Beginner’s Guide to Buying Meat Direct from Minnesota Farmers

Quick Guide: Buying Meat Direct from Minnesota Farms

• Choose Your Meat or Share Size: Farms may offer individual cuts, bundles, quarter beef, half beef, whole beef, half hogs, whole hogs, whole lamb, goat, poultry, or other farm-direct meat options.
• Understand Hanging Weight: Bulk meat is often priced by hanging weight, which is the animal’s weight after initial processing. Take-home weight is the packaged meat you bring home and is usually lower than hanging weight.
• Ask About Processing Fees: Some farms include processing in the price, while others have customers pay the processor separately. Always ask what is included before ordering.
• Complete the Cut Sheet: A cut sheet tells the butcher or processor how you want steaks, roasts, chops, ribs, sausage, ground meat, packaging, and specialty cuts prepared.
• Plan Freezer Space: A general planning estimate is about 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 35–40 lbs of packaged meat. Allow extra room for bulky packages and easier organization.
• Contact the Farm Directly: Availability, pricing, pickup dates, delivery options, deposits, and processing schedules vary by farm.

From Live Weight to Take-Home Meat: A Real Quarter Beef Example

When a Minnesota farmer sells beef by the share, customers may purchase a 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or whole animal. The farmer takes the animal to a processor, where the customer can choose how their share is cut and packaged.

63 lbs of customer-selected beef cuts

66 lbs of packaged ground beef

Craig Byers, Lead Butcher and Processing Specialist at A-Star Services

One of the finished Ribeye cuts from this quarter share

This is one real-world example. The final mix of steaks, roasts, ground beef, bones, and other cuts can vary depending on the animal and the cut choices made with the farmer and processor. Craig notes that the steaks in this example were cut 1 inch thick, so the customer received fewer steaks than they would have with a thinner cut, such as 3/4 inch.

All photos courtesy of A-Star Services
34353 213th Street, Hillman, MN 56338 • (320) 266-4950

Considering a larger beef purchase? Use the Bulk Beef Shares Guide and Beef Share & Freezer Calculator to estimate what may fit your household and freezer.

The Meat Buyer’s Dictionary

These are common terms you may hear when buying beef, pork, lamb, goat, poultry, bison, or other meat directly from a Minnesota farm.

Weights, Pricing & Processing

• Live Weight: The animal's weight before slaughter, sometimes called weight “on the hoof.”
• Hanging Weight: The weight after initial processing. Bulk meat shares are often priced by hanging weight.
• Take-Home Weight: The packaged meat you actually bring home. This is usually less than hanging weight because bone, trim, moisture loss, and cut choices affect final yield.
• Processing Fee: The butcher or processor fee for cutting, wrapping, grinding, smoking, curing, sausage making, or other requested services.
• Cut Sheet: The form used to choose steaks, roasts, chops, ribs, ground meat, package sizes, thickness, sausage, bacon, and specialty cuts.
• Deposit: Some farms require a deposit to reserve a meat share before the animal goes to the processor.
• Processing Date: The scheduled date when the animal goes to the butcher or processor. Pickup usually happens after cutting, wrapping, and freezing are complete.

Raising Practices & Meat Terms

• Grass-Fed: Cattle or other ruminants raised on grass or forage for at least part of their diet.
• Grass-Finished: Animals finished on grass or forage instead of grain before processing.
• Grain-Finished: Animals finished with grain for additional marbling, tenderness, and flavor.
• Pasture-Raised: Animals raised with access to pasture or outdoor grazing areas, depending on the farm and species.
• Heritage Breed: Traditional livestock breeds often raised for flavor, hardiness, or breed preservation.
• Chevon / Cabrito: Terms used for goat meat.

Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Meat Direct

Find Minnesota Farms Selling Local Meat

Use the Farm Direct Minnesota Directory Map to find farms offering beef, pork, poultry, lamb, goat, bison, eggs, dairy, and other local farm products. Contact each farm directly for current availability, pricing, processing dates, pickup, delivery, and ordering details.

• Find local meat farms across Minnesota.
• Search by product, location, farm name, or category.
• Connect directly with farmers before placing an order.