06/17/2026
If you’ve purchased a beef share, you may have paid hundred$ for fat.
A well-finished steer has a thick white fat cap covering the entire carcass. Look at the photo. See all that white? That fat can easily weigh 75 pounds or more.
Most beef shares are priced by hanging weight. That means you’re paying for the animal exactly as it hangs in the cooler — fat cap and all. At $6+ a pound, that fat alone could cost you $450.
So what happens to it?
If the processor trims it properly and it doesn’t come home with you.. you paid for it and got nothing back.
If it does come home with you, it goes in your freezer, and then maybe your trash?
The cuts are properly trimmed, you get the fat, and you render it into tallow.
Hanging weight pricing is common and it can be fair. But many people buying beef shares have never had this explained to them and they’re writing big checks without knowing what they’re actually paying for.
Before you buy, ask three questions:
— Hanging weight or take-home weight?
— What’s my expected take-home yield?
— Am I getting charged for fat, bones, and offal?
If your farmer can’t answer all three, that’s information too.
