Selling beef requires an animal going through the trauma of being loaded onto a vehicle, leaving their herd, going to a strange, frightening place, and dying amongst strangers.
Our cattle? They get to die here, in their pasture, as stress-free as possible, among familiars. It’s pretty low anxiety. Who is that guy with Paul?
We sell shares of an animal. A share is 1/6 of a critter. We have some customers that share a share, ask your friends or family! A typical refrigerator freezer can hold a full share with room for a bit of ice cream.
We have purchased cows between 4 and 8 years old, culled because they haven’t gotten pregnant or have been poor mothers. The best beef comes from cows, adult females. Males as calves are castrated to start the process; the result is a steer. Steers then get estrogen-emitting ear tags to feminize them.
Females have more fat distributed throughout the body. Fat is flavor. Bulls, male cattle, have much less body fat and are used for ground beef. The fat from pasture-raised cattle can be higher in Omega-3 fatty acids than some fish oils.
They will be on organic pasture until the slaughter date. 90+ days is enough time to get them plump, sleek, and shiny. No grains are involved. These cows usually never eat corn unless they winter in a harvested corn field, and there are certainly no soybeans.
A typical share is about 100 lbs.
I always tell folks that if they can come at slaughter time, there can be lots of extras that can’t go to the butcher shop—heads, tails, and organs.
I don’t get takers very often. The heads usually go to farm workers in the neighborhood who know how to use them. In shops that cater to folks of Mexican culture, a cow head may sell for $100.
I’m anticipating the slaughter of four cows this year. You could likely get all those bits. The slaughter date is near the end of June, 2025. We will have a more confirmed date a week or two ahead of time.
Over the last several years, a share has been $600. Cattle prices are now at an all-time record high. When buying a 1,500-lb animal, 30¢ per pound adds up to $450.
The butcher shop price has also gone up a bit.
Consequently, a share this year needs to be $700, which at $7/pound is still a pretty screaming deal. Search for organic pasture-raised beef for sale, and let me know if you find something cheaper. In most cases, it is at least twice as much.
We require a non-refundable deposit of $100. You can send us a check or we can send you an invoice that you can pay with a credit card, Venmo (@BCSherman), Zelle (barbara@paradisosdelsol.com), Apple Cash (509-829-9000), or Square Cash ($ParadisosdelSol). Some folks in the past have bailed after we have harvested and processed, which puts us in a difficult position.
