Quick Answer
Half a cow in North Carolina costs $2,200-2,800 ($9.50-13.00/lb per pound take-home). There are 6 local suppliers to choose from. Best time to buy: May-June. Both grass-fed and grain-finished options available.
North Carolina is undergoing a profound agricultural transformation from a 'nursery' state (raising calves for Midwest feedlots) to a growing direct-to-consumer market. The state maintains approximately 720,000 cattle, with production shaped by the 'Fescue Belt' ecology and the legacy of tobacco farmers transitioning to livestock after the 2004 quota buyout.
Half cow: $2,200-2,800
Hanging weight: $4.75-7.97/lb
Take-home: $9.50-13.00/lb
Peak season: May-June
The 'spring flush' (late May through June) is the premier harvest window—cattle gorge on lush, reproductive-phase grasses with maximum energy content before summer heat sets in. The fall rebound (October-November) offers a secondary peak as temperatures cool and fescue enters its second growth phase. Avoid August-September when the 'summer slump' from fescue toxicosis can reduce meat quality.
Black Angus, Charolais, Simmental, Senepol, Belted Galloway
Typical practice: Mixed (pasture-raised, grain-finished)
MeatSuite.com (managed by NC Choices/NC State Extension) is the definitive platform for finding bulk beef by zip code. In dairy-heavy areas, verify you're buying beef breeds—Holstein beef is common and has different characteristics. Live animal purchases are sales tax exempt in NC under G.S. 105-164.13(4b).
Asheboro
★5.0(6)Piedmont, North Carolina grass-fed beef. Whole cow $8.35/lb, half cow $8.85/lb hanging weight. Serves Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham areas.
Monroe
★5.0(18)North Carolina and Georgia cattle farm specializing in Wagyu beef. Premium quality from a dedicated family operation.
Chapel Hill
★4.8(871)Chapel Hill, North Carolina farm offering whole, half, quarter, or eighth cow. Pricing based on packaged weight (not hanging weight) includes processing.
Stedman
★4.7(14)Stedman, North Carolina farm selling cow bundles from whole to quarter. Delivery within 100 miles of Fayetteville NC.
Concord
Concord area North Carolina farm offering large-size beef quantities for families looking to stock up or split with others. Hanging weight typically 600-700 lbs for whole cow.
Mooresville
North Carolina beef farm offering half and whole cows at competitive pricing. Quality local beef direct from the farm.
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Explore suppliers in neighboring states - many offer delivery or are worth the drive.
A half cow in NC costs $2,200-2,800 total. At $5.50/lb hanging weight (360 lbs), you pay ~$1,980 for the meat, plus $50 kill fee (half share) and $1.35/lb processing (~$486), totaling ~$2,516. Your take-home yield is about 234 lbs, making effective cost ~$10.75/lb for everything from ground beef to ribeyes.
Yellow fat is a hallmark of cattle finished on lush, green pasture, common during North Carolina's 'spring flush' (May-June). The color comes from beta-carotene, a pigment in fresh grass that cattle store in their fat. Grain-fed beef has white fat because grain is low in beta-carotene. It indicates high Vitamin A and E content—a quality marker, not a defect.
NC lies in the heart of the Fescue Belt where toxic Kentucky-31 fescue dominates pastures. The grass harbors an endophyte fungus that produces toxins causing 'fescue toxicosis'—cattle can't regulate body temperature in summer heat, reducing weight gain. This creates the 'summer slump' quality risk. Ask producers about their fescue management strategy.
Informally, yes. However, under Custom Exempt regulations, the 'owner' of the animal is the client. Designate one person as the primary buyer to pay the farmer and submit the cut sheet, then settle costs privately. Asking a processor to split a quarter into two separate orders often incurs extra fees or is refused.
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