Short answer: Wisconsin farms we checked post $3.50 to $8.00 per lb hanging weight for a half, with a median of $4.50 per lb hanging weight across the 19 sellers that post a current per-pound price for a half. The farms' own estimates for a half with processing run about $1,485 to $3,000. Sellers that price a half at one flat price ask $1,500 to $2,588. Your total depends on the animal's size, whether processing is included and how you have it cut. Buying a half stocks your freezer for months, and many farms let you choose your cuts.
Half-cow prices from farm websites (checked Oct 28, 2026)
| Farm | Half price as posted | Price basis | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Farms (Reedsburg) | $3.50; the farm estimates a half at $1,850 with processing | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to Baraboo Meat Market, about $0.80 per lb plus a $120 fee[1] |
| Kingbird Cattle (Crivitz) | $3.69; the farm estimates $1,485 to $1,710 with processing for 325 to 375 lb hanging; 2026 butcher dates have passed and the deposit shows out of stock | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to the butcher at pickup[2] |
| Weber Pastures (Cottage Grove) | $3.95, quarter or half | Per lb hanging weight | Extra[3] |
| Cedar Creek Ranch (Wittenberg) | $4.00 | Per lb hanging weight | Buyer pays the processor[4] |
| K & M Wink Farms (town not stated) | $4.10; the farm's average for a half with processing is about $1,949 | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to Ross' Locker, about $1.10 per lb hanging weight[5] |
| Morning Star Meadows Family Farm (Wausau) | $4.25 | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to the butcher: $0.60 per lb hanging weight plus a share of a $55 harvest fee[6] |
| Freedom Ridge Farms (Richland Center) | $4.25; the farm says a half averages about 350 lb hanging | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to Richland Locker, $0.80 per lb plus a share of the harvest fee[7] |
| Parker Farmstead (Viola) | $4.25; shares listed for early winter 2026 | Per lb hanging weight | Extra, about $1.00 per lb[8] |
| Spring Creeks Cattle Company (Boscobel) | $4.25 | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to the plant; the farm says about $200 to $250 per quarter[9] |
| Sauve Terre Farm (West Bend) | $4.50; the farm says a half averages 325 lb hanging | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to the butcher, about $240 for a half[10] |
| May Hill Farm (Campbellsport) | $4.50 grain-finished, or $6.00 grass-finished | Per lb hanging weight | Extra[11] |
| Kieckhoefer Family Farm (New Richmond) | $5.25 (current as of January 2026) | Per lb hanging weight | Extra, about $1.10 per lb plus $33 per quarter[12] |
| Six Sons Farm (Sauk City) | $5.30; 2026 harvest dates sold out | Per lb hanging weight | Paid to Natural Harvest[13] |
| Booth Family Farm (Delavan) | Price for new orders not posted; the farm says new orders follow current market pricing | Per lb hanging weight | Paid separately, about $0.76 per lb for halves[14] |
| Starry Nights Farm (town not stated) | $6.50; the farm's example is 285 lb = $1,852.50, plus $395 processing = $2,247.50; 2026 harvest reservations sold out | Per lb hanging weight | Paid at the processor[15] |
| Champlin's Sugar Creek Farm (Ferryville) | $6.79; the farm estimates $2,300 to $3,000 for 330 to 440 lb hanging; sold out for 2026 | Per lb hanging weight | Included[16] |
| Viola Farm (Hartland) | $6.79; December 2026 halves sold out | Per lb hanging weight | Included[17] |
| Farmcraft (Plymouth) | $7.49, the total price; 2026 halves sold out | Per lb hanging weight | Included[18] |
| Wisconsin Meadows, a cooperative of member farms (Viroqua) | $7.49 (as of 4/1/2026) | Per lb hanging weight | Included, with delivery or pickup[19] |
| Modern Frontier Farms (Dousman) | $8.00 | Per lb hanging weight | Included, with delivery in range[20] |
| Peters Beef (Plover) | $1,500 for about 180 lb of beef | Flat price | Not stated[21] |
| Lutz Family Farms (Amherst Junction) | Grain-finished half: $910 deposit, which the farm says is half the price, so about $1,820 (our arithmetic). Grass-fed half: $880 deposit, so about $1,760, for about 160 lb of beef | Flat price | Included[22] |
| Mastodon Valley Farm (Viola) | $2,550 for about 180 lb | Flat price | Included[23] |
| Waseda Farms (Baileys Harbor) | $2,588 for about 210 lb of beef | Flat price | Included[24] |
Hanging weight vs. what you take home
Most Wisconsin farms charge by hanging weight, the weight of the carcass before it's cut. You take home less once bone and trim come off. Kingbird Cattle says a quarter that hangs 160 to 190 lb gives about 90 to 110 lb of cut beef.[2] Spring Creeks Cattle Company says its typical quarter hangs about 225 lb and yields around 150 lb.[9] Hanging-weight and take-home-weight prices aren't directly comparable. Hanging-weight prices are charged on the carcass weight before cutting, so you take home less than that weight. Ask the farm what's included.
Is processing included?
