We offer 100% naturally raised, grass-fed beef/lamb to local consumers in the Sacramento, Amador and El Dorado county areas. Our livestock is raised on our ranch where they graze freely for most their entire lives. They never receive grain, growth hormones, or antibiotics.

The process for beef:

Step 1  

You let us know you'd like to purchase one of our steers. Since each animal yields approximately 600lbs of meat, we suggest you form a small buying group with friends, family, or neighbors who are also interested in buying grass-fed beef.

Most people find splitting the animal in halves or quarters works well. A quarter of beef will yield a good variety of steaks, roasts, stew meat, and ground beef.

Step 2  

We arrange the slaughter, which will take place at our ranch. The carcass is then taken to our local, full service butcher where it is dry aged for 2 weeks.

Step 3  

While your meat is aging, you call the butcher with your cutting instructions. They then cut and wrap your meat. They store it in their freezer until you are ready to pick it up.

Pricing:

BEEF:

   $3.50 per pound, hanging weight*

        (includes slaughter fee)

    .70 per pound, cutting and wrapping

    $20 per animal, splitting fee (quarters only)

    $10 per animal, rendering fee

*The "hanging weight" is the weight of a side of animal as it hangs while dry aging.  When the butcher transforms this side of beef into cuts of meat that most of us are familiar with, like roasts and steaks, there is about a 30% loss.  On an average animal the final price comes out to about $5 a pound.

LAMB:

   $2.00 per pound

    $40 slaughter fee per animal

    $70 butchering the entire animal

You can contact us two ways:

    email:darkhorseranch@comcast.net

    phone: (916)446-1344

The process for lamb:

... It’s basically the same.  There’s approximately 50lbs of meat for each animal.  It is ready to be butchered immediately.