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Pasture-Raised Beef in Oregon, by the Half or Whole Steer

Fill your freezer with pasture-raised beef from our Oregon family farm. Our cattle graze certified-organic pasture and never get hormones, antibiotics, or GMO feed. Reserve a half or whole steer and we'll handle the rest.

☎ Call (503) 871-1875 to reserve

Real pasture-raised beef from an Oregon family farm

If you've been searching for honest pasture-raised beef in Oregon, this is it. Our cattle graze open range on pasture that has been certified organic by Oregon Tilth since 2006 — the same ground our family has farmed for years. They live on grass and clean Oregon range, not in a feedlot, and they're raised with no added hormones, no antibiotics, and no GMO feed.

The result is grass-fed, organic-pasture beef you can trace back to a real farm and a real family. When you buy a half or whole steer from us, you're buying directly from the people who raised it. You decide how it's cut, you know how it was raised, and you fill your freezer with a year's worth of clean, flavorful beef.

Oregon family farmer with kids and pasture-raised cattle on certified-organic pasture

Why choose Hess Land & Livestock for your freezer beef

How buying a half or whole steer works

It's simpler than most people expect. There are three steps:

1. Reserve your steer. Call us to claim a half or a whole animal. A half feeds a smaller household for the year; a whole steer suits a big family or two households splitting the order. We'll get you on the processing schedule.

2. We price it by hanging weight. Once the steer is harvested, it's weighed as a hanging (dressed) carcass — that's the weight after the hide, head, and organs are removed but before it's cut into individual portions. Your price is based on that hanging weight.

3. You build your cut sheet. You tell the butcher how you want it cut and wrapped — thickness of steaks, size of roasts, how much you want turned into ground hamburger. The beef comes back to you cut, wrapped, frozen, and ready for the freezer.

What a half or whole steer costs

Here is exactly what it costs:

$4/lbHalf or whole steer, by hanging weight — plus a separate cutting, wrapping & harvest fee

The half or whole steer is $4 per pound of hanging weight. On top of that, you pay a cutting, wrapping, and harvest fee to the processor for breaking the carcass down and packaging it. Because every animal finishes at a different weight, the simplest way to get a real total is to call — we'll give you an honest estimate based on the current hanging weight.

Processing at Buermann's Ranch Meats

All of our beef is processed at Buermann's Ranch Meats in Burns, Oregon, out in the high desert near where our range cattle run. They handle the harvest, then cut and wrap your order to the specifications on your cut sheet. That cutting, wrapping, and harvest fee is paid for their work, separate from the $4-per-pound hanging-weight price.

How much freezer space will you need?

Plan ahead so you have room ready when the beef comes back. As a rough guide, the packaged cuts from a half steer fit in a standard chest or upright freezer of about 5 to 7 cubic feet, and a whole steer needs roughly double that. The exact amount depends on the size of the animal and how you have it cut. We'll talk freezer space through with you before processing so nothing comes back with nowhere to go.

Serving the Willamette Valley, Portland metro & beyond

We're based at our farm in Woodburn and raise our range cattle out near Burns and Crane in central Oregon. Freezer-beef customers come from across the Willamette Valley and the Portland metro:

WoodburnSalemKeizerAuroraCanbyHubbardMt. AngelSilvertonNewbergWilsonvilleMolallaPortland metro

Frequently Asked Questions about pasture-raised beef in Oregon

How much is a half cow in Oregon from Hess Land & Livestock?

A half or whole steer is $4 per pound by hanging weight, plus a separate cutting, wrapping, and harvest fee paid to the processor. Hanging weight is the dressed weight of the carcass before it's cut into the steaks, roasts, and ground beef you take home. Because every animal finishes at a different weight, call (503) 871-1875 for the current hanging weight so we can give you a real estimate.

What is hanging weight and how is the beef priced?

Hanging weight (also called carcass or dressed weight) is what the steer weighs after slaughter once the hide, head, and internal organs are removed, but before it's broken down into cuts. We price the half or whole steer at $4 per pound of hanging weight. Buermann's Ranch Meats then charges a separate fee for cutting, wrapping, and harvest.

How much freezer space do I need for a half or whole steer?

As a rough rule of thumb, a half steer's worth of packaged, cut-and-wrapped beef fits in a standard chest or upright freezer of roughly 5 to 7 cubic feet, and a whole steer needs about double that. The exact amount depends on the size of the animal and the cuts you choose. We'll talk freezer space through with you before processing so you have room ready when the beef comes back.

Is your beef grass-fed and organic?

Our cattle are pasture-raised on certified-organic pasture that has been certified by Oregon Tilth since 2006. They graze open range and are raised with no added hormones, no antibiotics, and no GMO feed. If you have questions about how a particular animal was finished, just call and we'll walk you through it.

Where is the beef processed?

All of our beef is processed at Buermann's Ranch Meats in Burns, Oregon. They handle the harvest, then the cutting and wrapping to your specifications. The cutting, wrapping, and harvest fee is paid for that processing in addition to the $4-per-pound hanging-weight price.

How do I reserve a half or whole steer?

Call us at (503) 871-1875 to reserve. We'll confirm whether you want a half or a whole steer, get you on the processing schedule at Buermann's Ranch Meats, and collect your cut sheet so the beef is cut and wrapped the way your family eats. Reserving early is the best way to lock in the animal and the processing date.

Reserve your pasture-raised beef

Half or whole steer, raised on certified-organic Oregon pasture and cut the way your family eats. Call to claim yours and get on the processing schedule.

☎ Call (503) 871-1875