Save on Meat, Buy Local, Taste Better!
We’re coming soon! Read more about how Half A Cow Online will work!
More than just cows!
Shop Your Local Farm
Any farm in Australia can easily set up a page for free.
Simply browse by map or postcode and find a farm near you.
Easy!
Choose Your Meat and Cuts
We’ve set up the site to make this as easy as possible for farmers and customers.
You can easily choose your meat cuts (with pictures) when ordering.
Less Carbon Footprint
Buying from a local farmer ensures that your cow will travel the least possible distance between farm and plate.
This is better for the planet, and generally less stress for the animal which results in better tasting meat.
Great Value
The best tasting meat you’ll ever eat. Local farms cause less stress to animals so the meat tastes better.
Smaller farms producing cattle on mostly natural pastures result in happier, healthier animals.
What happens to my meat?
It starts on the farm
The farmer will wait until they feel their animals are at their optimum weight and condition.
Depending on the breed and environmental conditions, some farmers may choose to finish their cows on Grass or Grain. Both provide nutrition for the animal, however grain fed beef can have a fattier taste.
Once they’re ready it’s onto a truck to be sent to an abattoir.
Next the abattoir
This is where your animal will go to be slaughtered humanely and safely.
Your animal MUST go to an Australian certified abattoir to be legally sold in Australia.
From here, your meat will head to a butcher.
Butcher Preparation
When you purchase your cow, the farmer will supply you with a digital “cut sheet” which is sent to the butcher. You can specify what how you’d prefer your meat to be prepared.
Butchers may also offer premium smallgoods for an additional fee such as sausages and bacon.
Once the meat is ready, It will be cut up and packaged into meal sized portions.
Collection or Delivery
Depending on the farm or butcher, you’ll have to collect your meat, or it may be delivered to you.
Make sure you’re willing and able to collect from the butchers nominated location!
Find your Local Farm
Which half of the cow am I getting ? or What Meats Cuts do I get?
It's not a literal quarter
Each cow is processed at an abbatoir, and the carcass is sent to the butcher.
Each customer will receive a “mixed quarter” so everybody gets roughly the same cuts of meat whether they order a quarter or a whole cow. The main difference will be the quantity of each cut.
Want more of a cut - order more cow!
If you want a freezer full of only eye fillets, then you’re going to need to speak to a meat wholesaler that buys hundreds of cows and splits them off into packages of different meat types.
These are known as supermarkets 🙂
With Half A Cow Online, you’re buying meat in bulk so you’ll get a little bit of everything. The more quarters of a cow you buy, the more meat you’ll get.
When ordering a cow, you can choose how it’s prepared, so you’ll get the opportunity to maximise how a quarter, half or whole cow will work for you and your family.
See our detailed breakdowns!
We’ve done the hard work and broken down a side of beef. See our photos, and get a detailed description of each cut!
Some cuts will have “options” which you may find on your ‘cut sheet’ when ordering. These instructions tell the butcher how you would like each portion of meat prepared to best suit your eating habbits.
If you’re ordering a beef box, or a very small portion of a “side of beef” you will generally not recieve any choices. In order to split a side of beef between 8 people, the meat must be cut and prepared a certain way.
However if you’re ordering a half side (quarter cow) or a whole side of beef, you’ll have a much greater selection of cut choices.
Explore The Farms
We have farm all over Australia!
When browsing our site, it’s best to find available farms who offer a delivery or pickup service near you!
Use our “farm finder” page to find your local farm!