Buying Half a Cow, Explained: What You Get, What It Costs, and Where It All Fits
Ask The Farmers — straight answers from Michael & Carolyn Emeny, 4th-generation Mudgee farmers and owner/operators of Mudgee Meat
Buying a share of a beast — what most people search as "half a cow" — gets you between 18kg and 40kg of vacuum-sealed, freezer-ready beef that's 100% grass-fed and grass-finished (it never touches grain), cut into steaks, roasts, mince and sausages, for around $23–24 per kilo across the lot. We're Michael and Carolyn Emeny — 4th-generation farmers from Mudgee in the NSW Central Tablelands, and the founders of Mudgee Meat. We've been breaking down beasts for Australian families every week since 2012, so we know exactly what ends up in the box — no mystery, no fine print. Here's what you actually get, what it costs, and how much freezer space you'll need — answered the way we'd tell a mate over the farm gate.
First, let's get the terminology right
This is the bit that trips most people up, so let's sort it out before we talk cuts and dollars.
A beast is the whole animal. When it's butchered, it's split down the backbone into two sides — so a side is half a beast. Each side then breaks down into quarters.
So when you see our Half Side pack, that's half of a side — a quarter of the beast. And our Quarter Side pack is a quarter of a side — an eighth of the beast. If you've been searching "buy half a cow" and wondering why pack weights vary so wildly between suppliers, this is why: some are quoting shares of the animal, others shares of the side, and plenty aren't clear about which.
We work in sides because that's how butchers have always worked, and because a full side of yearling beef is more meat than most families can store or eat before it's time for the next one. That's why we don't sell whole or half beef bodies at all — our biggest beef pack is the Half Side (a quarter of the beast), and for nearly every household we deliver to, a Quarter or Half Side is the right amount.
Lamb and pork are a different story. They're much smaller animals, so a whole body is a manageable amount of meat — which is why we do sell our Grass-Fed Full Lamb (typically 22kg) and Half Lamb, and full and half pork packs. A whole lamb fits where a whole beef body simply doesn't.
What's actually in the box
We raise yearling beef — young cattle that are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished, with no grain and no feedlot at any stage, which gives you tender, consistent eating right across the animal (we'll cover exactly what "yearling" means in another article). Every pack is cut by our butchers in Mudgee, vacuum-sealed by the piece or the meal, and packed ready for the freezer.
Yearling Beef Quarter Side — minimum 18kg, typically 20kg ($459):
Scotch fillet steaks x2, T-bone steaks x2, porterhouse steaks x2, rump steaks x4, BBQ blade steaks x2, boneless blade steaks x2, round steaks x2, osso bucco, a rolled roast, a topside roast, a silverside roast, 2kg diced beef, 3kg premium mince and 3kg sausages — plus off-cuts trimmed for soup or your pet. Prefer minute steaks to a topside roast? Just pick that option at checkout.
Yearling Beef Half Side PLUS Whole Eye Fillet — minimum 36kg ($869):
Double everything above, plus a whole eye fillet. That's the pack for big families, or two households going halves — which, by the way, is exactly how country families have always done it.
The spread matters. A beast isn't all scotch fillet, and an honest butcher won't pretend it is. You get premium steaks for the weekend, roasts for Sunday, and mince, sausages and slow-cooking cuts that carry the weeknights. Learning to use the whole animal is where the value is — and frankly, it's how meat is supposed to be eaten.
What it costs (and how it actually stacks up)
At the time of writing, the Quarter Side works out at roughly $23–25 per kilo and the Half Side about $24 per kilo — for everything in the box, eye fillet included. No sneaky delivery surcharge buried at checkout, no "from" price that only applies to the smallest box on the page.
Here's how that lines up against the other Aussie meat-box players, based on pricing live on their sites as we wrote this (worth a quick check yourself before you buy — box prices move):
| Pack | Price | Weight | Price per kg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mudgee Meat | Quarter Side (whole-animal share) | $459 | 18–20kg | ~$23–25/kg |
| Mudgee Meat | Half Side + Whole Eye Fillet (whole-animal share) | $869 | 36kg+ | ~$24/kg |
| ButcherCrowd | Beef Box, small (curated cuts) | $169 | up to 5kg | ~$34/kg |
| ButcherCrowd | Beef Box, large (curated cuts) | $279 | up to 9kg | ~$31/kg |
| Our Cow | Beef Box (curated cuts) | $167.99 | ~3.4kg | ~$49/kg |
So kilo for kilo, a Mudgee Meat share costs roughly 25–45% less than a curated box from either competitor. The gap comes down to what you're actually buying: ButcherCrowd and Our Cow sell you a rotating handful of cuts someone else has picked, box after box. We sell you the whole animal, portioned once — no ongoing curation fee built into the price.
There's another difference worth knowing before you order from anyone: ButcherCrowd and Our Cow both ship their meat frozen. Ours never is. Every Mudgee Meat pack is shipped chilled — not frozen — vacuum-sealed and packed in fully recyclable boxes and insulation, so it arrives fridge-cold and ready for you to decide what goes in the freezer tonight and what goes in the pan.
