Is Butchering a Steer Worth It?

[robertwhite]

Fairly long post so bear with me,

Been thinking about getting one of my steers butchered. This particular steer is a massive boned, bruiser of an animal, just like his momma and sire. Just turned 6mths and I would venture to say he is an easy 650lbs. Every time my buddy from the local farm store sees him, he say's, "Mmmmmm, he'd make some good steaks". :lol2: And that coming from a man that sees TONS of cattle in a week.

So here's my issue: The more I think about it, the less sense it makes, unless I am just doing the math wrong.

If I was to take the steer to the yard in the near future, he would be say 700lbs. At yesterdays prices that would put him at around $1.25 for a total of $875.

Now if I was to keep him and feed him out until he reached say 1100-1200, that would bring a wrapped meat weight of say 600-700lbs (60% ???)

I don't know how much the processor costs are, but I have heard it works out to $2.35 or so. (If that is not correct, please feel free to chime in.)

If I keep all the meat and figure in my feed cost, shots, etc. PLUS what I could have sold him for at 700lbs, how does that make any sense?

Number 1, It would take a heck of a lot of steaks and ground to make up that $875 that I lost by not taking him to the yard

and

Number 2, if the frozen and vacuum packed meat lasts for 1+ year would we even consume it all in that time? (I doubt it)

and

Number 3, if I decided to split the cost with someone, how would that even work? Does the person get charged for half the cost of the cow, plus half the butchering fees?

Can someone clue me in on this?

 

[Double E]

There are a lot of variables to figure in, and they change from year to year. My butcher charges 50 cents a pound having weight, plus $50 kill fee. For an 1100 lb steer, that puts it right at $500. I fern my steers out for 100 days, during which time they will eat right at a ton of feed and three round bales each. Depending on the price that year, there is another $400 to $500, so I have about a grand in each one, without considering the cost/value of the steer. Using your value of $875, that is $1875, but you will receive over $600 pounds of beef, putting the price right at $3 a pound.

It is just my wife and I, but we will use up half a beef in a year, it depends on how many you are feeding and how often you eat beef. There are many different ways of splitting the costs, and for me it depends on if I am splitting with family. For anyone else, I want a little extra income for my troubles and fuel.

For me, the cost is well worth it because I know what my steer has been eating, I know he has not had hormones or antibiotics, and the flavor and tenderness is better than I can buy. Dollars and cents, and less work, it might be better to sell them, but I like doing it.

 

[Double E]

Stupid autocorrect! Hanging weight, not having. I FEED my steers, not fern, and 600 pounds, not $600 pounds. Ok, that last one was my fault, not autocorrect. I miss having eight tracks to cuss at instead of computers.

 

[MO_cows]

Our processing on our last steer ended up around $1 per pound for the wrapped product we got back. It is soooooo worth it, your home raised beef will be better.

When you eat your way thru a whole beef or even a side, you get the exact same taste every time as opposed to similar taste from grocery store beef, but not exactly the same. Your taste buds get trained to it and your beef tastes just right. Even a very good, very expensive steak at a restaurant might not taste as good to you because you have trained your taste buds over a period of months what beef is supposed to taste like - your beef.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Its worth it to me-- the meat is just sooo much better. When I ran out for a month I bought some hamburger and decided we could just go without beef till I restocked. You will get spoiled and the grocery store beef- while there is nothing wrong with it- just won't satisfy you any more.
And you can keep it alot longer than a year if you have a good freezer and don't open it much-- I'd eat the steaks up the first year, but I have eaten two year old ground beef that I didn't notice any difference in.
Just go shopping to the freezer once a week.

You would be surprised at how much meat you will eat -- and I also use mine for charity.I go around handing out bags to anyone thats down on their luck some. and some day help, likes to be paid off in beef.So it goes pretty fast around here.

We always schedule a cookout to eat up the ribs - they take up way too much room in the freezer. Its the highlight of our year.

Next time your buddy says he looks yummy- sell half to him. that way you won't have as much tied up in him and you will only need one freezer. And make some cash too.

Do consider what you would do with the freezer if you had an extended power outage.
We have a generator, our neighbor keeps his on a big pallet in a shed so he can load it up and take it somewhere.
And keep it somewhere where you see it everyday JIC something happens to the power supply.

 

[Kathie in Thorp]

I'll keep this short. Yes, it's worth it.

