Van Engen Ranch

You reserve a share and put down a deposit. We raise and harvest the animal, you choose your cuts (on halves and wholes), and our butcher cuts, seals and freezes everything. Then you pick it up and fill your freezer. Your deposit comes off the total, and the balance is due before pickup.

The Sampler suits one or two people, or anyone who wants to try this before committing to a freezer's worth. A Quarter fits a household of one to three, a Half is built for three to five, and a Whole is a year of beef for a bigger family. If you're between two sizes, tell us how you cook and we'll give you a straight recommendation — we'd rather you order the right size than the bigger one.

Every share on this page lists take-home pounds — the sealed packages that actually go in your freezer, not carcass weight. As a rule of thumb, a Quarter carries an average family a few months and a Whole gets most households through the year. How you cook matters more than the math: a house that eats a lot of ground beef goes through a share differently than one that saves it for steak night.

Samplers and quarters come as a balanced standard mix — ground, roasts and steaks in sensible proportion. On halves and wholes you fill out a cut sheet and choose: steak thickness, how much goes to ground, which roasts you want, whether you'd like the bones. We'll walk you through it. Most first-timers don't realise how much of this is theirs to decide.

Hanging weight is the carcass after harvest, before it's trimmed and cut. It's the number the industry quotes, and it's always higher than what you take home — which is exactly why it causes confusion.

We tell you your price when you reserve, so you know the number before you commit rather than after. Your deposit is applied to that total and the balance is due before pickup.

Fill out the form at the bottom of this page with the share you're after. We'll come back to you to confirm availability, cuts and price, and to arrange the deposit that holds your spot. The deposit is credited against your total — it isn't a fee.

A Sampler fits in a normal kitchen freezer. A Quarter wants roughly 4–6 cubic feet, a Half around 8–10, and a Whole is happiest in a chest freezer of about 20. If you're buying a freezer for this, buy it before pickup day — it's a rite of passage, and beef doesn't wait.

Pickup is at our butcher once everything is cut and frozen. We coordinate the timing with you directly, so you're not guessing. Pickup at the butcher is how we keep this simple and keep the cost in the beef rather than in shipping — we don't ship.

Everything comes vacuum-sealed and frozen. Kept properly frozen, it stays in great shape for a year or more — vacuum sealing is what makes the difference, since it's air that ruins frozen beef, not time. Thaw in the fridge rather than on the counter, and give a roast a day or two.

Pasture-raised Simmental-Angus on grass and open country, moved to follow the grass. Handling is low-stress, and every animal is managed individually rather than as a group — which is the part being veterinarians actually changes. There are a lot of excellent producers out there doing this well; this is how we do it, and we're happy to answer anything specific you want to ask.

Absolutely, and plenty of people do — splitting a Half between two households is one of the most common ways in. One person is the point of contact for the cut sheet and pickup, and how you divide it up afterwards is between you and your friend. Mention it in the form and we'll set it up that way.