Hello from your farmers Jake and Lara here at McGreal Family Farm! We are pleased to announce that we are now taking orders for our grass-fed Angus beef. Our beef is all-natural, pasture raised and 100% grass-fed. The animals are less than two years old and come from a herd that has been carefully maintained for the past 30 years in rural northeast Iowa by Jake’s parents Peter and Kristi McGreal. The animals are never given growth hormones and they are not treated with antibiotics unless absolutely necessary for their health and safety. They are pastured in an area where they have access to a host of different grasses and plants including alfalfa, red and ladino clovers, orchard grass, tall fescue and brome grass. We rotate pastures often to maximize the availability of fresh, nutritious plants and to minimize the impact on the land. The cattle have space to roam and shelter to protect them from the elements. We provide our animals a comfortable and safe environment with low stress because it results in better quality meat for us and our customers. Below are the options for purchasing your beef from us and what to expect from the different packages that we offer. 1 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 Grass-Fed Beef Prices Hanging Weight Delivered Weight Price per lb. (by (~55% of live (~60% of Hanging Processing Fees Hanging Weight) weight) Weight) Starting @ Whole 550-750 lbs 330-450 lbs $3.30 $0.66/lb hanging Beef weight Starting @ Side (Half) 275-375 lbs 165-225 lbs $3.40 $0.66/lb hanging weight Starting @ Quarter 135-180 lbs 80-110 lbs $3.50 $0.66/lb hanging weight Smaller Contact us for packages more info What Cuts Can I Receive? 2 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 There are many options when choosing how you would like your beef processed. Here is a breakdown and some suggestions: CHUCK – The Chuck, or front shoulder, is commonly ground for hamburger due to its flavor and balance of meat and fat. It can also yield delicious slow cooker roasts. If you want, you can get a roast or two and the rest ground into hamburger. On a side of beef (half the animal) the Chuck will account for about 50 pounds. RIB – The Rib section options include ribeye steak, bone-in rib steak, rib roast, short ribs and spare ribs. The ribeye steak is considered by some to be the best steak on the menu due to a rich flavor, plenty of marbling and exceptional tenderness. The short ribs are generally considered the best cut of beef ribs and are great for barbeque, kalbi or braising. You can have the Rib cut into steaks or into roasts or a combination of both. On a side of beef the Rib will account for about 20 pounds. SHORT LOIN –If you like steak, the Short Loin is where it’s at. Here we find the strip loin steaks (NY strip), T-bone steaks, porterhouse steaks, and the tenderloin (filet mignon). These are generally thought of as the best cuts on the beef. If you want the filet mignon (the most tender cut of beef), it will leave you with NY strip steaks. The T-bone and porterhouse steak cuts include some filet mignon on one side and NY strip on the other so if you want those steaks then you will not be able to also get filet mignon. On one side of beef the Short Loin will account for about 15 pounds. 3 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 SIRLOIN – The Sirloin is divided into the top and bottom Sirloin. This area of the animal gets more exercise than the Short Loin and has less fat, therefore is tougher but still flavorful. For this reason some people prefer to have some or all of the Sirloin ground into hamburger. The Top Sirloin is usually the most tender and delicious steaks can be had from this area; there are some strategies for cooking lean steaks below. If you would like it cut into steaks be sure to specify the thickness of steak you prefer. Also don’t forget to let the butcher know how many steaks you would like in one package. There are also several options for roasts from the Sirloin: the Sirloin Tip (knuckle), Tri-Tip and Bottom Sirloin. Sirloin accounts for about 20 pounds on one side of beef. ROUND – The Round is the rear leg of the beef, it includes the Eye of Round, Bottom Round, and Top Round. The muscles in the Round are the largest and leanest on the animal because they do so much work. For this reason many people grind most of the round for hamburger but save the Eye of Round for a special occasion. The Eye of Round roast is a large, lean roast. The Top Round can also be cut into roasts or London Broil. The Bottom Round can be cut into roast for slow cooking. The Round will make up 50 or more pounds of one side of beef. BRISKET– The Brisket is typically left whole for marinating, slow cooking or smoking. FLANK– You can request Flank steaks otherwise it will be ground into hamburger. ORGANS– If you would like, you can have the Tongue, Liver and/or Heart packaged. You can also get a large package of dog bones/bones for making stock if you would like. 4 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 Processing Processing fees will vary based on where and how you would like to have your beef processed. At this time we are offering two options for meat processing: the Edgewood Locker in Edgewood, IA and Quillin’s Quality Foods in Waukon, IA. Receiving cuts without further processing will result in the lowest processing fees. To receive hamburger patties, jerky or beef sticks, sausage, brats, etc. will cost extra. Processing fees for the Edgewood Locker can be found here. Quillin’s Quality Foods does not offer as many options as Edgewood but will be less expensive if you are mainly looking for cuts and ground beef. The following is their pricing structure: Processing: $0.66/lb (includes slaughter, butcher, cooling, wrapping, grinding, tenderizing) Extra Boning (getting more meat ground for hamburger than what is included in the $0.66/lb fee above): $0.10/lb Patties: $0.50/lb Dried Beef (by wet weight): $2.00/lb Jerky (by wet weight): $3.50/lb Summer Sausage: $2.00/lb Pork Added: $2.00/lb 5 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 As an example, the following is a rough estimate of what you could be receiving with a side of beef or half of an animal: 12 T-Bone Steaks (3/4” thick) 12 Ribeye Steak (3/4”) 7 Top Sirloin Steak (3/4”) 2-3 Sirloin Tip Roasts (3lb) 16 Round Steak (3/4”) 9 Chuck Roast (3lb) 3 Arm Roast (3lb) 1-2 Rump Roast (3lb) 4 pkg Short Ribs (1.5lb) 1 Slab Back Ribs (2lb) 8 pkg Stew beef (1lb) (can be ground) 5 pkg Soup Bones (1.5lb) (can be trimmed) 4 pkg Boiling Beef (1.5lb) (can be trimmed) 80-100 lb ground beef For the example above, processed through the Edgewood Locker, the total cost to the consumer would be as follows: First, the cost of the animal: $3.40 x 300 lb hanging weight = $1020 Then the processing costs paid to the Edgewood Locker: Beef Slaughter: $30.50 + Offal Disposal: $3 + Processing: $0.67/lb x 300lb hanging weight ($201) + Grinding: $0.22/lb x 90lb ($19.80) = Total processing cost of $254.30 This adds up to a total cost for the side of beef: $1274.30 6 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 Considering the received weight of approximately 180 lbs., this equates to $7.08/lb. The cost for a whole beef using the previous example would be approximately $6.91/lb and the cost for one quarter would be approximately $7.25. You may consider going in on a larger package with family, friends, or coworkers to reduce cost. **This is just an estimate, actual weights and costs will vary based on the animal** If you are interested in comparing this to some nationwide grass-fed beef pricing please take a look at this October, 2018 report from the USDA. We are always open to questions and will be transparent about our pricing. Note: Beef will stay safe to eat indefinitely if kept frozen but should be used within one year for best quality. For some helpful tips on cooking delicious grass-fed beef please check out this site. 7 McGreal Family Farm November 2018 .