Ask before you compare, because it changes the math. Farmcraft, Champlin's Sugar Creek Farm, Viola Farm, Modern Frontier Farms, Mastodon Valley Farm, Waseda Farms, Lutz Family Farms and the Wisconsin Meadows cooperative say processing is in their price. Gavin Farms, Kingbird Cattle, K & M Wink Farms, Morning Star Meadows, Freedom Ridge Farms, Parker Farmstead, Kieckhoefer Family Farm, Sauve Terre Farm, Six Sons Farm, Booth Family Farm and Starry Nights Farm have you pay the butcher separately. Where farms post a butcher rate, it's about $0.60 to $1.10 per lb hanging weight, sometimes plus a harvest or butchering fee (Morning Star Meadows, Freedom Ridge Farms, Gavin Farms and Kieckhoefer Family Farm). That helps explain why sellers that include processing sit near the top of the price list: their lowest posted rates have a median of $6.79 per lb hanging weight, against $4.25 for farms that bill processing separately.
Grass-finished vs. grain-finished
May Hill Farm prices both, which makes for a clean comparison: $6.00 per lb hanging weight grass-finished against $4.50 grain-finished.[11] The top half rates on the list come from sellers that describe their beef as grass-fed, and all of them also include processing: Modern Frontier Farms ($8.00), the Wisconsin Meadows cooperative and Farmcraft ($7.49), and Champlin's Sugar Creek Farm and Viola Farm ($6.79). It isn't a rule, though. Kingbird Cattle sells 100% grass-fed beef at $3.69 per lb hanging weight for a half, with processing paid separately.
Budget for these too
- Deposit: Wisconsin farms that post one ask about $100 to $500 to hold a half (Morning Star Meadows asks $50 per quarter, so $100 for a half; Modern Frontier Farms asks $500). Some say it's non-refundable, so read the terms.
- Butcher fees: if processing isn't included, budget for it. Sauve Terre Farm puts its average butcher bill for a half at $240.
- Freezer space: a half needs about 8 cubic feet.[25]
- Timing: good shares go early. Champlin's Sugar Creek Farm, Six Sons Farm, Farmcraft, Viola Farm and Starry Nights Farm show their 2026 shares as sold out, and Kingbird Cattle's 2026 butcher dates have passed. May Hill Farm, Modern Frontier Farms, Parker Farmstead and Lutz Family Farms are taking reservations now.
FAQ
How much is half a cow in Wisconsin?
Farms we checked post $3.50 to $8.00 per lb hanging weight for a half, with a median of $4.50 per lb hanging weight. The farms' own estimates for a half with processing run about $1,485 to $3,000, and flat-price halves run $1,500 to $2,588.
Does the price include processing?
Sometimes. Farmcraft, Champlin's Sugar Creek Farm, Modern Frontier Farms and the Wisconsin Meadows cooperative include it. Others, like Gavin Farms, Kingbird Cattle, Freedom Ridge Farms and Sauve Terre Farm, have you pay the butcher separately. Where farms post a butcher rate, it's about $0.60 to $1.10 per lb hanging weight, sometimes plus a harvest fee.
How much meat is in half a cow?
It depends on the animal and the cuts. For example, Waseda Farms lists about 210 lb of beef for a half, Peters Beef and Mastodon Valley Farm about 180 lb, Starry Nights Farm about 175 lb, and Lutz Family Farms about 160 lb for a grass-fed half.
Other states: How much does half a cow cost in Florida? · How much does half a cow cost in Michigan? · How much does half a cow cost in Indiana? · How much does half a cow cost in Ohio? · How much does half a cow cost in Pennsylvania? · How much does half a cow cost in Texas?
Sources
- Gavin Farms (Reedsburg, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Kingbird Cattle (Crivitz, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Weber Pastures (Cottage Grove, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Cedar Creek Ranch (Wittenberg, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- K & M Wink Farms (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Morning Star Meadows Family Farm (Wausau, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Freedom Ridge Farms (Richland Center, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Parker Farmstead (Viola, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Spring Creeks Cattle Company (Boscobel, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Sauve Terre Farm (West Bend, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- May Hill Farm (Campbellsport, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Kieckhoefer Family Farm (New Richmond, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Six Sons Farm (Sauk City, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Booth Family Farm (Delavan, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Starry Nights Farm (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Champlin's Sugar Creek Farm (Ferryville, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Viola Farm (Hartland, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Farmcraft (Plymouth, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Wisconsin Meadows (Viroqua, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Modern Frontier Farms (Dousman, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Peters Beef (Plover, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Lutz Family Farms (Amherst Junction, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Mastodon Valley Farm (Viola, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- Waseda Farms (Baileys Harbor, WI) (seen Oct 28, 2026)
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Bulletin #1071: What To Expect When Buying A Freezer Beef (extension bulletin)
Prices on this page are examples from the farm websites listed in Sources, checked on Oct 28, 2026, plus our own arithmetic, and they can change. Each farm sets its own prices and terms. Beef Share Finder isn't the seller and isn't part of your purchase, so confirm the price, what it includes and the deposit terms with the farm before you pay.