Glossary of Beef Terms...
100% USDA Inspected - The US Department of Agriculture, by law, must inspect all beef at the beef processing facility if it is to be sold to consumers. USDA Inspection is expensive for the processing company and those processors that choose to implement USDA Inspection always reflect this expense in what they charge to beef producers or even consumers. It costs upward of $700 for Five Oaks Family Farm to have a single steer processed by a USDA Inspected processing facility. When you buy beef from other producers, always make sure you understand who is going to pay for the processing, as some producers will ask you to interface with and possibly pay for the processing.
Aged Beef - Beef can be aged to improve it's flavor and tenderness. In earlier years most beef was 'dry aged'. Letting the beef 'dry age' naturally is costly and time consuming so commercial beef is now packaged and frozen immediately following butchering. Now, dry aged beef is usually only found in select high quality steak houses and fine restaurants, at a much higher price!
Dry aging is done by hanging the carcass in a cool (33-35 degree) meat locker with high humidity (85-90%) for anywhere from 5 to 21 days. Five Oaks Family Farm dry ages it's beef for 14 days to optimize juiciness, flavor and tenderness.
Beef Processing - The killing and cutting of the bovine into the cuts of meat that we recognize from the market. At Five Oaks Family Farm, we treat our animals with respect and care and we insist on humane slaughter and processing from our processors.
Bull - An 'intact' (not castrated) male bovine of any age.
Calf - A young male or female bovine. Calves are usually referred to by their gender, e.g.; bull calf, steer calf or heifer calf.
Cow - An older, mature female bovine. Before a cow has been bred and produced a calf, she is referred to as a heifer. Cows typically live for 12 to 16 years of age.
Freezer Beef - A segment of the beef processing industry where beef is produced, usually by small owner operated farms exclusively for sale direct to consumers in larger quantities than are available in markets. Prices are generally better, and quality higher than in the market and consumers can speak directly with producers to assure themselves of a natural, healthy and delicious product for their families.
Gestation Period - The time between when a cow or heifer is bred (becomes pregnant) and when the calf is born. In humans, the gestation period is about 9 months and in bovines it is about 9 1/2 months.
Grass Fed - Beef that is raised on a pasture wherein the bovines principal food stuff is grass.
Grain Finished - Grass fed beef that has been fed a diet consisting of grass and grain, usually corn for several months before processing. This approach provides beef with all the advantages of grass feeding plus the enhanced flavor and tenderness resulting from the grain.
Half Beef (Side of Beef) - A Half Beef, sometimes referred to as a Side of Beef, is as the name implies half of the animal (usually either a steer or a heifer) that has been processed, aged, packaged and frozen. Beef frozen in this manner will last without any loss of quality for at least a year. For example, a side of a 1200 pound (live weight) steer will yield approximately 216 pounds of packaged beef for your freezer.
Heifer - A young female bovine who has not yet been bred. Beef heifers are usually bred to produce their first calf at about 24 months of age.
Primal Cuts - The major sections into which a processed carcass is divided. These are Loin, Round, Rib, Flank, etc.
Split Side (Quarter) - A Quarter Beef, sometimes referred to as a Split Side of Beef, is as the name implies a quarter of the animal (usually either a steer or a heifer) that has been processed, aged, packaged and flash frozen. Beef frozen in this manner will last without any loss of quality for at least a year in your freezer. A Quarter is a little different than a Side in that when you buy a Side of Beef, it doesn't matter which side (left or right) that you get because both are the same. When you buy a Quarter of Beef you would think that you would receive either the front half of a side or the back half of a side. The problem is that these halves of the side contain different cuts of meat. The person getting the Quarter that came from the front half of a side would generally get less valuable cuts of meat than the person who happened to get the back half of the side. To ensure that all those buying a Quarter from Five Oaks Family Farm get the same cuts of meat, the Side is split into two equal shares of meat with each share getting cuts of meat from the front and the back. A Quarter divided this way is sometimes referred to as a Split Side. For example, a Quarter of a 1200 pound (live weight) steer will yield approximately 108 pounds of packaged beef for your freezer.
Steer - A castrated male bovine of any age, although a Steer younger than about a year is referred to as a Steer calf.
Sub Primal Cuts - These cuts are produced from the primal cuts and more closely resemble the cuts that we are familiar with in the market.
