For the family · not a customer page
What one animal is actually worth.
Everything else on this site argues that this beef is worth buying. This page argues about whether the business is worth starting, which is the only question anyone is really being asked.
Every figure below is published and checkable. Sources are at the bottom. Figures as of 2026-07-28 — cattle markets move weekly, so check that date before trusting the first column.
One finished steer, sold live at the current Kansas negotiated price. No processing, no boxes, no customers, no work beyond what you already do.
Net per head
$3,328.00$6.35 per pound of beef
The same animal sold as boxes at our own catalogue prices, shipped frozen anywhere in the country.
Net per head
$3,082.39$5.88 per pound of beef
The same animal, the same prices, sold as quarters that customers collect from the ranch or a local drop. Identical beef; no parcel carrier.
Net per head
$5,809.99$11.09 per pound of beef
Line by line
Sold the way you sell them now
| Sale price, live | $3,328.00 |
|---|---|
| Net | $3,328.00 |
Direct to consumer, shipped
| Retail value of the cuts | $6,893.75 |
|---|---|
| − Processing $125 kill + $758 cut & wrap |
−$882.64 |
| − Frozen shipping ~35 boxes at $65 |
−$2,270.23 |
| − Spoilage & reships 6.5% of orders arrive warm |
−$448.09 |
| − Card fees 2.9% + $0.30 per order |
−$210.40 |
| Net | $3,082.39 |
Direct to consumer, collected locally
| Retail value of the cuts | $6,893.75 |
|---|---|
| − Processing $125 kill + $758 cut & wrap |
−$882.64 |
| − Card fees 2.9% + $0.30 per order |
−$201.12 |
| Net | $5,809.99 |
The finding
Shipping is the whole argument.
Selling this animal direct and shipping it frozen across the country nets $-245.61 more per head than selling it the way the ranch sells cattle today. That is not a business; that is a great deal of work for nothing.
Selling the identical animal at the identical prices to people who collect it nets $2,481.99 more per head. The beef is the same. The customer is the same. The only difference is a parcel carrier, and the parcel carrier takes roughly 91% of the upside.
So the honest version of this business starts local. Quarters and halves, collected at the ranch or dropped on a regional run. Shipped boxes are a premium channel to grow into once the price per pound can carry the freight — not the thing to launch with.
One important caveat: the shipping figure above is the published list rate, which is what a first parcel costs. It falls substantially with volume, and every dollar off a box is worth about $35 an animal. What that ladder looks like →
Where the retail value comes from
$6,893.75 across 524 lb · $13.16/lb blended
Not a guess. Within each primal, the share that realistically becomes ground is priced at our ground price and the rest at the average of our own listed prices for that primal's cuts.
| Primal | Weight | Ground | $/lb | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck | 147 lb | 81 lb | $10.22 | $1,498.83 |
| Round | 120 lb | 54 lb | $8.12 | $978.37 |
| Loin | 94 lb | 5 lb | $23.07 | $2,175.97 |
| Rib | 52 lb | 3 lb | $23.72 | $1,242.84 |
| Plate & Flank | 47 lb | 28 lb | $10.05 | $473.82 |
| Brisket | 31 lb | 3 lb | $9.31 | $292.65 |
| Shank & Trim | 31 lb | 25 lb | $7.36 | $231.28 |
Sources
| Commodity |
USDA AMS, Kansas negotiated fed cattle, week of 2026-07-13: sold mostly $256.00 to $260.00 per cwt live, mostly $256.00. USDA ERS July 2026 outlook forecasts the 2026 slaughter steer price at $251.10/cwt.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_2477.pdf |
|---|---|
| Processing |
USDA AMS National Grass Fed Beef Report, Q2 2026: slaughter fees $100.00-$150.00 per head (avg $125.00); processing $0.57-$1.25 per pound hanging weight (avg $0.94).
https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsmngfbeef.pdf |
| Shipping |
Frozen overnight/2-day parcel, 2026 published rates: carrier $30-$80, dry ice $4-$13, FedEx dry-ice surcharge $8.50 per package, insulated packaging $5-$20. $65 is a mid-range figure for a ~15 lb box; it is NOT a negotiated rate.
https://shipfare.com/blog/how-to-ship-frozen-food |
| Payments |
Standard online card processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). Assumes no marketplace or platform fee on top.
https://stripe.com/pricing |
What this does NOT count
These are gross margins on the animal, not profit. Left out entirely:
- — Cost of raising the animal (feed, pasture, vet, interest, labour)
- — Website, packaging design, and card printing
- — Cold storage between harvest and sale
- — The rancher's own time on orders, email, and delivery
- — Spoilage, returns, and boxes that arrive warm
- — Any state licensing or liability insurance
The biggest of those by a distance is the cost of raising the animal, which the ranch already knows better than any figure on this page. Put that number in and this becomes a real budget rather than an argument.