Drop-off takes about fifteen minutes. You back up to the unloading area, the animal walks off into a pen, we confirm your cut sheet and phone number, and you leave. Within a day the animal has been inspected and harvested, and 2–3 weeks later you pick up frozen, labeled boxes with a weight report. The part that actually takes planning is the week before.
The week before
Confirm the date
Every animal is scheduled. A USDA inspector has to be on the floor for harvest, so we run harvest on set days, and an animal that shows up unannounced cannot be processed that day. If your date has moved, or the animal is not finishing the way you expected, call and we will move the slot rather than have you haul an animal that is not ready.
Finish the cut sheet
Download the cut sheet, one per half, and work through it with the guide. If you would rather do it by phone, call before drop-off day and we will fill it out together. What we do not want is to fill it out at the unloading chute with a trailer running.
Check your treatment records
Anything the animal received in the last 60 days, antibiotics, dewormers, implants, feed additives, has a withdrawal time on its label, and that time has to be finished before harvest. Write down the product and the date. The inspector may ask, and a residue violation is the one thing that can cost you the whole animal. This matters most for show steers, which we cover in the show steer guide.
The day before
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Pull the animal off feed several hours before the haul; overnight is fine | Withhold water. Keep water in front of it until it loads |
| Pen it somewhere it can be loaded calmly in the morning | Chase it around the pasture at 6 a.m. Stress right before harvest hurts meat quality |
| Check the trailer floor, gate latches, and lights | Haul in an open stock trailer with no way to close the back |
| Put the cut sheet and treatment record in the truck | Assume you will remember the details when you get here |
At the plant
We are at 2127 E Hwy 199, Springtown, TX 76082, on the east side of Springtown on Hwy 199. Open in Maps. When you book we tell you what time to arrive and where to pull in. The unloading area is set up for gooseneck and bumper-pull stock trailers; back up, open the gate, and the animal walks into a holding pen.
While the animal settles we go over three things with you: the cut sheet (one per half), the phone number we should call when the beef is ready, and whether any of the beef is for resale, which changes how we label it. If you are splitting a whole with another family, we need both cut sheets and both phone numbers. Then you are done. Most people are back in the truck in fifteen minutes.
The first 24 hours
- Ante-mortem inspection.Before harvest, the USDA inspector looks at every animal alive: how it moves, how it breathes, whether it shows signs of illness or recent treatment. An animal that does not pass is held or refused. This is why we ask about the animal’s condition when you book.
- Harvest under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. Handling and stunning are done to federal standards, and the inspector verifies it.
- Post-mortem inspection. The inspector examines the carcass and organs. This is also where residue screening happens if the animal is a show steer or anything looks off.
- Hanging weight recorded. The carcass is weighed on the rail. That number goes on your report and is the first of the three weights explained in hanging weight vs. take-home weight.
- Into the chill cooler. The carcass comes down to temperature overnight before it is broken down.
The next two to three weeks
After the chill, the carcass is broken into subprimals and vacuum-bagged for a 14-day wet age on subprimals. That is most of the wait, and it is the step that makes the beef tender. How long beef should hang explains why we will not shorten it. Then the beef is cut to your sheet, vacuum sealed, labeled, blast frozen, boxed, and weighed.
Pickup
We call the number you gave us when the boxes are ready, 2–3 weeks after drop-off. Pickup is at the same address during business hours, Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm. You get your boxes and a weight report showing hanging weight, boxed weight, and an itemized count of every package.
Plan for the volume. A half beef is roughly 210 to 230 pounds of frozen packages and fills several large coolers or a truck bed under a tarp. A whole is double. The beef is solidly frozen and travels fine for a couple of hours, but do not leave it in a hot cab for an afternoon of errands.
What to do if something goes wrong
- Animal goes down in the trailer or arrives injured: tell us before you unload. The inspector has to see it, and we will handle it with you.
- You forgot the cut sheet: we fill it out together at the desk. It takes ten minutes.
- You cannot make your date: call, the earlier the better. Slots are tight in fall and after county shows, and a cancelled slot goes to the next family on the list.
- A number on the weight report looks wrong: ask. We would rather explain a report than have you leave wondering.
Ready to book? Call (817) 404-7405 with a rough finish date. The flat fee is $850 whole or $450 half, and it is the same number at pickup.