 

[Alan]

Yes it worth it, but I may have read your original post wrong, off an 1100 lbs live weight animal you won't get 600 lbs of wrapped meat. Your right that it's a 60% formula, but you get about 60% hanging weight from live weight and then 60% wrapped meat from hanging weight. So off a 1000 lb live weight animal you get about 360 lbs of wrapped meat.

1000 lb live weight = 600 lbs hanging weight. (1000 x .6)
600 lb hanging = 360 lbs cut and wrapped. (600 x .6)

But yes it is worth it,part in that Rib Eyes and T-bones are the same price as good hamburger. Also it's still cheaper than store prices and you know what went into the animal.

Forgive me if I misunderstood your post.

And Double E, I hate auto correct as much as you always missing me up!

Alan

 

[Caustic Burno]

I don't think so.
With just me and the Mrs. to much hamburger.
I just sell a calf take the money to a really good meat market and we fill the freezer with ribeye's and t-bone's.
We have ton's of pork and venison that I make into hamburger and sausage.

 

[robertwhite]

Lots of interesting comments.

I didnt realize that the 60% formula was also applied to hanging weight. 350 lbs of meat just doesnt seem like very much out of a whole cow.

Can someone tell me about how much of that 350 +/- lbs would be ground and how much would be steaks? (I realize there is also ribs, roast, etc).

I also like Caustic Burno's idea. $875 would buy a whole lot of choice meat, and I could buy it as needed.

 

[dieselbeef]

i get about 400lbs out of a 1100 lb steer..search is yer friend here

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

Check out this page. Gives a pretty good breakdown.

http://www.askthemeatman.com/yield_on_b ... #breakdown

IMHO it is absolutely worth it!

 

[inbredredneck]

I'm with caustic on this one, for two people thats just going to be to much ground. Take the money and buy some choice beef. Then there will be no question as to what your going to get for quality. The quality of your home raised beef is a crap shoot. It might be good it might not be. You can't even imagine how many people raise a few head per year, take them for slaughter, then blame the butcher for swapping beef with somene else when the quality of their beef is poor.

 

[inbredredneck]

Check out this page. Gives a pretty good breakdown.

http://www.askthemeatman.com/yield_on_b ... #breakdown

IMHO it is absolutely worth it!

Thankfully none of those numbers add up correctly, that should further to mislead the uninformed.

 

[backhoeboogie]

If you could buy that kind of quality for $3 a pound. The line would be way too long.

 

[Crazy Farmgirl]

Check out this page. Gives a pretty good breakdown.

http://www.askthemeatman.com/yield_on_b ... #breakdown

IMHO it is absolutely worth it!

Thankfully none of those numbers add up correctly, that should further to mislead the uninformed.

Are you sure you did the math right, adds up just fine! Not trying to pick a fight just not sure where you find the faults.

 

[robertwhite]

Check out this page. Gives a pretty good breakdown.

http://www.askthemeatman.com/yield_on_b ... #breakdown

IMHO it is absolutely worth it!

Thankfully none of those numbers add up correctly, that should further to mislead the uninformed.

Are you sure you did the math right, adds up just fine! Not trying to pick a fight just not sure where you find the faults.

Actually, they don't add up.......

Here is a further detailed breakdown of the 569 lbs. of take home meat.
Chuck - 209.5 lbs total, which is 29% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:

Blade Roasts and Steaks
33.9 lbs.

Ground Beef and Stew Meat
83.3 lbs.

Arm Pot Roasts and Steaks
35.5 lbs.

Cross Rib Pot Roast
25.4 lbs.

Fat and Bones
31.4 lbs.


Round - 155.8 lbs. total, which is 22% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:
Top Round 34.6 lbs.
Bottom Round 31.2 lbs.
Tip 16.8 lbs.
Rump 7.8 lbs.
Ground Beef 33.4 lbs.
Fat and Bones 32 lbs.

Thin Cuts - 134.6 lbs. total, which is 19% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:
Flank Steak 3.6 lbs.
Pastrami Squares 2.9 lbs.
Outside Skirt 2.2 lbs.
Inside skirt 2.5 lbs.
Boneless Brisket 16 lbs.
Ground Beef and Stew Meat 87.3 lbs
Fat and Bone 20.1 lbs.

