your family, nourishing tummies and souls. All of our cattle are raised on forage diets, which means they receive plenty of grass and grass-based feed all year long! From spring through fall, our herds spend their time roaming open pastures and have access to clear, fresh water. Later, they also receive the addition of high quality grain mixtures to help them grow healthy, and helps produce a well marbled, higher grading cut of beef for our customers.

We pride ourselves in handling our cattle in low-stress environments, and work very closely with a cattle nutritionist and veterinarian to ensure our herd stays healthy and happy.

How is your beef processed?

Just like you, we love shopping local! All of our beef is processed at a local, provincially inspected facility. Regularly, we use Brooks Meat Packers, however we do occasionally support other local processors and butchers. From here, your beef is processed and packaged in traditional brown butcher paper (or occasionally vacuum sealed bags) just as you’ve directed on your order sheet. If you’re new to purchasing beef in bulk, we’d be happy to help you along!

How does purchasing bulk beef work?

When you choose to purchase bulk beef, you’re choosing a full, half, or quarter of an individual animal for you to take home and fill your freezer. Standard beef packages include a mix of grilling and marinating steaks, oven and pot roasts, ground beef and more. We will contact you following your deposit to work with you on a custom beef package that is best for you and your family! Some items, like sausage or jerky, may include additional processing fees.

Beef is purchased based on carcass weight, which is standard. When you purchase bulk beef, you purchase based on this hanging weight, and apply the cost per pound, which includes all the cutting and wrapping from the butcher. It’s a simple one-shot cost, with no hidden costs for you. Our price is $6/lb based on hanging weight.

As a general rule on a well finished animal, the hanging weight is 60% of the live weight and the cut and packaged meat is on average about 60% of the hanging weight. Here’s about how it breaks down, but keep in mind, every animal is different:

1200 lbs live weight x .6 = 720lbs hanging weight x .6 = 432lbs packaged meat weight on a whole beef animal. This is a general rule. If the beef animal is overly fat, the hanging weight to packaged meat yield is lower because more is trimmed off. If there isn't enough fat, the yield is also lower because there is more bone per fat / muscle.

What can you expect?

Approximately, for a Half Beef:

• carcass weight: 350lbs-450lbs

• approximate cost range: $2,100 - $2,700

• fills half a regular sized deep freeze (or 1 apartment size freezer and a fridge freezer)

Quarters come in a standard package of pre-selected cuts, but there are some customization available!

Check out this Canadian beef cut chart for a great visual of where each of your favorite cuts comes from.

Do you deliver?

You bet we do! If you are within 200km of Bassano, Alberta, we’ll bring your beef right to your driveway. If you’re outside the 200km range, we’ll work with you to come up with a delivery or pickup option that works for your budget.

Deliveries west of Bassano are currently done on Wednesdays. If you order, and cannot take delivery on the first upcoming Wednesday after your order, please let us know so we can arrange to move your delivery to the next delivery date.

So I’ve placed my deposit. Now what?

Once you’ve placed your deposit, we’ll contact you to help you through an order sheet, which directs our butcher on how to process your beef and on timelines for processing and delivery. Your beef may not be quite ready for processing, but hold tight! It won’t be long. We’ll keep you updated on the progress, and keep you posted on your delivery or pickup date. We’ll also send you an invoice that needs to be paid before your beef will be delivered or picked up. You’ll have the option to pay via credit card or eTransfer, and we can work with you directly for cash or bank draft payments. We use Square to collect credit card payments, which is focused on industry-leading security standards, and Interac eTransfers through your bank for email/bank transfers.

Are there ever sales or special promotions?

We’re really excited to start offering some promotional codes on our Facebook and Instagram pages very soon! Keep your eyes peeled for those codes…