Announcement: Bois d'Arc transitions to selling Whole/Half Beef Shares
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we made the decision to start selling our grass-fed and grass-finished meat online. Over the years, we have been happy to serve so many wonderful customers and build some truly special relationships. However, this hasn’t been easy. In the midst of inflationary and demand pressure, we have found that this model just doesn’t work for the long-term health of our farm.
As such, we have decided to stop selling individual steaks, roasts, or packages of ground meat, although we still have some inventory available of pork and beef sticks.
The Next Chapter: Wholes & Halves
From now on, and with the goal of still providing you with the healthy delicious meat you have come to love, we will be taking custom orders for all or half of a 100% grass fed and grass finished fat steer or cow.
Wholes and halves will be delivered as steaks, roasts, and ground meat. You can choose your desired cuts with the processor or we can advise you on a cut sheet that would best serve your needs. Rest assured that steaks will always include at least Filet (tenderloin), New York Strips, and Ribeyes.
Reserve Your Slot for Annual Processing
We will take orders for wholes and halves anytime. Processing, however, will occur once a year in the fall after optimal feeding with summer grasses. The earlier we receive the orders, the easier it will be to plan, including reserving space with a processor, which must be done well in advance.
PLEASE NOTE: Orders for a whole animal will automatically be filled. If we receive an order for a half, we must receive orders from others for the rest of the animal in order to guarantee sale.
The Numbers
We will sell the animal or part of the animal to you before processing. We are selling the animal before processing, so our pricing is based on live weight at $3 per pound. Our Angus typically have a live weight of 1,150 lbs. This would typically be equivalent to $6 per pound of carcass weight and $8 per pound of usable meat.
When you buy the animal from us, we will recommend and introduce you to a suitable, local processor who will bill you directly for processing. The estimated cost of processing is $650. This might typically add $1.44 per pound of usable meat. All expenses related to processing must be paid to the processor, not to Bois d’Arc Farm.
We estimate that the total cost for a whole animal will be roughly $4,100. Of this, $3,450 will be billed by BDA and $650 will be billed by the processor. You should receive approx. 430 lbs of meat at an average price of $9.53 per pound. Please note that these are estimates and actual costs may vary.
Receiving Your Meat
You can receive all the meat after processing or you can ask us to freeze a portion of it for later delivery or pickup. There is no charge for our freezer storage service. We can offer delivery for those in the Tuscaloosa & Birmingham areas, as well as in the corridor from our farm to both cities. We will provide a quote after receipt of address (call us!).
Meat will come from the processor as steaks, roasts, or ground meat in separate containers. If we store the frozen meat, we will deliver in the same containers.
If you cannot buy a whole, perhaps you have friends or family who would like to join you in buying a half. Please email me at swashburn@bdafarm.com or call 334-581-4998 if you have any questions.
Thank you for all your support over the years, and we hope to continue to serve you in this new way.