FAQ
Ordering & Deposits
How do I order a beef share?
Pick your share (whole, half, or quarter) on its product page, fill out the cut sheet, or just keep our recommended defaults, and check out with a $200 deposit. That's all it takes to reserve your beef.
What does the $200 deposit do?
It reserves your beef and goes toward your final cost. It isn't an extra fee. Your final bill is based on hanging weight, minus the deposit you already paid.
Pricing & Hanging Weight
What is hanging weight?
Hanging weight is the weight of the carcass after harvest, before it's cut and trimmed. Our price per pound and our butcher fees are both figured on hanging weight. The amount of beef you take home weighs less than the hanging weight because bone and trim come out during cutting.
Can you show me an example?
Grain-finished half: beef is $4.60/lb and butchering is $1.25/lb, both on hanging weight, plus a $110 harvest fee. If your half hangs at 400 lb: 400 × $5.85 = $2,340, + $110 = $2,450. Subtract your $200 deposit and you owe $2,250.
Grain-finished whole: $4.35/lb beef + $1.25/lb butchering + a $220 harvest fee. At 740 lb hanging: 740 × $5.60 = $4,144, + $220 = $4,364.
(These weights are examples only. Every animal is a little different.)
How much beef do I get, and what will it cost?
Grain-finished shares (estimates):
- Whole: about 450–520 lb of beef, est. $4,100–$4,500 total
- Half: about 230–270 lb of beef, est. $2,200–$2,600 total
- Quarter (Grill or Roast package): about 130–160 lb of beef, est. $1,250–$1,550 total
Wagyu and grass-finished pricing is listed on those product pages.
Most beef lands within the estimated range, but hanging weights vary. If your beef comes in more than 150 lb over the expected size, we can adjust your invoice.
Buying a share? Save $20 on each box of snack sticks when you buy any bulk beef or pork share. The discount is applied automatically at checkout.
Cut Sheets
What is a cut sheet?
It's your instructions to our butcher: how thick to cut your steaks, how many steaks per package, roast size, and whether cuts like brisket, short rib, or tri-tip go into steaks, roasts, or ground beef. You fill it out right on the product page when you place your deposit.
I have no idea what to pick. Help?
No problem! Every option already has a popular default selected (for example, 2 steaks per package, 1¼-inch steaks, and 3–4 lb roasts), so you can leave it as is and still end up with a great mix. Anything you mark "No (Ground Beef)" becomes ground beef. The "Other Requests" box is there for anything special. Single-steak packages are available for an extra $40 on a whole or $20 on a half.
Can I change my cut sheet after I order?
No. Once your cut sheet is submitted, we can't make changes, so please look it over before you check out. If you're unsure, call or text us first.
Do quarters get a cut sheet?
Quarters come as one of two set packages instead of a custom cut sheet. The Grill package is about 25% steaks and 75% ground beef. The Roast package is about 20% steaks, 30% roasts, and 50% ground beef. Steaks are packed 1 per package.
Pickup & Delivery
Can I pick up my beef?
Yes, and pickup is always free. Pick up at our Loon Lake Meat Market, at our butcher shop in Connell, or in Marysville for Western Washington customers. Marysville pickup is at our delivery partner's storage facility, so the address isn't posted publicly. We'll send you the exact spot when your beef is ready to pick up.
Do you deliver bulk orders?
Yes. Delivery is calculated and charged at checkout:
- Spokane/Loon Lake area: free within 20 miles of our Loon Lake store, then $20 (20–30 mi), $40 (30–40 mi), $60 (40–50 mi)
- Tri-Cities: free within 20 miles of our Richland store, then $20 (20–30 mi), $40 (30–40 mi), $60 (40–50 mi)
- Seattle area: flat $120 to Island, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties
If you're outside these zones, free pickup is always available.
Storage & Freezer
How much freezer space do I need, and how is it packed?
- Whole: 14–18 cubic feet
- Half: 8–11 cubic feet
- Quarter: 4–6 cubic feet
Have your freezer cleared out and cold before your beef arrives.
Steaks, roasts, and ground beef are vacuum-sealed and boxed. Ground beef always comes in 1 lb packages. Vacuum sealing keeps beef fresh in the freezer much longer than butcher paper. With the seal intact, your beef stays delicious for years in the freezer and keeps up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
About the Beef
Where does your beef come from?
From our family. We finish our cattle on our ranch in Eltopia, in the Columbia Basin, and process them at our own USDA-inspected butcher shop in Connell. From our ranch, to our butcher shop, to your freezer.
What's the difference between grain-finished, grass-finished, and Wagyu?
Grain-finished beef has more marbling and is our pick for tender, juicy cuts. Grass-finished beef is leaner, with a different flavor and texture. Wagyu is our premium beef. Pricing for each is on its product page.
How are your cattle raised?
Our cattle are always naturally raised. Every one is raised in Eltopia, WA, grazing our own irrigated pasture and eating locally sourced hay, grain, fruits, and veggies. We work with an animal nutritionist and nutrition-test all our feeds. Our cattle are never given added growth hormones.
All our cattle are raised the same way until about a year old. After that, grass-finished cattle keep eating grass (and hay in winter). Grain-finished cattle slowly move onto a finishing ration of grass, apples, potatoes, alfalfa, and non-GMO wheat screenings and bakery feed. Our Wagyu come from our bulls with 100% Wagyu genetics and are fed for about 600 days, compared with the typical 150 days on a finishing ration.
We vaccinate calves at weaning (8-way clostridial and respiratory). We use antibiotics only to treat a sick animal, and never anywhere near the time of harvest.
Is your beef dry-aged?
Yes. Every animal dry-ages for about 14 days after harvest for extra flavor and tenderness, and then it's cut and packaged.
Still have questions? Call or text us at 360-509-3835 or email orders@lonecrowranch.com.
Jen | Lone Crow Ranch