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Quarter, Half & Whole Beef Shares from Terrace Ridge Farm in Carthage, NC
Ordering a beef share from Terrace Ridge Farm is easy! Simply place your order, and it will be added to our queue and filled as soon as possible. We’re happy to give you an estimated timeline before you order. We proudly serve customers all across North Carolina, including Moore County, Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Sanford, and Charlotte.
Pick Your Herd
We run two herds of cattle: a "pasture-raised" herd that also receives a light supplement of locally raised grain to boost marbling, and a "grass finished" herd that is also given free access to our beautiful pastures, but which does not receive the grain supplement. You choose which is best for your family.
Pick Your Breed
We primarily run Angus and Wagyu/Angus Cross cattle. You get to choose which you would like! Don't worry, most customers choose our Angus beef, but you have a choice to upgrade to Wagyu/Angus Cross if you want it. The difference is that the Wagyu breed is specially bred for impressive marbling, and it tends to have darker meat and a buttery flavor with more intense marbling. Angus beef is our tried-and-true classic. By crossing Wagyu cattle with Angus cattle (which are known for being well-marbled themselves), the result is more marbling genetics from the Wagyu genetics coupled with more muscling and beef yield from the Angus genetics. We occasionally have other breeds of beef available upon request, so don't be afraid to ask. Our standard Angus beef is $6.49 per pound of hanging weight plus processing costs of about $1.65 per pound of hanging weight, and our Wagyu/Angus Cross beef is $6.99 per pound of hanging weight plus processing costs.
Place Your Order
Order here on our website or by reaching out to Matthew Parker at (910) 639-8115. There is a $100 deposit for a quarter cow, a $200 deposit for a half cow, and a $400 deposit for a whole cow, and the balance is not due until you pick up your beef.
About Terrace Ridge Farm
Terrace Ridge Farm is a fourth-generation 100-year-old North Carolina Century Farm that has been in the Parker family since 1926. Located between Vass and Carthage in the heart of the Sandhills region of North Carolina, Terrace Ridge Farm specializes in pasture-raised farm-to-freezer finished beef. We sell local beef shares by the quarter, half, and whole cow, serving all of North Carolina, including Moore County and the towns of Southern Pines, Pinehurst, and Aberdeen, but also Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Raleigh, and Charlotte. Our cattle are primarily Angus and Wagyu/Angus cross. Our "pasture raised" herd is finished on grass, hay, and a light supplement of local grain for maximum marbling. Our grass-finished option does not receive the grain supplement. Some people like to use the term "grass fed," which is completely fine, but we prefer "grass finished" because it distinguishes our grass finished beef from other farms that produce "grass fed" beef that is actually finished on grain.
Can I pick how my half cow or whole cow is cut?
Sure! For our most current cut sheet (which is what we call the list of instructions telling the butcher how to cut your beef), please feel free to reach out to Matthew Parker at (910) 639-8115 or send us an email at info@terraceridgefarm.com. With a half cow or a whole cow, your order is customizable in almost every way for no additional cost. That includes your steak thicknesses, your roast weights, whether to get any roasts at all, whether your cuts should be bone-in or boneless, and so much more! The only additional costs would be for a custom batch of our ancestral blend ground beef (which includes heart and liver) or beef bacon.
Our Standard Cut Sheet
If you don't request custom cuts, you'll receive the following with your quarter cow, half cow, or whole cow order:
- Chuck roasts (bone-in and boneless), chuckeye steaks, chuck ranch steaks, flat iron steaks, and stew beef.
- Brisket and short ribs.
- Flank steak, skirt steak, and sirloin flap steak.
- Ribeye steak (bone-in), NY strip steak, sirloin steak (both bone-in and boneless), and tenderloin steak (filet mignon).
- Tri-tip, sirloin tip roast, London broil/top round roast, bottom round/rump roast, and eye of round roast.
- Ground beef in one-pound packs.
- Soup bones and marrow bones.
Please let us know if you would like to also receive the knuckle bones as well as the organs and fat for no additional charge!
How is my beef share aged and packed?
