Where's the beef? It's right here!
North Carolina's best finished beef!
Terrace Ridge Farm is proud to offer our all-natural, finished, pasture-raised beef! Are you tired of high beef prices? Are you worried about what goes into your family's beef? We are too, and that is why we offer the best finished beef in central North Carolina - straight from our farm to your freezer!
Terrace Ridge Farm Answers Your Questions!
Why Terrace Ridge Farm Beef?
How is Terrace Ridge Farm's beef sold?
How is Terrace Ridge Farm's beef sold?
Learn how Terrace Ridge Farm makes your taste buds happy!
How is Terrace Ridge Farm's beef sold?
How is Terrace Ridge Farm's beef sold?
How is Terrace Ridge Farm's beef sold?
Learn how Terrace Ridge Farm makes your wallet happy!
How much freezer space do I need?
Which cuts can I get with a bulk order?
Which cuts can I get with a bulk order?
Learn how much freezer space you need to store your vacuum-packed Terrace Ridge Farm beef and keep it just as delectable as the day it came home from the butcher!
Which cuts can I get with a bulk order?
Which cuts can I get with a bulk order?
Which cuts can I get with a bulk order?
Learn what cuts are available for the amount of beef you order (1/4, 1/2 or whole).
Here's the Beef!
Why Terrace Ridge Farm Beef?
To produce high-quality beef, the first step is to raise high-quality cows. That's why we always start with excellent breeds of beef cattle, such as Angus, Hereford, and Charolais, hand selected from producers who share the same philosophy we do. To become Terrace Ridge beef, these cattle are "finished" using grass, hay, and a special feed developed right here at Terrace Ridge Farm to maximize flavor, marbling and tenderness. 100% grass-fed beef is available as well. At Terrace Ridge Farm, it is about choice - YOU choose what's best for your family!
Terrace Ridge Farm beef is as natural as we can make it . . .
We do NOT needlessly feed our cattle antibiotics or medicated feeds. We do NOT implant our cattle with growth hormones. We do NOT confine our cattle to feedlots or feed them a high-grain diet to pack on the fat just before slaughter. Our beef is NOT laced with preservatives. We feed our cattle a sensible diet, treat them humanely, and tend to them if they get sick. That's how we make Terrace Ridge Farm beef as natural as we can make it!
What is "Finished" Beef?
"Finishing" is a process in which we feed our cows a varied diet to bring them to the perfect size and weight to make the best beef at slaughter. Simply put, finished beef is better beef. Today, many producers are butchering smaller cows, in the 800-900 lb range, due to the pressure on the market to produce more beef quicker. But quality cannot be rushed. Terrace Ridge Farm monitors our beef to bring our beef to their best "finished" weight, usually 1,000-1,300 lbs. Finishing beef this way means we bring our cows to their full potential - producing better marbling and a better flavor profile. This is why Terrace Ridge Farm beef cows will dress out between 55% and 63% of their live weight and then yield 65%-75% of the dressed weight. This means more beef for you!
How are Terrace Ridge Farm cows "Finished"?
Cows are social and curious animals who enjoy a varied diet. During the "finishing" process, Terrace Ridge Farm cows are spoiled with a smorgasbord of dietary options - which makes better beef for your family! Commercial feed lots confine their cattle to small feed lots and free feed them "all you can eat" corn to pack on the fat in the last weeks of their lives. Not at Terrace Ridge Farm! We strive to offer our cattle exercise and dietary choices throughout the finishing process. Because you are what you eat, Terrace Ridge Farm cows are treated to a smorgasbord of options like coastal bermuda grass, fescue grass, ryegrass, hay, and a special feed mix made from local grains for our cows that are not 100% grass fed.
To raise better beef, we keep our pastures in top condition. This means we fertilize and mow periodically to ensure tender high-protein grass for grazing. Our cows are limit-grazed on ryegrass pastures in the spring and pearl millet in the summer. Ryegrass and millet provide the high energy diet necessary to produce tender, flavorful beef. Additionally, we provide them with the high-quality vitamins and minerals they crave.
Why is Terrace Ridge Farm beef better? A natural, nutritious and varied diet!
Terrace Ridge farm-to-freezer beef brings top-quality natural beef right to your table! We take your order, finish out the beef, and transport your cow to the butcher. You can either pick up your beef at the butcher or at Terrace Ridge Farm. Your beef will be dry-aged, cut, packed, frozen and ready for your freezer! Due to tremendous demand, we are taking orders in advance, so place your order soon!
