That's a very good and tough question. It’s similar to "How much gas will my car need for a year?" Depends on how much you drive it.
For our family of 4 we use an entire cow, but beef is a large staple of our diet. We have many people over for steaks, and sometimes our kids will eat jerky for breakfast. Some years we don't use a full cow, as we still have some ground beef in our personal freezer from 2 years ago.
Most people who get half a cow will end up feeding 2-4 people for a year. If you like your beef a few times a week then a full cow is going to net you a few hundred pounds of ground beef and steaks each; less if you’re getting jerky and sausage.
We take pride in producing superior Dexter cattle beef, celebrated for its exceptional flavour, nutrient density, and clean quality. Dexter cattle’s unique characteristics contribute to a rich tasting profile and fine marbling that enhances tenderness. Our specialized finishing process incorporates high-end, custom grain mixes, and added minerals, ensuring optimal growth and flavour development, which greatly increases cost of production.
As a small operation, with a smaller cow:
Traditional commercial cows can weigh up 2500lbs and can be finished in 12 months. Our trade off is a more supple, nutrient rich, flavorful, clean meat, but at the cost of weight and time. Our average Dexter is 700-1000lbs and finishes in a minimum of 20 months without hormones or steroids. At MRanch, we only harvest a cow once it has hit its appropriate developmental milestones.
We closely monitor each animal’s health and welfare, translating this care into a high-quality product. Our commitment to a clean, chemical-free lifestyle means that what goes on our plates goes on yours.
We also harvest our cattle on-site in a low-stress environment, significantly reducing stress hormones that can negatively affect meat quality. This calm process results in a tender final product, free from the anxiety and stress associated with transportation to auctions or abattoirs, but also increases the finished cost when the butcher comes here to harvest the meat and bring it back to the facility for aging and processing.
By combining high-quality feed, dedicated husbandry, slower growth times, and stress-reduced harvesting, we deliver ethical and sustainable beef that exceeds expectations in taste and nutrition. Experience the distinct, mouthwatering flavour of our Dexter cattle beef, a true testament to our commitment to quality.
Dexter beef is renowned for its superior taste and rich nutrient profile, attributes that stem from the breed’s unique characteristics and the care taken during the finishing process. Dexter cattle are smaller than many commercial breeds, which allows their meat to develop a distinctive flavour profile that is both tender and richly marbled. Their compact size not only contributes to an exceptional taste but also means they require a tailored feeding approach to enhance their natural qualities.
We prioritize high-quality, custom grain blends during the finishing stage, investing extra resources into the nutrition of our cattle. This dedicated care results in beef that is not only flavourful but also nutrient-rich, with higher levels of essential vitamins and healthy fats.
The rich flavour and nutrient density of Dexter beef result from our thoughtful husbandry and finishing practices, which take into account the breed's smaller size and the dedicated care applied throughout its growth. This meticulous approach delivers a culinary experience that is both flavorful and nourishing, positioning Dexter beef as a highly desirable option for discerning consumers.
Ultimately though taste is a personal preference, I have never met anyone who doesn't love the taste of Dexter, but that doesn't mean you will love what we do. I strongly dislike cilantro, can't stand it, but many people love it.
Some imported or "cheap" meats sell a final product that is corporation controlled. You may discover these products have rampant amounts of steroid use, antibiotics, and post-processing injection of water to create higher weights (ever seen a steak shrink to 1/4 its size?). Additionally, some cheap meats are run through the stores using old and sick cows that can be bought very cheap and ground to meet a certain price point.
It is our commitment that you will not find injured or compromised cows going into our final products. We have learned that most people are happy to pay extra knowing their food is safe and clean. At MRranch, we are open for potential buyers to check out the health of your beef firsthand!
Steroids We can see the attractiveness of such drugs in large scale operations where you’re trying to punch out heavy cows in a small, time frame, but for us, this isn't an option. These cows feed our family, and we wouldn’t want to put anything in these cows we wouldn't want our kids to eat. What you get is what we get.
Antibiotics Here's the thing about Antibiotics, you don't need them if you have a healthy herd. However, just like humans, sometimes a cow can get an infection, cut itself on a fence, or get pneumonia in winter, and would die without the use of antibiotics. In these cases, if a cow needs an antibiotic to live it will receive the proper medical treatment, but once that's done there are protocols we will follow to ensure the cow is clean upon delivery. All antibiotics have a detox time to 100% clear their system; we follow this plus more time. For example, if it’s for deworming and delousing with a detox time of 50 days, we will do 60 days or more.
Additives What are they? These are fillers and boosters for weight, such as saline injections to plump up a steak. We don't add any of these additives. Once the slab of meat is aged to a minimum of 21 days, it’s butchered, vacuum packed, and flash frozen to ensure it’s good for your consumption.
Great question, internet customer! I'm going to answer this with a story:
We had a bull named MooDini, named after the great Harry Houdini.
He could wiggle his way out of everything. We would find him in the garden, on the deck, lounging in the shop, or riding area. Basically, he was never where he was supposed to be.