A Quarter or Half Side is the whole animal, portioned once, sitting in your freezer for months. There's no ongoing box to manage, no rotating selection to keep track of — you buy it, you own it, and you work through it at your own pace. That's the actual difference, and it's why the per-kilo number comes in lower: you're buying direct from the farm that raised the animal, not paying someone else to curate a smaller box of it for you.
Two honest caveats, because we'd rather you buy once and come back than buy wrong:
- It's a lump sum. $459 or $869 up front is real money, even though it's cheaper per meal. If that doesn't suit your cash flow, our smaller variety packs spread the same farm-direct quality into smaller boxes.
- You get the whole spread. If your household truly only eats steak, a share isn't your pack — you'd be better off with our choice cuts.
If a share suits you, ordering it on Meat on Repeat locks the price for 12 months and makes delivery free (a saving of $24–$50 depending on where you live). You skip, pause, reschedule, cancel, or edit your subscription anytime — nobody should feel locked in.
How much freezer space do I need?
The question we get most. Rule of thumb: 1 kilo of packed meat takes up about 1 litre of freezer space — allow a little extra for easy packing.
- Quarter Side (≈20kg): around 20–25 litres — it packs easily into the freezer of a standard family fridge-freezer (typically about 140 litres).
- Half Side (≈36kg): around 40–45 litres — still comfortable in most standard freezers if you pack well, easy in any chest freezer.
Because everything is vacuum-sealed flat by our butchers, it stacks like bricks rather than jumbling like a bag of footballs. Vacuum-sealed beef keeps its quality in the freezer for 12 months or more — so even a Half Side has plenty of runway for a family working through it at normal pace.
How it gets from our paddock to your freezer
Orders close Sunday 6pm. Your beast is butchered in our purpose-built Mudgee facility early in the week, packed, and delivered chilled — never frozen — to your door between Thursday and the following Monday depending on where you are in Australia, in fully recyclable insulated boxes — we deliver to over 90% of the Australian population, including every state except NT. It arrives fridge-cold and freezer-ready: unpack it straight in, and dinner's sorted for months.
Is a beast share right for you?
It's right for you if you've got the freezer space, you cook at home most nights, and you like the idea of one grass-fed animal, raised properly, feeding your family for months at a fair price — instead of picking through someone else's curated box every fortnight.
It's probably not right if you're a household of one or two with a standard freezer, or you want more control over every cut. We've got a host of smaller variety packs for someone like you, including the Premium BBQ, Budget BBQ, Weeknight Wonder, Party Platter or The Essentials — and finally The Two Pack — all designed for different uses.
Still not sure? Ask us. We answer our own emails — it's a family business, and that's rather the point.
FAQ
How much meat is half a cow?
A full beast splits into two sides, so "half a cow" is one side — typically 70–80kg of packed meat, more than most families can store. Our Half Side pack (a quarter of the beast) is a minimum of 36kg, and our Quarter Side is 18–20kg — the practical sizes for household freezers.
How much does a beast share cost?
Our Quarter Side is $459 (minimum 18kg, typically 20kg) and our Half Side with a whole eye fillet is $869 (minimum 36kg) — roughly $23–25 per kilo across steaks, roasts, mince and sausages, delivered chilled Australia-wide. That compares to roughly $31–34 per kilo for ButcherCrowd's Beef Box and around $49 per kilo for Our Cow's Beef Box.
How much freezer space do I need for a quarter side of beef?
About 1 litre per kilo of meat: roughly 20–25 litres for a Quarter Side and 40–45 litres for a Half Side. Vacuum-sealed packs stack flat, so they pack easily into a standard household freezer.
How long does vacuum-sealed beef last in the freezer?
Vacuum-sealed beef holds its quality for 12 months or more at –18°C — comfortably longer than it takes most families to eat through a share.
Can I choose my cuts?
The pack follows the animal — that's what makes it good value — but there are options: swap the topside roast for minute steaks at checkout, or add specific cutting and packing instructions to any beast purchase and our butchers will follow them. For more control, our variety packs and choice cuts are the go.
Do you deliver a beast share to my area?
We deliver chilled to over 90% of the Australian population, including every state except NT. Orders close Sunday 6pm and arrive between Thursday and the following Monday, depending on your location, in insulated packaging.
Is Mudgee Meat beef grass-fed or grain-fed?
100% grass-fed and grass-finished — our cattle never touch grain, at any stage, on any farm we work with.
Does Mudgee Meat freeze its meat before delivery?
No — every pack is shipped chilled, never frozen, vacuum-sealed and packed in fully recyclable boxes and insulation. It arrives fridge-cold and ready for you to decide what goes in the freezer.
Michael & Carolyn Emeny are 4th-generation farmers from Mudgee, NSW, and the founders of Mudgee Meat. Their family has farmed the Central Tablelands for over a century. Since 2012 they've delivered grass-fed beef and lamb, paddock-raised pork and bulk packs direct from their farm and butchery to families across Australia. Got a question for the farm gate? Ask the Farmers.