This is the short handbook we send people who are not ready to order today but want the real numbers.
What freezer beef means
You buy a portion of a finished animal (or a packed box from that system), have it custom cut, vacuum sealed, frozen, and delivered or picked up. Known origin. Known price.
At Vermont Natural Beef:
- Pasture-raised in the lower Champlain Valley
- No hormones, no antibiotics, no confinement finishing
- Single-animal grinding (grinder cleaned between sides)
- Minimum 7-day hang before cutting
- Fixed bulk pricing on typical hanging weight (credit if under)
Freezer space
| What you buy | Approx. packed weight | Freezer space (rule of thumb) |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday Ground Box | 10 lb | Small fridge freezer shelf |
| Whole-Animal Box | ~14-16 lb | Part of a fridge freezer |
| Steak & Grill Box | ~9-11 lb | Fridge freezer |
| 50 lb bulk ground | 50 lb | ~1.5-2 cu ft |
| Quarter of beef | ~135-140 lb packed (varies) | About 4 cu ft: a small chest freezer, or a mostly empty fridge freezer |
| Side of beef | ~275-280 lb packed / ~8 cubic feet | Small chest freezer |
Side vs quarter vs box
Side: $7.35/lb hanging · $2,910 fixed · maximum savings · ~8 cu ft
Quarter: $7.55/lb hanging · $1,494 fixed · same beef, smaller freezer
Boxes: from $165 · Subscribe & Save · skip, pause, or cancel · UPS frozen included
Cost comparison
Meat counter path for a side's pack-out at typical Vermont grass-fed retail: $4,300+
Farm side at fixed hanging price: $2,910
You keep about $1,400, with steaks through burger from one animal.
Cut sheet basics
You choose steak thickness, roast size, burger pack weight, and how much stays as steaks vs roasts vs ground. We walk the sheet before cutting.
Timeline
Reserve → cut sheet → hang (7+ days) → cut/pack → deliver. Bulk: $0 deposit, nothing due today.
Decision tree
- Try one rotation first → Everyday Ground or Whole-Animal Box
- Steak-heavy cook → Steak & Grill or steak-forward cut sheet
- Fill a chest and stop shopping beef → quarter or side
- Maximum ground → 50 lb bulk or ground-heavy sheet