Buying Dexter Beef

Brown Dexters on green grass. This is how they live.

We raise grass-fed beef that is so much better than the store. It is not just what they eat.

They get lots of open pasture, shade trees and shelters, and clean fresh water. Holly keeps the troughs so clean you would be amazed.

We have worked with AGW and University of Georgia experts so we feed the right amount and types of grass. In winter they still graze winter grasses, and we supplement with hay, alfalfa pellets, and perennial peanut hay.

They get the proper worming and vaccinations, and trace minerals so the diet stays balanced. We do not use antibiotics to improve feed efficiency. Ever.

Then we give them a quiet, peaceful place to just be a cow. Most of the teenagers will go to someone’s table. While they are here, they are treated humanely. We go well beyond most beef cattle farms on that. We think it shows in the beef.

Dexter beef is well known for tender texture and flavor, with nice marbling throughout.

Steers vs heifers. The most recent National Beef Quality Audit found heifer carcasses had slightly more marbling than steer carcasses, but USDA quality grade was not significantly different. Most people do not care, and most cannot tell. If you have a preference, tell us.

Calm, low-stress cattle tend to eat better on the plate than stressed, excitable ones — that is one reason a small quiet herd matters to us.

Calm vs stressed cattle and tenderness (PDF)

Johnston’s Meat Market, Monticello, Florida

Once you decide you want beef from us, Johnston’s hangs it, ages it, and packs it. They dry-age 21 days, then cut it, vacuum-seal each portion, label it, and box it. Vacuum pack lasts a lot longer than butcher paper.

You pay Johnston’s for the processing. They call when it is ready. Please pick up within 5 days and get it in the freezer that day. If you do not pick it up in time, they will sell your portion to cover the cutting. They make every effort to reach you before that happens.

If you have no clue what to ask for, they will walk you through it. The cut sheet and charts are lower on this page.

From the farm

We had to go to $9.00 a pound hanging weight. We are a small operation and we don’t want to expand too much. Our bull and cows are throwing some excellent bull and heifer prospects, so several calves that might have been beef are going as breeding stock instead. We let each calf show us. To be a breeder they have to check all the boxes, and that just doesn’t always happen. We will be adding another cow to the bull’s harem soon. He is looking forward to it.