Best place to buy bulk grass fed beef?

[Buck Murdock]

Anyone here ever buy bulk grass fed meat in Calgary? Id like to give it a try but not exactly sure where to go, what to buy, etc. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[stampsx2]

I'm looking for this as well. However all i can ever find is offers to purchase half a cow, which i can't.

[nickerjones]

You should go to a Farmers market, the one I know is on Blackfoot, and ask Silver Sage Beef about it.

[Violator]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

I'm looking for this as well. However all i can ever find is offers to purchase half a cow, which i can't.

How much is half a cow?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Violator

How much is half a cow?

Half the price of a full cow.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

I'm looking for this as well. However all i can ever find is offers to purchase half a cow, which i can't.

Seriously this is your best option by far. A farmer's market will literally just take the half cow, split it up into portions, and charge 3-4 times the price.

Get a few people from here together and all go in. Not sure what the price is in Alberta, but in the Vancouver area we pay around $2000-$2500 at $5-6/lbs. The beef comes in pre-cut packages. You just all pitch in and divide it up. Done this 3-4 times now. All out of meat now and I really miss it.

Even cuts that are usually barely edible, like a chuck roast, can be cut up into steaks. The beef is so lean yet still somehow full flavored and not tough.

Plus if you are an environmentalist at all, this is about the most Earth friendly way to eat meat, and all the profits go right to the farmer.

[Northendzone]

^ anyone who went to bovine u knows this is the best way to buy beef or land cows

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Half the price of a full cow.

Well, you wouldn't be getting the volume discount then. I'd say closer to twice the price of a quarter cow.

[GomerPile]

We used to get bulk orders at a discount from Hoven Farms http://hovenfarms.com/ - Yet is looks like they have shutdown the retail side of their business as of last week. On their website they suggest using http://www.sunworksfarm.com now that they have closed. We would put an order in a few days early and then go and pick it up at the farmers market. Depending on the quantity it was 10-25% off.

On the Sun Works website there is a contact email for price lists. I would contact them and see if they do a similar service. info@sunworksfarm.com.

[calumniate]

Just go to A&W. Their beef is fed with no hormones or steroids. Their eggs are fed without the help of chickens too

[flamingchina]

We use http://tkranch.com/
They do quarters and eighths as well

[Russic]

Originally Posted by flamingchina

We use http://tkranch.com/
They do quarters and eighths as well

+1. We've had really good experiences with TK. You order off the site, select a pickup date/location (various areas of the city), and then go pickup.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

I'm looking for this as well. However all i can ever find is offers to purchase half a cow, which i can't.

CP group buy?

And yes, I'm serious. I'd go in on that.

[TurdFerguson]

Do you get to pick the cow and the half/quarter/eighth you want?

I want that heifer over there...specifically the top-back-left eighth.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

CP group buy?

And yes, I'm serious. I'd go in on that.

Can I store my cow at your house? My freezer is pretty full already

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Can I store my cow at your house? My freezer is pretty full already

Sure but I make no promises that it will all be there when you pick it up.

[Tron_fdc]

My old man has been running organic/grass fed/grass finished beef for the last 20 years. He recently sold out to the Hutterites so we don't get into it anymore, but here's my info on it.

What exactly are you looking for? Grass fed and "organic" can mean 2 totally different things. Same with "grass finished" or "grass fed/grain finished".

It will be tough to get organic grass fed and finished beef. Reason being is most operations send their cattle to a feedlot before they are slaughtered to "fatten" them and increase yield (more weight=more money). They do this with grain, which is tough for a ruminant to digest, which also in turn marbles the beef and creates a better grade. However, the longer your cattle are in a feedlot eating grain, the lower the omega-3 content is in the meat, which is what people are after with "grass fed".

"Organic" is a term owned by the Canadian government that allows for a set amount of pesticides/hormones/steroids/antibiotics in the feed. Yes, it is better than generic beef, but IMO not much better (for the cost) compared to a AAA grade you can find at Costco. Being certified organic DOES NOT mean no additives to the beef.

Grass fed/Grass finished will have the highest amount of Omega 3's and will be the most nutritious you can find, but the problem with it is it does not have the fat content (no grain) and therefore is hard to grade to AAA. If you do grade that high be prepared to pay a lot of money for a side, as the yield is lower (meaning it costs more money to produce). It will also taste different (more gamey) so if you haven't had it I suggest you try it before you commit to a freezer full of meat you don't like.

There is a lot of info on the net and a few places that still offer it, but it isn't cheap. Just know what you are after before you buy it.

[killer_carlson]

Tron-fdc

That is an excellent post.

[trew]

Originally Posted by Russic

+1. We've had really good experiences with TK. You order off the site, select a pickup date/location (various areas of the city), and then go pickup.

Also came here to recommend TK Ranch. If you wanted to try them out, I've also seen their meat in one or two organic markets. (Sunnyside market for sure, and possibly Community Natural too.)

[To Be Quite Honest]

Might be a nice idea to get a group buy going. My parents also do this and I can find out the info on it through them. If we can get a set price, quarter it and see who is interested. If it's a plethora of people than it can become a regular thing.