December 2025 | Carter Country Meats

When you purchase a cow share from Carter Country Meats, you're not just buying beef-you're investing in a food system that respects the land, the animal, and your family's health. Here's why our cow share program represents the future of how conscious consumers source their meat.

The Economics: Premium Beef at Wholesale Prices

Let's talk numbers. When you buy individual cuts at the grocery store, premium grass-fed ribeye can run $25-35 per pound, while ground beef sits around $8-12. Our cow shares flip this model entirely:

• Whole Cow (425 lbs): $12.94/lb - best value, includes ALL cuts
• Half Cow (225 lbs): $13.33/lb - perfect for large families
• Quarter Cow (115 lbs): $13.91/lb - ideal family size
• Eighth Cow (65 lbs): $14.46/lb - great starter share
• Sixteenth Cow (35 lbs): $16.29/lb - small household option

This means you're getting filet mignon, ribeye, and New York strips at the same price as ground beef. Over a year, a family of four can save $2,000-3,000 compared to buying equivalent quality cuts individually, while getting beef that simply isn't available in stores.

Storage Solutions: Making Room for Premium Beef

One of the most common questions we receive is: "Where will I put all this meat?" Here's your complete guide to storing your cow share investment.

Storage Requirements by Share Size

Based on real-world packing of vacuum-sealed beef at approximately 40 lbs per cubic foot

Sixteenth Cow (35 lbs)

• Storage needed: Less than 1 cubic foot
• Solution: Easily fits in any home freezer compartment
• Ideal for: Singles, couples, or those new to buying bulk beef
• No additional equipment needed

 

Eighth Cow (65 lbs)

• Storage needed: 1.6 cubic feet
• Solution: Fits in most home freezers with minor reorganization
• Ideal for: Small families or couples who eat beef regularly
• May fit in existing freezer with good organization

 

Quarter Cow (115 lbs)

• Storage needed: 3 cubic feet
• Solution: 5 cu ft chest freezer has room to spare (can hold roughly 200 lbs)
• Ideal for: Families of 3-4 who eat beef 2-3 times weekly
• Chest freezer option: 5 cu ft model ($150-250) - plenty of room

 

Half Cow (225 lbs)

• Storage needed: 6 cubic feet
• Solution: 7 cu ft chest freezer or larger 5 cu ft model
• Ideal for: Large families or those who entertain frequently
• Chest freezer option: 7-9 cu ft model ($200-400)

 

Whole Cow (425 lbs)

• Storage needed: 11 cubic feet
• Solution: 14 cu ft chest freezer or two smaller units
• Ideal for: Multiple families sharing or year-round beef supply
• Chest freezer option: 14-16 cu ft model ($400-600)

 

The Chest Freezer Investment: Real Numbers

If you need to purchase a chest freezer, here's what to expect:

Annual Energy Costs (estimated):

• 5 cu ft chest freezer: $25-35/year (handles up to roughly 200 lbs!)
• 7 cu ft chest freezer: $30-40/year (handles up to roughly 280 lbs)
• 9 cu ft chest freezer: $35-45/year (handles up to roughly 360 lbs)
• 14 cu ft chest freezer: $40-55/year (handles up to roughly 560 lbs)

Modern ENERGY STAR certified chest freezers are remarkably efficient. At roughly $2-4 per month for most sizes, the energy cost is less than a single pound of grass-fed beef at the grocery store. Most customers find their chest freezer pays for itself within the first cow share purchase through the savings alone.

Real-World Example: Our 5 cu ft chest freezer easily holds 200 lbs of vacuum-sealed beef with room for organization. This means a Quarter Cow (115 lbs) fits comfortably with space left for other frozen items.

Pro Storage Tips:

• Vacuum-sealed packages stack efficiently - expect 35-40 lbs per cubic foot
• Chest freezers maintain temperature better than uprights during power outages
• Keep an inventory list taped to the freezer lid
• Use bins or milk crates to organize different cuts
• Vacuum-sealed packages from our processor can last 12-18 months
• Place newer packages on the bottom, use older ones first
• A full freezer runs more efficiently than a partially empty one

 

Honoring the Whole Animal: Zero Waste Philosophy

Every cow share represents our commitment to utilizing the entire animal - a practice that honors both the life given and the resources invested. When you buy individual cuts, you're participating in a system where less popular cuts often go to waste or get heavily discounted, disrupting the true value of the animal.

