Short answer: Across 268 farms we list in 8 states, the 122 that post a hanging-weight price ask $3.00 to $10.05 per lb hanging weight, using each farm's lowest posted rate, with a median of $5.75. The middle half of those farms charge between $4.50 and $7.00. The 36 farms that sell a half at one set price ask $1,500 to $3,750, with a median of $2,569. What's included varies, so check whether processing is in the price before you compare.
Half-cow prices by state (checked Oct 27–29, 2026)
| State | Farms listed | Checked | Farms posting a price per lb hanging weight | Lowest posted rate, any share size | Median | Farms with a set half price | Set half prices | Processing: separate / included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 41 | Oct 27, 2026 | 11 | $4.50 to $8.00 | $7.00 | 10 | $2,750 to $3,750 | 8 / 14 |
| Michigan | 48 | Oct 27, 2026 | 25 | $3.00 to $8.50 | $4.75 | 0 | None current (North Branch Ranch's $2,400 is listed under a 2025 heading) | 30 / 2 |
| Indiana | 28 | Oct 27, 2026 | 8 | $3.75 to $7.00 | $4.73 | 7 | $1,550 to $2,750 | 12 / 4 |
| Ohio | 31 | Oct 27, 2026 | 14 | $3.95 to $9.49 | $5.47 | 3 | $1,999 to $2,200 | 11 / 9 |
| Pennsylvania | 29 | Oct 28, 2026 | 14 | $3.50 to $7.50 | $5.88 | 2 | $2,200 to $2,700 | 9 / 7 |
| Wisconsin | 31 | Oct 28, 2026 | 20 | $3.50 to $7.50 | $4.38 | 3 | $1,500 to $2,588 | 16 / 10 |
| Texas | 34 | Oct 28, 2026 | 20 | $5.00 to $10.05 | $7.00 | 6 | $1,500 to $3,317.61 | 2 / 18 |
| Missouri | 26 | Oct 29, 2026 | 10 | $4.00 to $7.25 | $5.80 | 5 | $1,800 to $2,750 | 8 / 8 |
| All 8 states | 268 | 122 | $3.00 to $10.05 | $5.75 | 36 | $1,500 to $3,750 (median $2,569) | 96 / 72 |
Rates are each farm's lowest posted price per lb hanging weight, for any share size. The rest of the farms charge a flat price, price by take-home or live weight, or don't post a price. Each state links to its own cost guide, which quotes the rate for a half on its own. That rate can run a little higher than a farm's lowest rate, because many farms charge less per pound for a whole. For example, Texas farms post $5.15 to $11.00 per lb hanging weight for a half (median $7.50), and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin farms post $3.50 to $8.00.
What a half costs once you do the math
Most farms that post a per-pound price charge by hanging weight, the weight of the carcass before it's cut, and many bill processing on top. Farm examples show how the total comes together:
- Kaminski Farms (Michigan): at $4.50 per lb hanging weight, the farm estimates a half at about $1,700 for the beef. Processing is about $200 per quarter, paid to the butcher, so about $2,100 in all.[1]
- Starry Nights Farm (Wisconsin): 285 lb at $6.50 per lb hanging weight is $1,852.50, plus $395 processing, $2,247.50 in all.[2]
- Hosman Cattle Co (Missouri): an average half of 420 lb hanging comes to about $2,310 with about $525 processing.[3]
- Bastrop Cattle Co. (Texas): a 210 lb half at $10.75 per lb hanging weight is $2,257.50.[4]
- Belvedere Farmstead (Ohio): half of a 600 lb carcass is $2,847 to the farm plus about $450 to $500 to the butcher.[5]
Live-weight, hanging-weight and take-home-weight prices aren't directly comparable. Live weight is the whole animal before slaughter, hanging weight is the carcass before cutting, and you take home less than either. Ask the farm what's included and what processing costs extra.
Is processing included?
It depends on the farm, and it moves the total by hundreds of dollars. Of the 268 farms, 96 say you pay for processing separately, 72 say it's included, and the rest don't say. Texas leans the other way from the Midwest: 18 of 34 Texas farms include processing, while 30 of 48 Michigan farms bill it separately. Where farms post a processing rate, about four in five fall between $0.75 and $1.25 per lb hanging weight, and the median is about $0.95. Some processors add a flat kill or harvest fee per animal.
Why prices vary so much
- What's in the price: a set half price that includes processing and delivery isn't the same as a per-pound hanging price with the butcher billed later.
- Breed and finishing: grass-finished beef and Wagyu sit near the top. The highest set price is an American Wagyu half from Everglades Ranch in Florida, at $3,750. Batchelder Family Farms in Missouri prices both finishes: $8.00 per lb hanging weight grass-finished against $6.50 for grass-fed, grain-finished beef.
- State: the median lowest rate runs from $4.38 per lb hanging weight in Wisconsin to $7.00 in Florida and Texas.
FAQ
How much is half a cow?
Across 268 farms in 8 states, the 122 that post a hanging-weight price ask $3.00 to $10.05 per lb hanging weight, with a median of $5.75. Farms that sell a half at one set price ask $1,500 to $3,750, with a median of $2,569.
Does the price of half a cow include processing?
Sometimes. Of the 268 farms we list, 96 say processing is paid separately and 72 say it's included. Where farms post a processing rate, most charge $0.75 to $1.25 per lb hanging weight.
Is half a cow cheaper by the pound than a quarter?
Usually, at farms that post both. For example, Red Barn Ranch in Missouri lists $4.60 per lb hanging weight for a quarter and $4.35 for a half, and Starry Nights Farm in Wisconsin lists $6.70 for a quarter and $6.50 for a half.
Sources
- Kaminski Farms (Three Oaks, MI) (seen Oct 27–29, 2026)
- Starry Nights Farm (seen Oct 27–29, 2026)
- Hosman Cattle Co (Ash Grove, MO) (seen Oct 27–29, 2026)
- Bastrop Cattle Co. (Bastrop, TX) (seen Oct 27–29, 2026)
- Belvedere Farmstead (Wadsworth, OH) (seen Oct 27–29, 2026)
- Florida: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Michigan: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Indiana: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Ohio: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Pennsylvania: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Wisconsin: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Texas: farm-by-farm prices and sources
- Missouri: farm-by-farm prices and sources
Prices on this page are examples from the farm websites listed in Sources, checked on Oct 27–29, 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.