The Ordering Process

BULK BEEF 2025

SOLD OUT for 2025 ~ email to get on waitlist ~ DO NOT send a deposit at this time

Bulk beef orders are available by the Quarter, Side, or Whole. Grassfed and grass-finished beef is seasonal and it takes almost three years to raise this premium product. At Trail’s End, we process our prime beef when the grass is green and the cattle are “finished” between July and October.  Purchasing bulk freezer beef directly from the ranch is an efficient way to source a year-round supply of grassfed beef.  

Ordering for the summer processing season opens on February 1.  Submit an order form and deposit to reserve your spot.  Beef is available first-come-first served and supplies are limited.  By ordering early in our season there is more flexibility in scheduling your processing and delivery dates. 

We pride ourselves in transparency about our ranch practices from pasture to plate. Over fifteen years of direct-marketing beef has allowed us to develop a system that makes it easy for our customers to fill their freezers. Details can be found on this page and in the attached forms. Do reach out with your questions at anytime. Thanks for choosing us to be your ranchers!

About Bulk Beef

How much to order is based on your family size and your beef consumption. Remember that you want your order to last through the entire year. Personally, our family of four, with lots of guests, eats the equivalent of a Whole Beef every year.

Quarter: Typically a Quarter would be enough for a small family of light beef eaters. Approximately 3-4 boxes averaging around 110lbs of beef. You will need a small deep freeze. Our Quarters are mixed-Quarters, meaning that you are getting exactly half of a half of beef, some cuts from the hind end and some from the front. Our Quarters come in 2 semi-custom cutting options.

Side: Also known as a Half of Beef, a Side is suitable for a family of 4-6 who are regular beef eaters.  A Side usually comes in 6-8 butcher boxes. You can expect about 220lbs of beef. A small to medium deep freeze is recommended.  Custom cutting is offered with a Side. An online cutting form sent out when your beef is processed makes cut selection easy. If you want more advice, the butcher will talk you through the process of customizing your beef to suit your needs.

Whole: A Whole Beef is perfect for a family who loves their beef, and like us, does a lot of entertaining.  Also consider a Whole Beef for splitting with friends or family. A Whole Beef is a good choice if you would like to have sausages, hamburger patties and jerky made with your order without sacrificing the other cuts. The average yield will be 12-16 boxes, approximately 480 lbs of finished beef.

Beef price is based on wet hanging weight.* 

Quarter (approximately 150-225 lbs wet weight) $6.35/pound  ~Roughly $1400 total including butchering and a $20 ranch administrative fee.

Side (approximately 300-450 pounds wet weight)$6.35/pound ~Roughly $2700 total including butchering.

Whole Beef (approximately 600-900 pounds wet weight)$6.35/pound ~Roughly $5400 total including butchering.

*A butchering fee of $1.30 per pound is applied on top of  the beef price.

Our beef is sold by the wet hanging weight.  This is sometimes also called the “hot weight,” “rail weight, or “carcass weight.”  It is the weight provided by the butcher after the carcass is hung to begin the dry aging process.  This is the most accurate way to price bulk beef.

When you purchase Trail’s End Beef you are literally receiving a portion of a particular animal.  Our Whole carcasses range between 600-900 lbs wet hanging weight. You may request an approximate size upon ordering.  The weight of beef you receive will be less than the wet hanging weight.  This is called “shrink.”  Shrinkage on an average prime carcass is around  40%-45%.  The “yield” will be approximately 60% of the wet hanging weight.  A 400lb wet hanging weight will yield approximately 240lb of beef. The shrinkage  depends on the amount of moisture lost during the dry-aging process, the amount of external fat trimmed off, and how you have the beef custom cut.  De-boning the steaks makes for greater weight loss. For example, choosing New York Strip steaks instead of T-Bone steaks, will reduce the total weight, but not the total amount of meat.

Make sure to take advantage of all the nutritious and tasty “extras”- Heart, Tongue, Kidney, Liver, Suet, and Soup Bones -these are not weighed as part of the carcass weight.

All Trail’s End Beef is processed, cut and wrapped by Prairie Meats in Coaldale, AB.  Our beef is provincially inspected at this immaculate, professional facility. We are confident that our ideals of humane animal handling are shared with the team at Prairie Meats. They are certified as an Animal Welfare Approved processing plant, recognizing that they go above industry standards to ensure that each animal’s death, like its life, is handled as respectfully and humanely as possible.

When you order a Side or Whole Beef it will be custom cut to your specifications. Cutting instructions are done through an online platform that gives you a detailed explanation of every cut. You will receive the cutting instruction form by email from the butcher on, or shortly after, your processing date.  If you would like assistance the butcher will be pleased to talk over your choices by phone.  Each cut is wrapped and labelled and the frozen beef is delivered in boxes labelled with your name.

Butchering Fees apply to all orders. See order forms for current pricing. The team at Prairie Meats provides exceptional customer service. Call them for info pertaining specifically to cutting and wrapping at (403) 345-2190 or email admin@prairiemeatsltd.ca.

The identity of each animal and carcass is systematically traced from birth through to the freezer.  All of our cattle are raised at Trail’s End, or by partner ranches in our area who share our production values. Each ranch keeps records that detail every stage of an animal’s life. Within days of birth, calves are tagged with a “visible ID tag.” This identification number corresponds with its mother, and additionally contains a letter that represents the year it was born.  For example, the calf born to Cow #93 in 2015 was tagged 93C. Additionally, each animal is tagged with a radio frequency CCIA tag registered with the government.  This age verification process produces an official “Birth Certificate” that goes to the processing plant for the inspector to review.

Our professional, artisan butchers keep immaculate records that correspond with our own.  Together we can trace each piece of beef and match it to our customer records at a moment’s notice.  Indeed when we taste-test our steaks we reference the Butcher number, then the ranch tag number and note the day it was butchered and what pasture it came from. This is beef that has a story from pasture to plate.

Online Ordering

Side and Whole Beef Online Form
Quarter Beef Online Form

Ordering Steps

  • Fill out the ONLINE order form. Or use the PRINT version and return by email or snail mail.

  • Send a DEPOSIT of $200 to reserve your order. E-transfer is best. Cheques can be made out to Trail’s End Beef.

  • We will email to CONFIRM your order. At this time we set your PROCESSING and DELIVERY DATES.  The earlier you order, the more flexibility there is to adjust the date you will receive your beef.

  • When the beef is processed we send your invoice that includes beef weight and balance owing.  You send PAYMENT at that time. The butcher contacts you for CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS if you are ordering a Side or Whole. BUTCHERING FEES for Side and Whole Beef are paid directly to Prairie Meats and must be paid prior to delivery

  • On your set DELIVERY date we welcome you to visit the ranch, meet at a central location in Calgary, or pick up from the butcher. The beef comes frozen, boxed, labelled– ready to fill your freezer.

Order

Decide between a Quarter, Side, or Whole beef. Fill out the form and submit with your deposit.  You are ordering directly from the producer.  We will be in touch throughout the entire process.

Process

Orders are processed first come first served. Expect to fill your freezer between July and October. Butcher dates are booked months in advance.

Delivery

We welcome you to visit the ranch or to meet us at our pickup location in Calgary on delivery day. Your order may also be picked up at the butcher.

Select Cuts

Select Cuts, Sausage, Beef Jerky, Soup Bones, and More!

Order beef by the piece. The Farm Store stays well-stocked all year long. Check out the Select Cuts page for availability and email to order.
Select Cuts