FAQs
Why is everything always sold out? Don’t you have some beef in the freezer right now that I can buy?
Well, no, actually, we don’t have beef in the freezer that you can buy. Here’s why:
When you place an order for beef with us, you are actually engaging us to raise an animal to the appropriate age, have it processed and packaged, and then provide you with the portion of meat that you reserved through your order. There are several things that are true because we sell our beef this way:
You have to pre-order or reserve the meat to guarantee its availability. This is why we don’t have a bunch of ground beef or steaks just hanging around, waiting for someone to buy them. We don’t hold the meat any longer than it takes for you to come and pick up your order.
The pick up date for your order depends on the processing date for the animal. So, it might be several weeks before your order is ready! If, for example, you want an idea of when ground beef might be ready for pick up before you order, send me an email to get an estimated date: summer@thefarmsathickoryflat.com
We cannot refund your deposit once the animal is at the processor. When the animal goes to process, we can’t “undo” that action, and we must cover our processing costs with the deposit. Similarly, once you pick up your beef order from the farm, we can’t refund that payment— because we can’t “restock” or sell the meat that you have taken home with you.
When will i receive my order?
When you make a reservation at checkout, you will select the available month when you’d like to receive your order. We will contact you after we receive your reservation to discuss a more specific date.
We can’t give you an exact date upfront because our meat processor decides on an individual basis how long each animal needs to age before packaging. We have set appointment dates with the processor and the turn-around time is usually 14-21 days after we drop off the animal for processing.
Do you offer shipping?
No, we do not ship our products.
We’d like to meet you and let you see where your beef is coming from so… You will need to pick up your order at the farm after we let you know that it is ready.
Can i choose what cuts are in my order?
When you order a half cow (two 1/4 Cow orders), you will be able to make some selections about the cuts in your order. For example, you can choose to leave the tenderloin whole, as a roast, or have it cut into filet mignon. You will also be able to choose bone-in or boneless, as well as the thickness of steaks. These are just a few of the options you have. After we receive your reservation for a half cow, we will contact you about customizing your order.
A quarter cow is not customizable.
How will the meat be packaged? is it fresh or frozen? is it aged?
Our processor wraps the meat in freezer paper and deep freezes it. You will receive your order frozen.
The processor ages the meat to help tenderize it. You can age the beef even more by a simple process: Place the frozen meat on a tray, in its packaging, in the fridge to let it thaw. Once the meat is thawed, leave it as-is in the fridge for a few more days to age further. When you are ready to cook, rinse the meat and pat it dry, then proceed with your recipe. (This doesn’t apply to ground beef… it would be kinda messy to try and pat that dry!)
are your cows grassfed?
Mostly. The cows in our herd eat grass or hay in our pastures for their entire lives. However, we do feed them a small amount of bread (less than 1% of their entire diet). You can read more about it HERE. By feeding them bread, the cows learn to trust us and stay calm around people. A calm cow is a happy cow… and a happy cow produces good beef!
where does the bread come from?
Each week, we pick up a load of day-old bread from a local food bank. The food bank is not allowed to keep extra bread overnight; they must dispose of any excess each day. When we pick up a truck load of bread from them, it keeps some of their excess out of the landfill and it helps us keep our cows happy!
I don’t need 90 lbs of beef. Can i order less than a quarter cow?
Typically, we sell 1/4 Cow orders. If you’d like to order from us but don’t want an entire quarter (or can’t fit it in your freezer!), our suggestion is that you find a friend or two who would like to split the order with you.
Occasionally, we will have some smaller packages (Ground Beef Bundles and Steak Bundles), depending on whether a particular month’s cow is fully sold as quarters or not. If there is a quarter that is unsold close to the processing date, we may offer the meat in smaller packages. You can add your name to the waitlist (located on each product’s page) to be notified when they are back in stock.
i still have questions!
Don’t see your question above? Get in touch and we will do our best to answer any questions you have!