Live Weight - How much the animal weighs when it's out in the pasture.

Hanging Weight - How much the animal weighs "on the hook." After slaughtered, skinned, and gutted. Head removed & front/rear fetlocs removed. 60-65% of the live weight.

Retail Weight - How much meat you actually put into your freezer. 60-68% of the hanging weight.

Weight

Bull - An uncastrated male bovine of any age.

Calf - A young male or female bovine. Referred to by gender - bull calf/heifer calf.

Cow - An older, mature female bovine. Before breeding, she is referred to as heifer. Typical life span of a cow is 12-16 years.

Gestation Period - The time a cow or heifer is bred until the calf is born. The gestation period is about 9 months for humans and about 9.5 months for bovines.

Heifer - A young female bovine who has not yet been bred. Typically heifers are bed to first calf at approximately 24 months old.

Steer - A castrated male bovine of any age.

Grass-Fed vs Grain-Fed - Definitions for these two terms vary on your geographic location but tend to be similar. Cattle graze on grass and some are moved to feedlots where they are fed a concentrated feed of corn and/or soy. Grain-Fed Beef typically is given a combination of corn, soy, and by-products with additional supplements 3-6 months before slaughter. Corn feed results in higher levels of marbling and a slightly sweeter taste. Grass-Fed Beef feeds on grass and other forages. Grass-Fed Beef has less marbling and often has a more minerally taste. 

Hormones/Implants - Hormones like Androgens and Estrogens are given to cattle to promote growth and cooperate with already existing hormones in their system. Growth hormones increase feed efficiency, protein deposition, and growth rate. Here at North Star Meats we do not utilize the use of hormones in our herd.

Production

Aged Beef - Improvement to flavor and tenderness. Dry aging is done by hanging the carcass in a cool meat locker with high humidity for 5-21 days. Our beef is typically aged for 14 days.

Beef Processing - The killing and cutting of bovine into cuts of meat we recognize from the grocery store. North Star Meats treats our livestock with the utmost respect and care.

Freezer Beef - Segment of the beef processing industry where beef is produced by local small farms for the direct sale of meat to consumers in larger quantities instead of the grocery store. Prices are typically better and the quality of meat is better and the assurance of an open relationship between consumer and producer is intact. 

Processing

Live Weight

Hanging Weight

Retail Weight

1200 lbs

1200 lbs * 0.60 = 720 lbs

720 lbs * 0.60 = 432 lbs

WHOLE
484 lbs

QUARTER
121 lbs

HALF
242 lbs

TAKE HOME AMOUNT

*Approximations - Varies Upon Finish Weight and Cutting Instructions