Hanging Weight vs. Actual Meat
Our family has always raised our own beef cattle, and I never really thought about how much meat was in a quarter of an animal. I knew that there was a significant amount of weight lost from the live animal to hanging animal, because the hide, feet, head, and entrails are removed and blood is drained. I knew that the hanging weight was not the actual weight of the meat that we received, but I never thought about what that meant until a buyer asked. My husband and I purchased a quarter, weighed it, and did some math to provide our buyers with information. Matt Fields told us that we keep about 62-63% of the meat that is hung when the animal is cut up. He was right! Let me walk you though a breakdown of the quarter that we bought (keep in mind that weights vary): We do not weigh the cow when it is live, so I don't have an actual live weight. Maybe that will be next! Hanging Whole Cow Weight: 718 lbs. Total Cost of a Quarter: ((718l...