Finally, we are proud of how our cows are humanely handled. In addition to daily exercise, we manager our herd in a 2,000 square-foot "Cow Palace" that we completed in 2019. We use this facility to feed, handle, treat and tend our cows in a safe, sheltered, low-stress environment. Feel free to visit the farm and see the Cow Palace for yourself!
Call Matthew Parker today at (910) 639-8115 to place an order or schedule a farm tour, see the cows, and check out our facilities!
Come visit our on-farm beef sales facility!
How much freezer space do I need to buy in bulk?
Quarter-Cow
A quarter-cow will net you about 100-130 lb of beef (depending on the size of the cow) and will require about 4-5 cubic feet of freezer space. Have you seen those small chest-type freezers with a square-shaped top? They will hold a quarter-cow.
Half-Cow
A half cow will net you about 200-360 lb of beef (depending on the size of the cow) and will require 8-10 cubic feet of freezer space. But a half offers you a greater opportunity to get the cuts YOU want because you don't have to share your half with someone else like you do with a quarter.
Whole Cow
A whole cow will net you about 400-520 lbs of beef. It can be cut exactly as you want and will take about 16-20 cubic feet of space. For a whole cow, you need to get a LARGE freezer. Remember, Terrace Ridge Farm Beef is vacuum-packed and can last for years in your freezer, so you'll have plenty of time to eat it up. But don't worry, once you taste it - you won't be able be able to keep it off the grill!.
Which cuts can I get with a bulk order?
What to Expect
Beef quarters, halves, and wholes produce five main types of cuts: steaks, roasts, ground beef, ribs, and brisket. Stew beef and cubed steak are also available as well. From your bulk order you can expect approximately 25% steaks, 30% roasts, 35% ground beef/stew beef, 10% ribs, and a brisket thrown in for good measure.
Our most popular steaks are ribeyes, t-bones, filet mignon, porterhouses, NY strips, sirloins, flat irons, chuckeyes, and skirt steaks. When you place an order for a half or more, you can get your steaks cut to order. Which steaks do you want? Consider it done. How thick do you want them? Consider it done. How many steaks and how many pounds of ground beef do you want in a pack? Consider it done. It's all up to you!
When you order a quarter, your cut options are a little more limited. However, if you have strong preferences, we can usually accommodate special requests even for quarters!
Our most popular roasts include the chuck, shoulder, sirloin tip, top round (london broil), eye of round, and bottom round. Some steaks can be converted to more roasts, some roasts can be cut into more steaks, and all steaks and roasts can be converted into hamburger (yes, we do have customers who want all hamburger!).
Filling out your "cut sheet" . . .
Getting your order just right requires a "cut sheet," which is just a written record of how you want your beef cut so that the butcher can follow your instructions precisely. A few weeks before you get your beef (or at the time you place your order if you prefer), we will contact you to go over the cut sheet for your order. We'll work with you to get the right packaging, the right thickness, and the right cuts for your family. Don't worry - we've done this hundreds of times. Just focus on what you like best and we'll help make your dreams come true!
Ordering a quarter-cow . . .
Half and whole orders have more flexibility in cutting than quarter-cow orders. Why? Butchers cut beef to order by the half. That means that both quarters from the same half must be cut the same. If you order a quarter, then we have to pair you with someone who wants their quarter cut like yours. Unwilling to compromise? Then you definitely want to order a half.
Steaks!
Steaks are more than the thickness of the cut. T-bones, ribeyes, chuck, sirloin, filet mignon, NY Strip and flank steaks are just a few of the cuts from which you can choose. You can also pick the thickness of the steaks (3/4 inch thick is standard), but you will get fewer steaks if you have them cut 2 inches thick!
Roasts!
What is better than a delicious pot roast on Sunday? Ordering your beef from our farm straight to your freezer will offer you lots of choices for your Sunday roast.
Hamburger!
Hamburger is one of the most versatile meats available today. Hamburger patties, hamburger steaks, meat loafs, meat balls, stuffed peppers, tacos and much more is on tap for YOUR family with Terrace Ridge Farm hamburger. You can also choose to get your hamburger mixed at 70% lean to 30% fat; or ground chuck at 80% lean to 20% fat or ground sirloin at 90% lean to 10% fat. But be warned, the less fat your mix into your burger the less flavor you can expect!
Other Cuts . . .
Liver, tongue, oxtail, and soup bones are just some of the additional goodies you can expect from your beef order - but only if you want them! So many choices, so little time! Better Order Now!