Whole Beef - As the name implies, the whole animal (usually either a steer or a heifer) that has been processed, aged, packaged and frozen. Beef frozen in this manner will last without any loss of quality for at least a year. The whole beef will represent approximately 36% of the live weight of the animal that was processed. For example, a 1200 pound (live weight) steer will yield approximately 432 pounds of packaged beef for your freezer.
Aged Beef - Beef can be aged to improve it's flavor and tenderness. In earlier years most beef was 'dry aged'. Letting the beef 'dry age' naturally is costly and time consuming so commercial beef is now packaged and frozen immediately following butchering. Now, dry aged beef is usually only found in select high quality steak houses and fine restaurants, at a much higher price!
Dry aging is done by hanging the carcass in a cool (33-35 degree) meat locker with high humidity (85-90%) for anywhere from 5 to 21 days. Five Oaks Family Farm dry ages it's beef for 14 days to optimize juiciness, flavor and tenderness.
Beef Processing - The killing and cutting of the bovine into the cuts of meat that we recognize from the market. At Five Oaks Family Farm, we treat our animals with respect and care and we insist on humane slaughter and processing from our processors.
Bull - An 'intact' (not castrated) male bovine of any age.
Calf - A young male or female bovine. Calves are usually referred to by their gender, e.g.; bull calf, steer calf or heifer calf.
Cow - An older, mature female bovine. Before a cow has been bred and produced a calf, she is referred to as a heifer. Cows typically live for 12 to 16 years of age.
Freezer Beef - A segment of the beef processing industry where beef is produced, usually by small owner operated farms exclusively for sale direct to consumers in larger quantities than are available in markets. Prices are generally better, and quality higher than in the market and consumers can speak directly with producers to assure themselves of a natural, healthy and delicious product for their families.
Gestation Period - The time between when a cow or heifer is bred (becomes pregnant) and when the calf is born. In humans, the gestation period is about 9 months and in bovines it is about 9 1/2 months.
Grass Fed - Beef that is raised on a pasture wherein the bovines principal food stuff is grass.
Grain Finished - Grass fed beef that has been fed a diet consisting of grass and grain, usually corn for several months before processing. This approach provides beef with all the advantages of grass feeding plus the enhanced flavor and tenderness resulting from the grain.
Half Beef (Side of Beef) - A Half Beef, sometimes referred to as a Side of Beef, is as the name implies half of the animal (usually either a steer or a heifer) that has been processed, aged, packaged and frozen. Beef frozen in this manner will last without any loss of quality for at least a year. For example, a side of a 1200 pound (live weight) steer will yield approximately 216 pounds of packaged beef for your freezer.
Heifer - A young female bovine who has not yet been bred. Beef heifers are usually bred to produce their first calf at about 24 months of age.
Primal Cuts - The major sections into which a processed carcass is divided. These are Loin, Round, Rib, Flank, etc.
Split Side (Quarter) - A Quarter Beef, sometimes referred to as a Split Side of Beef, is as the name implies a quarter of the animal (usually either a steer or a heifer) that has been processed, aged, packaged and flash frozen. Beef frozen in this manner will last without any loss of quality for at least a year in your freezer. A Quarter is a little different than a Side in that when you buy a Side of Beef, it doesn't matter which side (left or right) that you get because both are the same. When you buy a Quarter of Beef you would think that you would receive either the front half of a side or the back half of a side. The problem is that these halves of the side contain different cuts of meat. The person getting the Quarter that came from the front half of a side would generally get less valuable cuts of meat than the person who happened to get the back half of the side. To ensure that all those buying a Quarter from Five Oaks Family Farm get the same cuts of meat, the Side is split into two equal shares of meat with each share getting cuts of meat from the front and the back. A Quarter divided this way is sometimes referred to as a Split Side. For example, a Quarter of a 1200 pound (live weight) steer will yield approximately 108 pounds of packaged beef for your freezer.
Steer - A castrated male bovine of any age, although a Steer younger than about a year is referred to as a Steer calf.
Sub Primal Cuts - These cuts are produced from the primal cuts and more closely resemble the cuts that we are familiar with in the market.
Whole Beef - As the name implies, the whole animal (usually either a steer or a heifer) that has been processed, aged, packaged and frozen. Beef frozen in this manner will last without any loss of quality for at least a year. The whole beef will represent approximately 36% of the live weight of the animal that was processed. For example, a 1200 pound (live weight) steer will yield approximately 432 pounds of packaged beef for your freezer.
