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My local grass fed ranch is crazy expensive! What do you find is the best deal for affordable grass fed meats? Do you buy local or have frozen meat shipped? I know the quality is worth it but its hard paying 20 dollars for a steak!

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Like others are saying, buy a portion of an animal, it comes butchered and wrapped, lots of different cuts to experiment with...if a quarter cow is more than you'll go through in a year, go in on it with a friend or two. – Rogue Nutritionist Oct 9 2011 at 3:33

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Yup, my local farm's steak prices are astronomical, and even a very large brisket runs about $50 ($10/lb.). The cheapest items (liver, tongue, oxtail) still only run $5/lb. - but buying half a cow makes everything a tad over $4/lb.

Being willing to experiment with different cuts, offal, marrow bone - in other words, the nose-to-tail eating that naturally happens when you've bought beef in bulk - will save you a ton of money. Try a little of the individual cuts - yes, even a $20 steak if you'd like, but then buy in bulk if you enjoy the taste enough to commit and save money.

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Same here: the only thing I buy from the 100% grass operation at my farmer market is liver. That's still $5/lb but I'll pay for liver. – ben61820 Oct 9 2011 at 1:24
Ben, do you have any meatsharing partners in the city? I've been mulling it over for a long time, just haven't pulled the trigger on getting a freezer yet. – Futureboy Oct 9 2011 at 3:37
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Gotta go bulk....thats the only way to make it even close to economical. !/4-1/2 a cow at a time minimum. Going to need a big freezer though. I recommend an upright. You might spend an extra $100 bucks or so on it, but it makes organization and finding what you need SO much easier.

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Jay is correct, bulk is the way to go. If you can't store that much meat then find a friend, family member, neighbor, or co-worker to split an order with you. – Wcc Kamal Stabby fan Oct 9 2011 at 2:04
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My Trader Joes sells grass fed new zealand lamb steaks that are reasonably priced and really tasty

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I just ordered 1/8 a grassfed cow, 40 lbs for $350, shipped to my door. Small enough amount to fit in the freezer above a standard fridge, less than $9/lb.

Buying at the local farmers markets was WAY outside my budget (upwards of $7/lb for ground beef, over $12/lb for roasts, over $15/lb for steaks), so I had been eating a lot of trader joes ground at $5/lb. This bulk order includes steaks, ground and roasts.

When I have a little more cash on hand I plan to invest in a freezer and get a quarter of a cow for even less per pound than the eighth.

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Here in Houston, Georgia's Grassfed Meats offers the option of what they call "Cowpooling" -- groups can go in together to purchase a cow, or you can register through the store to purchase 50 lbs (mixed cuts) at a time for $5 a pound, including processing fees. Talk with some of your local producers and see if they might be willing to help set up something similar.

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I've tried a lot of different places including multiple online stores and local in Iowa. The best deal I've found is texasgrassfedbeef.com especially, as has been mentioned before, when you buy in bulk.

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Eat organs!! they are superior to meat & super cheap (well they are here in the uk) I can pick up a grass fed ox heart from my local farm for £2.08, it weighs a kilo! if you cook it right its like a tender fillet steak. That is £2.08 for a kilo of ox heart with all the tenderness of a fillet steak (which can be as high as £70 a kilo)...plus there's the added bonus of more nutritional value. Organs rock!!

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Hmmm, I'm not too sure on this one. I don't normally purchase grass fed meat because it's too expensive. But start doing your research online. There are so many sites popping up now that sell grass fed meat online or help to connect grass fed farms with customers that ship the meat. I mean, I'm not saying there's any guarantee they'll be cheaper, but as the competition rises, I'm sure there will be many more affordable grass fed meat sites coming onto the scene. I would keep your eye on it.

Here's a few I just found. I haven't checked the prices though so I apologize if they're still expensive:

http://mynaturalfarmer.com/

http://www.grassfeddirect.com/

http://wildideabuffalo.com/?gclid=COaWjdyi4LMCFStgMgodHxgA5g

http://www.lacensebeef.com/ppc/november2011cpc.aspx?pc=1cpc25off125&gclid=CMPgn92i4LMCFck7MgodblAABg

http://grassfedcattleco.com/affordable/

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Check out Topline Foods. They ship nationwide, but shipping is most affordable in the west.

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