Short Loin - 115.7 lbs. total, which is 16% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:
Porterhouse Steak 19.6 lbs.
T-bone Steak 9.8 lbs.
Strip Steak 15 lbs.
Sirloin Steak 15.3 lbs.
Tenderloin Steak 6.8 lbs.
Ground Beef and Stew Meat 22.7 lbs.
Fat and Bone 26.5 lbs.

Rib - 66.6 lbs. total, which is 9% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:
Rib Roast 23.9 lbs.
Rib Steak 9.2 lbs.
Short Ribs 8.6 lbs.
Ground Beef and Stew Meat 16.5 lbs.
Fat and Bone 8.4 lbs.

Miscellaneous - 32.7 lbs. total, which is 5% of the dressed/hanging/carcass weight:
Kidney and Hanging Tender 4.9 lbs.
Fat, Suet and Cutting Loss 27.8 lbs.


So, who is correct on take home weight?

and

With an average market (live or on hoof) weight of 1,150 lbs and the average yield of 62.2%, the typical steer will produce a 715 lb. (dressed weight) carcass.

The dressed beef (or carcass) will yield approximately 569 lbs. (further details below) of red meat and trim (take home meat - which includes the average weight of 27 lbs of variety meat: liver, heart, tongue, tripe, sweetbreads and brains) and 146 lbs of fat, bone and loss. This is roughly a yield of 80% from the dressed or hanging weight - this is for a VERY LEAN Beef. A High Quality, USDA Choice Beef will yield approximately 70% of the Hanging or Dressed Weight. The yield on the take home meat weight from the live weight of the (VERY LEAN) steer is approximately 50%.

or

it's a 60% formula, but you get about 60% hanging weight from live weight and then 60% wrapped meat from hanging weight. So off a 1000 lb live weight animal you get about 360 lbs of wrapped meat.

1000 lb live weight = 600 lbs hanging weight. (1000 x .6)
600 lb hanging = 360 lbs cut and wrapped. (600 x .6)

which formula is correct?

Obviously, I know what went into my steer healthwise, but as others have said, who is to say just how good or bad the meat will be?

Then the thought of around 100lbs of ground beef/chuck is a way more than I would want (obviously no choice on it though). Add in the waste from edible organs, tongue, etc. (which we don't eat) and the "real" percentage drops even more.

For those that say the meat is WAY better, if you took out that factor, would it still be worth it? I am looking at Caustic Burno's idea more and more. If I can by upwards of 100lbs of quality steak with the sale of the steer, does the butchering idea still work? I am not including ground beef, as 80/20 can be had for $1.79-1.99 which is less than the butchering costs.

 

[Alan]

With an average market (live or on hoof) weight of 1,150 lbs and the average yield of 62.2%, the typical steer will produce a 715 lb. (dressed weight) carcass.

The dressed beef (or carcass) will yield approximately 569 lbs. (further details below) of red meat and trim (take home meat - which includes the average weight of 27 lbs of variety meat: liver, heart, tongue, tripe, sweetbreads and brains) and 146 lbs of fat, bone and loss.  This is roughly a yield of 80% from the dressed or hanging weight - this is for a VERY LEAN Beef.  A High Quality, USDA Choice Beef will yield approximately 70% of the Hanging or Dressed Weight.  The yield on the take home meat weight from the live weight of the (VERY LEAN) steer is approximately 50%.

This is at the very top of the link posted, the 60% is a close approximate to take home meat not including heart, tongue, liver, brain, sweetbread or 146 lbs of fat and bone. Subtract those in the bold from a 1150 lb animal you should come out close to the 60% formula on a 1150 lb animal.

It's just my wife and I, but when we slaughter a steer we split it with some of our kids ...... Whoever gets up here and works their share of a quarter or half off. My oldest will be up for the weekend to fill the wood shed

Alan

 

[dieselbeef]

at least i know what i grow..it aint eatin dead chicken and bubble gum

i also prefer to pick which drugs i ingest...for business or for pleasure :banana:

gary

 

[inbredredneck]

60% dressing is well below national average, the lower dressing % must be a direct result of the higher quality home raised beef.

 

[Anonymous]

at least i know what i grow..it aint eatin dead chicken and bubble gum

i also prefer to pick which drugs i ingest...for business or for pleasure :banana:

gary

Even if it means it costs more ?? :shock: ;-)