Whole, Half & Quarter Cow — How It Works
One price. One delivery. No surprises.
Buying beef in bulk is the best value there is — if you know what you're actually getting. Here's exactly how ours works.
Two ways to buy a cow
Both are legitimate. One has a lot more homework.
First, the part nobody explains
A finished steer weighs 1,100–1,200 lbs. That is not how much beef you take home.
This is why “on the hoof” and “hanging weight” prices look cheap. They're priced on the first two bars. We price the third — the 400 lbs of beef you actually eat.
The usual way
- Priced on live or hanging weight — not what you take home
- Put down a deposit and wait weeks or months for harvest
- Separate bill for harvest
- Separate bill for cut & wrap
- You design the cut sheet yourself
- You drive to the butcher, with a big vehicle
- Final weight and final cost: found out later
The Mariposa Ranch way
- Priced on the pounds you actually receive
- Ready and In-Stock
- Harvest included
- Cutting, wrapping & flash freezing included
- Standard cuts you'd recognize — no cut sheet needed
- Shipped to your door, free in CA, NV & AZ
- You know the exact weight and price before you buy
How it works
Which size fits your family?
Every share includes steaks, roasts, ground beef and stew meat — the whole animal, one flat rate.
Want the liver, heart, kidneys and bones too? The + Offal versions are our best price per pound — from $13.40/lb.
The two questions everybody asks
“That's a lot up front.”
It is. So compare it per pound: $14–16/lb for 100% grass-fed California beef — steaks included.
At the grocery store, grass-fed ground alone runs $12+/lb. A ribeye is $30–40. A tri-tip, $25 and up.
And you don't have to pay at once. Shop Pay splits it monthly — a half cow is about $256/month.
“Do I have the freezer space?”
Quarter (100 lbs): a 7 cu ft freezer. About $200–250 new — it pays for itself on the first order.
Half (200 lbs): a 14–15 cu ft freezer, roughly 30 by 50 inches of floor. Many people already have one in the garage.
Everything is vacuum sealed and stacks flat. Buying a freezer? Tell us and we'll hold your shipment until it arrives.
Is bulk right for you?
Honestly — not for everyone. It works best if you can say yes to most of these.
- You cook at home 3–4 nights a week or more
- You have (or will get) a dedicated freezer
- You'll use it within about 6 months
- You're open to cuts beyond steak and ground
- Or you're splitting it with family or neighbors
- You mostly eat out or grab food on the go
- You only have a fridge-top freezer
- You only ever cook one or two cuts
- You'd rather not commit to six months at once
If that's you, our subscription box or a 20–60 lb beef box is the better place to start.
Still deciding? Just call us.
For a purchase this size, we'd rather you ask. We'll tell you honestly if it's not a fit.
Shop Quarter, Half & Whole Cow
