BEEF
Wholes and Halves
Local Grass-Fed & Grass-Finished Beef
Experience the flavor and satisfaction of locally grown beef from farmers you know and trust.
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We raise your cow alongside our family so you can be confident that you're getting the cleanest, healthiest, and best beef around.
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Our cows are raised on all-natural pastures, free of synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides. They eat only grass and hay - no grain. They receive no hormones, immunizations, or harmful chemical treatments. We raise our family and our cows as close to 100% natural as possible - the way our Creator intended.
Whole & Half Beef
Custom Cut, Aged, Packed
Experience the value and quality of a whole or half cow hand-selected for your family from our farm.
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We will help you customize your beef's aging, cut selection, and packaging to provide your family with an exceptional finished product.
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Our cattle have been carefully selected and developed to provide an delicious grass-finished beef - full of flavor and nutritients.
The Process
How It Works:
Buying bulf beef is easier than you might think. Here’s exactly what to expect, from start to finish.
Reserve your beef
Start by placing a deposit to reserve the next available whole or half beef. This secures your spot in our production schedule and locks in your animal.
We select your animal & estimate delivery
Once your deposit is received, we’ll assign your specific animal and provide an estimated butcher date—typically around October each year.
You’re always welcome to visit the farm and see your animal in person, meet us, and see how your food is raised.
We deliver to the butcher
When your animal is ready, Maranatha Farms handles delivery to one of our trusted local butchers. No logistics, no stress—we take care of this step for you.
Customize your cuts, aging & packaging
You’ll work directly with the butcher (with our guidance) to choose:
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Your preferred cuts (steaks, roasts, ground, etc.)
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Aging time
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Packaging options (vacuum sealed vs paper-wrapped)
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Other choices include bones, suet (fat), organs, etc
We’re happy to help you understand cut sheets and make choices that fit your cooking style and freezer space.
Pay the butcher & pick up your meat
You’ll pay the butcher directly for processing, then pick up your finished, frozen meat—clearly labeled and ready for your freezer.
Enjoy clean beef you can trust
Fill your freezer with nutritious, locally raised beef you can feel good about serving your family—raised with care from start to finish.
Reserve your next whole or half beef
Love it? So do we.
Make a deposit on your next whole or half animal to stay on our list and keep your freezer stocked year after year.
How much do you get?
A finished Dexter steer typically weighs 750–850 lbs live, yielding 450–525 lbs hanging weight (about 60–62% of live weight). Pricing is based on this hanging weight.
Estimated take-home meat:
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Bone-in cuts: 270–330 lbs packaged
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Mostly boneless cuts: 240–300 lbs packaged
Cut choices do not change your price—only what goes into your freezer.
Optional extra value (your choice):
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Fat (suet): 10+ lbs (ideal for rendering tallow)
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Bones: 45–85 lbs (great for broth and stock or your dog)
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Organs: 15–35 lbs (heart, liver, tongue, or blended into ground beef)
A whole Dexter typically yields 240 - 330 lbs of beef, fat, bones, and organs and fills 7–11 cubic feet of freezer space depending on your cut preferences.
What Do You Get?
What goes in your freezer (and how the weights work)
When you buy a whole or half beef from Maranatha Farms, you’re purchasing an entire animal, processed to your preferences. Because of that, you’ll hear a few different “weights” mentioned during the process. Here’s what each one means—and why they change along the way.
Live Weight
Live weight is how much the animal weighs while alive on the farm.
This includes everything: hide, head, bones, organs, blood, and internal contents. Live weight is never what you pay on, but it’s the starting point of the process.​
Hanging (Rail) Weight — This is what you pay on
After harvest, the animal is processed and hung at the butcher. At this stage:
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The hide, head, blood, and entrails are removed
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The carcass is split (for halves)
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The meat begins the aging process
This weight is called hot hanging weight (also called rail weight). Your price is based on this hanging weight, charged per pound.
Typical yield from live weight to hanging weight is 60–62% of live weight.
The reduction comes from removing:
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Hide
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Head
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Blood
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Entrails and internal organs
Packaged (take-home) Weight
After aging, cutting, and packaging, you’ll receive your final, freezer-ready meat. This is the packaged weight—what actually goes into your freezer.
Typical yield from hanging weight to packaged weight is 60–65% of hanging weight
Weight decreases happen due to:
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Bone removal (if you choose boneless cuts)
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Fat trimming
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Moisture loss during aging (natural dehydration concentrates flavor)
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Saw loss and trimming during cutting​
Bones, Fat & Flavor (Your Choice)
Your price does not change based on how you choose your cuts—it’s already set by the hanging weight. What does change is how much you take home and how you use it.
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Bone-in cuts weigh more than boneless cuts
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You get more total weight back
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Bones add incredible flavor and nutrition when cooking
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Knuckle and Marrow Bones can be rendered into rich, nourishing broth or given to your dog
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Suet (beef fat) can be rendered into tallow
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Excellent for cooking
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Can also be used for skincare products
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Organs (heart, liver, tongue, etc.) are optional
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Can be packaged separately
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Or included in ground beef for added flavor and nutrition
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About primal ground beef blends
Including organs in ground beef (often called a primal blend) adds:
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Dense nutrition
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Rich flavor
If you’ve never tried this before, we strongly recommend trying this elsewhere or starting with a small portion of your ground beef as primal blend before committing your entire animal to a primal blend. You can always do more next time.​
You’re in control
Your cost is based on hot hanging weight. After that, it’s your decision how the animal is processed:
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Bone-in or boneless
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Lean or higher fat
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Organs kept, blended, or excluded
Nothing goes to waste unless you choose it.
The Result
A freezer full of:
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Premium cuts
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Custom ground
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Optional bones, fat, and organs
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Meat you know exactly where it came from
What does it cost?
Whole & half beef pricing
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Priced by hot hanging (rail) weight
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Whole beef: $6.50/lb
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Half beef: $6.75/lb
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Processing: Paid to butcher, starts $0.80 to $1/lb hanging weight plus kill fee
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Customer picks up directly from processor
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Deposit: $1,000 whole / $500 half
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Balance due at delivery to butcher after final hanging weight is confirmed
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Take-home yield: ~60–65% of hanging weight
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​Approx. 285 –315 lbs of packaged beef from a whole cow
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