Because “free” shipping isn’t really free. Most companies raise their product prices to cover it. Instead, we keep our prices lower and let you see exactly what shipping costs — saving you money overall.

Our beef is Missouri state–inspected rather than USDA-inspected. Our farmers consistently produce top-quality meat — typically 60% Prime and 40% Choice. Try it for yourself: compare a Prime ribeye with a Homestead ribeye, and we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

We list all of our prices and weight estimates based on "box weight" - what's actually in the box you take home with you. That feels to us like the simplest way to describe everything - you can literally pickup the box, put it on a scale, and see that the numbers are close. (All our weights are estimates, but we do try to make sure we get as close as we can!)

Some other companies like to use "hanging weight" - which is the weight of an animal after it has been killed and started processing, but before it has been divvied up into cuts for you to cook with. That's a fine number, and it's one we use internally for some of our planning - but we don't like to use it on our website, because it includes bones, fat, tendons, cartilage, etc., so that number is usually more useful for meat processors than for families.  

To make it clear, the three weights you might see in bulk beef or hogs are:

1. Live weight: the weight of the animal while it is alive.
2. Hanging weight: the weight of the animal once the hide, blood, viscera, and some bones are removed.
3. Box weight: the weight of the actual cuts of meat ready for retail or consumption. 

Usually, hanging weight is about 50-65% of the live weight, and box weight is 60-70% of the hanging weight (or 35-45% of the live weight). 

So, if a 1000 pound live-weight steer comes in, there would be about 350 pounds "box weight" beef to be eaten from it. A half cow would then be 175 lbs box weight, and a quarter would be 87.5 lbs. (Normally, the beef our local farmers and ranchers bring in is a little bigger than that, as you can see on our subscription box numbers).