Instead of culling this rule breaker, we used him to shore up all our fencing. He'd show us a weak spot and we would correct it. This amounted to thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours being spent increasing, repairing, and designing new areas for our crossed-fenced land.
One day, we had "finished" and all the fences had been reinforced, rebuilt, added in height, strength, electrified, and enhanced on the property, I was getting ready to go on a nice date with the wife. I was drinking some coffee and staring off into the pens only to see MooDini get up on his hind legs like a human and BLAST THROUGH the new fencing we had spent a year redoing, thus letting all the cows out into the yard. There were some words said that day that shouldn't be repeated in the presence of ... well, anything. MooDini was quickly relegated to freezer camp door watch.
This story highlights the frustrations of dealing with large animals from time to time. Sometimes in more fun ways, like when I tell them they are the next cheeseburger because one decided to hop into a feeder and couldn't find its way out. So you need to fire up the machines to lift the feeder off from around it only to discover by the time you put the machine back, the same cow has done it again. Or when you're about to head out and, in -30 degree weather, a cow has decided to try and bathe in a waterer, which it couldn't fit its head in if it tried, but will try to go for a swim anyways.
Ever open a gate for a cow and it decides "I DoN't lIkE tHaT GAtE" and proceeds to make its own? Lots of colourful language is thrown around for a little bit, but don't worry, the verbal abuse enhances the flavour! ;)
No, the ranch does not pay for itself, we have offsite or "city" jobs that help us afford to ranch. The main focus is a passion for clean food, we sell to others to offset the cost of keeping a herd healthy and happy, to do this we have to keep more cattle than we consume, which in turn allows us for direct to consumer sales.
For example to keep the amount of cows we do, winter hay can range from $7-12,000 and that has to be paid, your sale contributes to keeping the herd bloodline clean and well fed through the winter.
Our Herd size runs between 20-40ish cows. That's about as much as we can manage as a small operation.
Harvesting Costs are what we are charged to have an authorized, on farm butcher come on-site, unalive the cow, and dress it on site (skin and innards removed) before being transported back to the butcher establishment as a hanging slab for temperature controlled aging and further butchering services. Year over year the cost for this service has slightly changed but the usual costs are around $300-400 per cow.
Butchering Costs This is the cost to have the slab aged and processed into steaks, brisket, jerky, sausage, roasts, or whatever you have selected if you order 1/2 Cow or more. If you have selected 1/4 Cow, then you will share the basic butchering costs among 3 other groups who have ordered the 1/4 option. Usually, a cost of about $1.20-1.50 per hanging pound.
All the time, its an everyday all day thing. Vacation? nope, gotta get someone to watch over everything.
If you live in our local area, you can pick up your order or we can drop it off straight from the butcher.
If you order a full cow and you’re within Alberta, we can drive it to you at about the same rate a hotshot would cost, we like to meet our customers and explain the whole process upon delivery. Please contact us to discuss this option and rates further.
Yes, if your ordering an entire cow, you can come out and choose from the lot slated for freezer camp participants.
As a customer, you can come out to our ranch and view the operation for yourself. You’ll see the cows, fields, corrals, fence lines, and maybe some roaming cats. We understand if you want to see how your food is being grown as we harbour that same curiosity; that's why we offer this. Please contact us if you would like a tour.
We have our own way of finishing cattle, the way we like and how our customers like. If you heard how an animal was finished and you want to experience the taste of a cow that has been finished in a specific way, for example, if it was fed apples or carrots everyday, only fed pasture grass (which would be very, very lean), fed with another type of feed we don't have , reach out to us and we will do that for you, separate the cow(s), and finish it to your specifications.
This custom finishing would be determined in the cost for the extra feed and time spent on your finished cow(s) with updates and weights.
During the summer months, our cows eat from our fields. The cows are born and bred on-site, however from time to time we will need to bring in an out of bloodline bull to keep the bloodlines fresh, and breed for certain characteristics in the herd.
We have our own local feed suppliers. Our hay supply can change yearly as sometimes one operation can have a bad year and we need to rely on multiple farm operations to fulfill what is needed.
My wife tells me we are fair trade, local, living wage, sustainable, ethical, yadda yadda stuff. I just make the beef and write silly things on the internet.
Cheese Burger – An affectionate nickname used for a frustrating cow.
Critter - A term for any animal, or human child; often used affectionately.
Doohickey - A term used when the actual name of an object isn't known, or forgotten momentarily; similar to "thingamajig."
Fiddle F***ed - The ability to keep fiddling with something, which otherwise would still have been good enough, until it’s unusable.
Freezer Camp - Where a cow goes after it has been harvested (i.e., the freezer)
Howdy - A friendly greeting, short for "How do you do?"
Keener - Someone who is eager or enthusiastic. Often used to describe a diligent worker or student.
Reckon - To think or suppose. Often used as "I reckon" to express a belief.
Two-four - A case of 24 beers; a staple for gatherings and celebrations.
Verbally Abused Cow – The act of affectionately yelling at a cow in a non-affectionate manner. Used often to relieve stress from raising livestock.
"yote - A small Coyote.
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