Beef and Pork Sales

Beef Sales Order Form ($4.25 per pound based on locker hang weight, standard locker processing included)
Pork Sales Order Form ($3.25 per pound based on locker hang weight, standard locker processing included)

The Agribusiness Farm harvests and processes its meat locally at Kirkpatrick Locker in Winterset, Iowa. Beef can be purchased by the quarter, half, or whole. Pork can be purchased by the half or whole.

The DMACC Dallas County Farm takes orders throughout the year on a first come first served basis to sell its locally grown beef and pork. Animals are raised in an educational environment free of growth hormones, treated with a preventative vaccine early in life to keep the herd health strong and viable with limited use of antibiotics.

Cattle are fed a mixture of corn, hay, silage, and a limited amount of distillers grains. Also included in the ration are vitamin and mineral packets as recommended for optimum health. Swine rations consist of corn and soybean meal with vitamins and minerals. All grain and hay fed to these animals is raised on the farm and harvested by DMACC students or interns as a part of their lab activities.

packaged beef from the DMACC Farm In an effort to allow everyone to customize their order and to avoid unsold product sitting in storage, we like to have a full animal sold before sending to the locker.

So, if you order a 1/4 or a half please bear with us as we work to fill a complete animal order.

Contact for DMACC Pork and Beef Sales

Jacob Githens
jmgithens@dmacc.edu

Meat Purchasing FAQ's

How much beef will I get?

Beef Examples:

Live Weight X (Dressing Percentage X Carcass Cutting Yield) = Pounds of Meat

Average live beef animal, weighing 1,200 pounds, cut into boneless steaks and roasts, closely trimmed, lean ground beef:
1200 X (.61 X .62) = 1200 X 38% = 456 lbs. of meat

Average live beef animal, weighing 1,200 pounds, cut into bone-in steaks and roasts, regular trimmed, regular ground beef:
1200 X (.61 X .71) = 1200 X 43% = 516 lbs. of meat

Average live beef animal, weighing 1,200 pounds, cut into some bone-in and some boneless steaks and roasts, closely trimmed, regular ground beef:
1200 X (.61 X .67) = 1200 X 41% = 491 lbs. of meat

How much pork will I get?

Pork Examples:

Note: The dressing percentages and carcass cutting yields in these examples are for skin-on pork carcasses. Many small-scale meat plants skin pork carcasses. Skinned carcasses will have lower dressing percentages and higher carcass cutting yields. However, you will still come up with the same answer when calculating the amount of meat so these examples still apply. In other words, you will get the same amount of meat from a hog whether the carcass is skinned or not.

Average live hog, weighing 250 pounds, cut into bone-in chops and roasts, closely trimmed, regular ground pork/sausage:
250 X (.72 X .74) = 250 X 53% = 133 lbs. of meat

Average live hog, weighing 250 pounds, cut into boneless chops and roasts, closely trimmed, lean ground pork/sausage:
250 X (.72 X .65) = 250 X 47% = 117 lbs. of meat

How much freezer storage will I need?

Space Requirements

As a general guide, 50 pounds of meat will fit in about 2.25 cu.ft. of cooler/freezer space. The empty freezer compartment of an average-sized home refrigerator will usually hold one-eighth of a beef (roughly 50-60 lbs.) or half of a hog (roughly 60-70 lbs.). Quantities larger than this will require a stand-alone freezer or another refrigerator-freezer. A stand-alone freezer will usually store meat better because it has the capability to store meat at a colder temperature. Some meat processors will store product for you in their walk-in freezers for a monthly fee of $5 to $10. This is a good option if you would like to try purchasing half a beef or a whole hog but do not have the freezer space.

How to Store

It is recommended that custom-processed beef and pork be frozen before pickup. If you ask, your butcher may keep a portion of it fresh. If kept frozen continuously, meat technically will be safe indefinitely; however, for best quality use it within 9 to 12 months for beef, and within 6 months for pork. It's a good idea to make sure there is a date on each package so you can keep track of when it was purchased.

Fresh Meats

If you request fresh meat, take it home immediately and refrigerate it below 40° F. Use it within three to five days (one or two days for ground meat and variety meats such as liver, kidneys, tripe, sweetbreads, or tongue) or freeze (0° F). It is safe to freeze fresh meat in the freezer paper or vacuum packaging it comes in from the processor. It is not recommended that you try to freeze a large quantity of fresh meat in your home freezer. It will freeze slowly, which is bad for the quality.

Why types of cuts will I get/How much do I get?

This depends a lot on the animal you buy and the types of cuts you get. Below are general figures based on typical cuts from a half beef and a half hog.

Meat from a typical half beef (from 1,000 - 1,200 lb. live animal) consists of approximately:

14 T-bone steaks (3/4" thick)
8 sirloin steaks (3/4")
2 sirloin tip roasts (3 lbs.)
4 arm roasts (3 lbs.)
8 packages of stew beef (1 lb.)
4 packages of soup bones (1.5 lbs)

14 rib steaks (3/4")
8 round steaks (3/4")
6 chuck roasts (4 lbs.)
2 rump roasts (3 lbs.) 4 packages of short ribs (1.5 lbs.)
80-100 lbs. ground beef

(Variety meats, if desired, such as heart, liver, tongue, and oxtail)

Meat from a typical half hog (from a 250 - 270 lb. live animal) consist of approximately:

12-14 lbs. pork chops
2 packages of spare ribs (1.5 lbs.)
3 shoulder roasts (4 lbs.)
2 smoked hocks (0.75 lbs.)

6-10 lbs. ground pork and/or ground sausage
1 ham (15-18 lbs.; can be cut smaller)
8-10 lbs. of bacon

(Variety meats, if desired, such as heart, liver, tongue, and fat/lard)

How does the meat order process work?

Submit online order form using the link provided by the DMACC Beef and Pork contact(s)
You will receive a confirmation email once order is submitted
We will email you on the day that your order has been taken to the locker
You will receive a second email from us with an invoice along with pick up instructions when your order is ready to be picked up at the locker in Winterset (The process takes 1-2 weeks from the day your order is taken to the locker to the time you receive an invoice and pick up instructions)

Disclosure: Information given is for planning purposes only. The scenarios presented may be different at the locker. Each animal differs in terms of weight and body type; these are estimates based on industry average standards . For additional information, refer to the ISU full animal buying guide. We are happy to help walk you through cutting instructions on the order form if needed. jmgithens@dmacc.edu

Please Note:

All orders are processed first come first served providing we have enough orders to make a full animal order at time of locker date.
All orders placed are to be picked up by customer at Kirkpatrick Locker in Winterset, IA.
Customer invoice is established using the animal's hanging weight established at the locker.

Please read over the following information contained in the link below to answer your meat purchasing frequently asked questions:

»Iowa State University Extension Beef and Pork Whole Animal Buying Guide

Please contact us at the information above if you have additional questions or would like to place an order.

Governor's Charity Steer Show

Governor's Steer Show DMACC has been a regular participant in the Annual Governor's Charity Steer Show event held at the Iowa State Fair in August.

Proceeds generated from the steer sale go to the Ronald McDonald House.

If you are interested in donating funds towards DMACC's Governor's Charity steer please contact the Agribusiness program for additional details or e-mail twlautner@dmacc.edu