Reserve your Beef
Grass-fed Irish Dexter, one side at a time. You pay the farm for the beef, and Johnston’s for the cutting.
What one side costs
A side is half a cow. Typical hanging weight is 165 to 190 lb. You pay the posted farm price on the day you reserve.
- Deposit to Apafia
- $105 per side When you reserve. This comes off the farm bill; it is not extra.
- Farm price
- $9.00 / lb hanging Balance due when we deliver the beef to Johnston’s.
- Typical farm bill
- $1,485 – $1,710 165 to 190 lb hanging × $9.00. Your $105 deposit is part of this.
- Johnston’s processing
- about $300 – $350 Paid to Johnston’s for aging, cutting, vacuum packing. Based on hanging weight and any extras.
- Typical total for one side
- about $1,785 – $2,060 Farm bill plus Johnston’s. Special cuts can add a little more.
We keep our farm price below USDA grass-fed market. Compare there if you like.
How a side works
Half a cow is one side of beef. Want the whole cow? Reserve both sides. A quarter is a split: one person reserves the side, and Johnston’s divides the cuts as evenly as they can.
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Reserve a side
When a listing is open, you put $105 down for that side. We assign you that half and list the month we expect it to be ready. Sometimes we need more finish so the date moves out. If it does, we tell you.
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Pay the farm when it hangs
We take the beef to Johnston’s Meat Market in Monticello, Florida. We call you with the hanging weight and send an invoice. You pay Apafia the rest of the $9.00 per pound.
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Fill out the cut sheet
Make an appointment with Johnston’s to talk through the cuts. They know what they are doing. We recommend keeping the bone in. Look at the charts below, then open Johnston’s custom cut sheet.
Ask for the liver. It is excellent. If you don’t like liver, someone you know will. If you have dogs, ask for the tongue, heart, and scrap bones.
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Pay Johnston’s, then pick up
They dry-age the beef 21 days, then cut it to your sheet, vacuum-seal each portion, label it, and pack it in freezer boxes. They call when it is ready. Please pick up within 5 days and get it in the freezer that day.
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.
Beef listed now
These sides are already reserved or sold. Nothing is open to reserve right now.
Reserved November 2026
42TA
Finishing
Reserved APAFIA
Reserved November 2026
42TB
Finishing
Reserved Marston/Lombardia
Reserved for October 2026
39WA
Finishing
Reserved DHurst
Reserved for October 2026
39WB
Finishing
Reserved CBradley
Sold
07 TE
Processed
Live Weight 625/2 = 312.5
Hanging Weight /2 = 182.5
L/H = 58.4%
Sold
07 TE
Processed
Live Weight 625/2 = 312.5
Hanging Weight 365 /2 = 182.5
L/H = 58.4%
An example of our beef
Both sides
Notice the good layer of fat. This is both sides of a typical cow we take for processing.
This cow weighed out at 358 lb, or 175 lb per side.
Larger cows will weigh out nearly twice this amount. That costs more per side, and you will need a lot more room in the freezer.
Good layer of fat
Most of the fat you see here will be trimmed off, but it matters. Fat on the carcass means marbling in the steaks and hamburger, and that is flavor.
Good looking beef
Go ahead, tap and zoom in. This cow had plenty of food and exercise. This is quality beef.
Not our beef
This one was hanging in the same cooler. It is not ours. Even though it is a bigger cow, there is much less fat and not enough muscle.
Vacuum sealed packages
This is how your meat is packed. Vacuum sealed lasts a lot longer than butcher paper. Each pack is labeled for cut and weight.
Ready to go home
This is what you take home from half a cow — one side of beef.
Downloads
Our meat (jpg) Half-cow take-home packages (jpeg) Johnston’s Meat Market Johnston’s cut sheet (pdf)
