Follow the bill from quote to pickup
Meat charge
Weight × rateUse the quoted basis and the rate for your actual share.
Extra charges
+ processing + feesAdd only costs not already included; confirm flat fees.
Balance due
Total − credited depositSubtract the deposit only when it is credited to the bill.
The three numbers
Ask the farm for these before you calculate.
- Expected hanging pounds
- The estimated billed weight for your share after harvest and before cutting and trimming.
- Price per hanging pound
- The farm’s current rate for your share size. Whole, half, and quarter rates can differ.
- Separate processing
- Any slaughter, cutting, wrapping, smoking, delivery, or specialty-cut charges not included in the rate.
Estimated bill = expected hanging pounds × the complete per-pound cost, plus any flat fees. Ask whether the rate is fixed when you reserve or confirmed later.
The weight scenario comes from Brookford Farm: its published example describes 337 hanging pounds and about 197.54 take-home pounds. Source checked Aug 25, 2026. The table applies the planning rate above; it does not reproduce that farm’s bill.
| Share | Hanging lb | Packaged lb | Applied rate | Estimated bill | At 2 lb/week | At 4 lb/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole | 674.0 | 395.1 | $7.35 | $4,953.90 | 198 weeks | 99 weeks |
| Half | 337.0 | 197.5 | $7.35 | $2,476.95 | 99 weeks | 49 weeks |
| Quarter | 168.5 | 98.8 | $7.35 | $1,238.48 | 49 weeks | 25 weeks |
| Eighth | 84.3 | 49.4 | $7.35 | $619.24 | 25 weeks | 12 weeks |
Every row uses the same assumed rate; only the weight changes. These are scenarios, not published offers for each share. Replace this example with the farm’s expected hanging pounds and current quote. Actual animals, cutting choices, processing fees, and bills vary. The weekly columns are planning scenarios, not consumption advice.
Complete bill examples
A seller's worked example and a budget with separate fees
Recorded seller example: Brookford Farm
The recorded half-cow listing states 337 hanging lb at $9.25 per lb, a total of $3,117.25, and about 197.54 lb of packaged cuts. The record identifies processing as included. That works out to about $15.78 per packaged pound across the entire mix, not the price of each steak.
Price source checked Aug 25, 2026. This is the seller's example for that side, not a current reservation quote or a guarantee that the next animal will have the same weight. Confirm any delivery or optional charges separately.
Hypothetical quarter-share budget: processing billed separately
All inputs in this second example are assumptions, not a farm offer: 175 hanging lb, a $6.00 farm rate, $1.25 per hanging lb for processing, a $100 flat slaughter fee, and a $300 deposit credited toward the total. Assume pickup with no delivery fee and no other charges.
- Farm charge
- 175 lb × $6.00 = $1,050.00
- Processing and slaughter
- 175 lb × $1.25 + $100 = $318.75
- Total and remaining payment
- $1,368.75 total; $1,068.75 remains after the credited $300 deposit. Confirm which amounts go to the farm and which go to the processor.
If that assumed share yielded 110 packaged lb, its cost would be about $12.44 per packaged pound. Yield is another assumption; the butcher's final weight and your cutting choices determine the actual result. Add any applicable delivery, optional processing, or other quoted charges to your own calculation. An unknown fee stays unknown until the seller or processor quotes it.
A deposit holds a reservation under the seller's terms. Ask whether it is credited to the final bill, when each payment is due, and what happens if the final weight changes or you cancel.
Read the estimate
The deposit is not the final bill.
Multiply the farm’s expected hanging pounds by its complete rate, then add any separately quoted flat charges. When a listing says processing is separate without publishing the amount, we keep its published figure visible but leave it out of the strict full-cost comparison. Get the farm’s exact processing quote before calculating a complete bill.
A quarter scenario uses half the weight of the half-share example at the same assumed rate. A farm's actual quarter rate or cut mix can differ. Choose between a quarter and half based on the pounds you will cook and store.
Run your own numbers, turn the packaged-pound estimate into freezer space, or compare a share with individual cuts.