Our shares include:

• Prime cuts (ribeye, filet, strip steaks)
• Working cuts (chuck roast, brisket, short ribs)
• Nutrient-dense organs (liver, heart)
• Healing foods (bone marrow, soup bones for mineral-rich broths)
• Traditional cuts (cheek meat, tongue - prized in ancestral cuisines)

This nose-to-tail approach means nothing is wasted. The bones you receive can become healing bone broth. The organs provide concentrated nutrition. Even our optional tallow add-on transforms fat into a stable, healthy cooking oil that's superior to industrial seed oils.

Regenerative Ranching: Building Community Resilience

Our cattle at Carter Ranch aren't just grass-fed - they're integral partners in regenerating 40,000 acres of Wyoming rangeland. Through managed rotational grazing across diverse grass species, our cattle:

• Sequester carbon: Each properly grazed acre can sequester 3-5 tons of CO2 annually
• Build topsoil: We've improved soil organic matter from 1.1% to 5% - creating drought resilience
• Increase biodiversity: Healthy grasslands support 3x more wildlife species
• Protect watersheds: Improved soil holds 20,000 more gallons of water per acre

When you buy a cow share, you're directly supporting a ranching model that strengthens local food security. In an era of supply chain disruptions, having a direct relationship with your rancher means your family's protein needs are secured months in advance. You're not just a consumer - you're a participant in building resilient local food systems that can weather any crisis.

Nutrient Density Without Compromise

Our beef tests at the top 1% of lowest Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio in the country - a marker of anti-inflammatory nutrition that's impossible to achieve in grain-finished animals. But the benefits go deeper:

What's IN our beef:

• 2-3x higher CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) than grain-fed
• Superior vitamin E and beta-carotene levels
• Bioavailable iron, zinc, and B-vitamins
• Creatine, carnosine, and other compounds that support human health

What's NOT in our beef:

• No heavy metals from contaminated feed
• No antibiotic residues
• No added hormones
• No exposure to glyphosate-treated grains
• No inflammatory omega-6 overload from corn/soy feeding

This makes our beef suitable for virtually every dietary approach - from keto and paleo to simply families wanting clean protein. Athletes recover faster. Children grow stronger. Adults maintain muscle mass as they age. This isn't just food - it's medicine from animals raised the way nature intended.

EverSoil Certified: The New Standard in Food Transparency

Carter Country Meats is proud to be EverSoil Certified - a designation that goes beyond organic by actually measuring what matters. Our certification combines:

Soil Health Metrics:

• Organic matter percentage (ours: 5%)
• Microbial diversity scores
• Water infiltration rates
• Carbon sequestration capacity
• Mineral availability

Bio-Nutrient Density:

• Actual vitamin and mineral content in the meat
• Omega fatty acid profiles
• Antioxidant levels
• Absence of contaminants

This dual approach creates a Food Score that tells you exactly what you're getting. It's not about trusting marketing claims - it's about verified data that proves our beef is among the most nutrient-dense protein available anywhere. When you see the EverSoil Certified seal, you know that both the land and the animal have been verified to meet the highest standards of regenerative agriculture.

Your Family's Food Security Starts Here

A cow share isn't just a purchase - it's a partnership. You're securing premium nutrition for your family while supporting ranching practices that heal the land. You're voting with your dollars for a food system that values quality over quantity, resilience over efficiency, and transparency over marketing spin.

With nationwide ground shipping available during winter months, we can deliver your share directly to your door. Each share comes with our cut sheet showing exact weights, so you know precisely what you're receiving. Add our grass-fed tallow or bone broth options to maximize the value of your investment.

Ready to Secure Your Share?

The industrial food system wants you buying piecemeal, disconnected from your food source, dependent on their supply chains. We offer something different: a direct relationship with your rancher, transparent pricing, superior nutrition, and the security of knowing exactly where your food comes from and how it was raised.

Browse our cow shares ranging from 1/16 cow (35 lbs) to whole cow (425 lbs). Each share includes our commitment to regenerative practices, bio-nutrient density, and the kind of customer service that only comes from a family ranch.

Questions? Contact us directly. We're not a corporation - we're your neighbors, committed to raising the finest beef in America while regenerating the land for future generations.

Carter Country Meats is a family-owned regenerative ranch in Wyoming. EverSoil, Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization who certifies for regenerative ranching practices based on soil data and animal bio-nutrient data. Our grass-fed and finished beef represents the culmination of of rotational grazing, resulting in the top 1% of lowest Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio tested in the United States.