Your beef share will hang for 14 days from slaughter to allow the beef to tenderize and the quality to reach its peak. Then, it will be cut by a professional butcher, USDA inspected, and vacuum-packed for an unmatched freezer life of up to five years. When you pick your beef up from our farm, it will all be frozen to zero degrees Fahrenheit and nicely packed in cardboard boxes for traveling. No need for you to bring coolers! Our beef is all 100% real beef: no meat glue, no dyes, and no additives.
What's the difference between a cow, a steer, and a heifer?
Technically speaking, a cow refers to an older female bovine that has had a calf. A steer is a castrated male bovine, and a heifer is a young female bovine that has not had a calf. We may use the terms "quarter cow, half cow, and whole cow" for simplicity, but if you order a beef share, you'll be ordering a share of a steer or heifer, not a tough old cow. So no need to worry about that!
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn More Here!
Q. What is your pricing?
A. Our standard Angus beef is $6.49 per pound of hanging weight plus processing costs of about $1.65 per pound of hanging weight, and our Wagyu/Angus Cross beef is $6.99 per pound of hanging weight plus processing costs. That will put you in the ballpark of about $1,200-$1,800 for a quarter, $2,400-$3,600 for a half, and $4,800-$7,200 for a whole cow. The Wagyu/Angus Cross beef will be toward the upper ends of those ranges. That's about $11.70/lb for all your beef, from ground beef to ribeyes to NY strips and tenderloin steaks (filet mignon). That's why it's such a great deal! Our prices are extremely competitive with other local farms, and we stand behind our reputation for top-notch quality. If you get a quote from another farm that is substantially cheaper than that, then you should be asking how much beef you'll receive and how much that cow will weigh. Maybe their cattle just aren't as big as ours, which means that you won't receive as much beef.
Q. How much beef will I take home from my beef share?
A. A typical quarter cow will have a hanging weight of about 180 lb and a take-home weight of about 125 lb. A typical half cow will have a hanging weight of about 360 lb and a take-home weight of about 250 lb of beef. A whole cow will have a hanging weight of about 720 lb and a take-home weight of about 500 lb of beef. It is possible for your particular cow to be bigger or smaller than these figures, and in those cases, we will be happy to work with you to make sure that your order comfortably fits within your budget.
Q. What's the wait time for my beef share after ordering?
A. Typically, the wait time from ordering until pickup is about 6-12 weeks, but please contact Matthew Parker at (910) 639-8115 for the most up-to-date scheduling information if timing is critical to you before you place your order.
Q. How much freezer space will I need for my beef share?
A. You will need at least 4-5 cubic feet for a quarter cow, 8-10 cubic feet for a half cow, and 16-20 cubic feet for a whole cow. These figures are for chest freezers, and they will need to be increased if you're planning to use an upright freezer.
Q. Do you implant your cattle with growth hormones?
A. Absolutely not. We strongly believe that tastiest and healthiest beef is not implanted with growth hormones.
Q. Do you use antibiotics?
A. We do not feed our cattle nontherapeutic antibiotics, which is a surprisingly common practice in the cattle industry. If one of our animals gets sick, we will use antibiotics if needed, just like we would for a member of our own family. That said, this is a very rare occurrence, and we keep meticulous records on any animals that require medical treatment, and we will keep those animals for well beyond any labeled withdraw period to make sure there are no residues. We would never send a sickly animal to slaughter to become beef ourselves, but unfortunately, it happens every day in the commercial beef market in the United States. If you have questions about the specific cow that you will be purchasing, please let us know, and we'll be happy to answer any questions before or after you order to make sure that you are 100% satisfied.
Q. Do you vaccinate your cattle?
A. We use time-tested clostridial vaccines for diseases like blackleg and tetanus. We do not see a need in our operation for most modern respiratory vaccines because our cattle are not put into highly stressful situations like feedlots.
Q. Are your cattle confined in feedlots for finishing?
A. No. Our cattle are raised on pasture. If our cattle receive any kind of dietary supplement, it's to complement their pasture and hay, not to replace it.
You've read about why Terrace Ridge Farm produces some of the very best beef around. Now try it for yourself!
Ready to place your order?
Go to our "Shop" page to preorder a beef share, or call Matthew Parker at (910) 639-8115 to inquire about beef we have in stock and available for pickup right now.