Cattle Raised Right.

Raising good quality livestock on the Middle Fork S Ranch has been the desire of our family for three generations.  

Our Angus and Hereford calves live in peaceful surroundings, roaming freely on our 95-acre farm.  Naturally grass fed their whole lives, we add a limited amount of steriod/hormone/antibiotic-free grain to their diets at finishing time to produce premium quality and a mellow flavor.  We cater to an ever-growing list of returning chefs, butchers, and individual families who understand that the best meat comes from animals who are happy, well cared for, and free of commercial chemicals and additives.

We always have beef ready to reserve at Christmas time.

BEEF

Our Program

We work primarily with Hereford cattle, although sometimes Angus as well. We have been raising beef for over 40 years, in a small family program from which you purchase direct. In this way, you are supporting local farming and humane animal husbandry practices, as you know exactly where and how your beef was raised. Your support of this kind of farm-to-freezer operation is of great benefit to the animals, as they experience very little stress in their lives, are always in a home pasture environment, always on grass, always with other steers, and always checked on and observed daily by us.

How the Animals Are Raised

Calves are born in the early spring, and raised with their mothers until they are about a year old. We purchase them at that time, and they spend the remainder of their lives grazing in our fields of rich clover and grass, playing and making mischief with each other, napping in the sunshine and coming in for corn, oats & barley twice a day. They remain with us until they are ready for butchering.

How the Purchasing Process Works

We sell beef 'on the hoof,' which means you buy it by the side (1/2 steer) or quarter (1/4 steer.)  You can reserve your beef when you come for your tree, or anytime during the year.  We'll keep you posted on how the steers are doing throughout the year, and help you navigate cut & wrap and picking your meat up direct from the butcher's freezer.  

How The Price Per Pound is Determined

The final price per pound is based on the hanging weight of the animal. This is usually 55-60% of the steer's live weight.  For example, if you are ordering a side of beef from an animal with a live weight of 1400 lbs and a hanging weight of 840 pounds, your side (half of the animal) will weight 420 pounds.  The cost of your beef will be the price per hanging pound plus the butcher's cut & wrap fee, usually around $.95/lb  ($ Price/lb x420 lbs.) + ( $ Cut/Wrap/lb x 420 lbs.)  If you've never bought your meat direct from the rancher before, don't worry - we will help you through the entire process.

How Much Meat You Can Expect to Put in Your Freezer

The amount of beef you'll put in your freezer is about 70% of the hanging weight, which can vary greatly by animal.  If you purchase a side, this gives you in general around 250 pounds of beef (enough to fill a full size freezer) and will feed a family of 4 for about a year.  A quarter results in about 125 pounds of beef, about the capacity of the freezer side of a standard refrigerator-freezer.  It is common for multiple families to 'go in' on a side of beef, which keeps the cost and volume of meat a little easier to manage.  

Inquire or Reserve Middle Fork S Ranch Beef

Callor text Scott at 206.909.6954 or email us at stringfamily@comcast.net