FAQ

How do I pick up my animal share?

For whole and half bulk bundles, pickup happens at the farm — once your animal is processed, we'll email you to schedule a time that works for you. Shipped items, like our raw honey, come straight to your door, so there's nothing to pick up.

Our address: 377 County Road 1322, Rusk, TX 75785

We're about two hours east of Dallas, two hours north of Houston, and an hour and a half west of Shreveport — and a convenient drive for folks in Tyler, Jacksonville, and Nacogdoches.

What is the ear tag?

Every animal we harvest carries a tag and a written record. Animals we bring in from other farms start their record the day they arrive, and we say so. When we harvest and package the meat, that same number is printed on every package label.

You enter it on our traceability page, and you'll see the documented record for that specific animal — breed, origin, pasture moves, weight checks, health events, and where it was processed.

It's not a marketing claim. It's an actual database lookup.

How do I look up my animal's record?

Find the tag number on your package label. Go to our traceability page, type in the number, and hit View Record.

What does "catch-weight" mean?

Most of our meat products are sold catch-weight, which means the price is set by the actual weight of the package. When the processor packages a shoulder or a pack of rib chops, each package comes out at a slightly different weight. The price reflects exactly what's in your package.

We set our per-pound prices to be fair for farm-direct, traceable meat, and we review them periodically. The price you see is the price you pay — no membership fee and no markup at pickup.

What is a whole or half animal deposit?

For a whole hog, whole or half lamb, or whole/half beef bundle, we take a deposit upfront to reserve your order. You are reserving inspected, cut-and-wrapped meat — not buying a live animal. Before harvest, we'll contact you to go over your cut sheet. After processing, you pick it up at the farm.

How the balance is calculated: Your final balance is based on the actual hanging weight of your animal, at a set price per hanging pound. That price includes cut-and-wrap — you receive one invoice from us, and you pay nothing separately to the processor. Because hanging weight varies from animal to animal, the exact figure isn't known until after harvest; we confirm it with you before pickup, and your deposit comes off the total.

Deposit terms: Your deposit reserves your order and is applied to your final balance — it's not an extra fee. If we can't fulfill your order for any reason on our end, you get a full refund. If you need to cancel, reach out anytime before your animal is committed to harvest and we'll work with you; once it's committed to harvest, the deposit becomes non-refundable, since we've reserved that specific animal for you.

Do you ship?

Yes — for pantry items. Our raw honey ships now, including to customers outside Texas. Our beef, pork, and lamb are processed at a federally inspected USDA facility, and we plan to launch FedEx frozen shipping for those items in fall 2026. Poultry and eggs are pickup-only and are never shipped. Sign up for our email list to be notified first.

Are your animals truly grass-fed and grass-finished?

Our cattle are raised and finished on grass and forage — pasture, hay, and browse. We don't grain-finish our cattle. If an animal ever gets supplemental grain, or came to us from another farm, we record it on that animal's page and we don't sell it as grass-finished. Our sheep are pasture-raised and forage-based, but during the 2026 drought we supplement the flock with a purchased ration, so we make no grass-fed or grass-finished claim for sheep raised from August 30, 2026 forward. Grass-fed is a lifetime claim and it applies per animal — the record on the traceability page shows exactly which animals are affected and from what date. Our pork and poultry are pasture-raised with Non-GMO, soy-free supplemental feed. Pigs and chickens are omnivores that need more than grass alone to thrive. We hold the same standards in the feed bag that we hold everywhere else on the farm: no GMOs, no soy, no shortcuts.

The specifics are in every animal's traceability record. For exactly what each word on our labels means, see Our Standards.

Where are your animals processed?

Our beef, pork, and lamb/mutton are processed at a USDA-inspected facility in East Texas (EST. 48219). Our chickens are processed on-farm under the federal producer/grower poultry exemption (Poultry Products Inspection Act; 9 CFR 381.10): we slaughter no more than 1,000 of our own birds per year, sell only within Texas, and keep the required records. Exempt poultry is pickup-only and is never shipped. The applicable inspection or exemption information is included in every animal's traceability record.

How should I store and thaw frozen meat?

Everything is vacuum-sealed and frozen at processing. Keep frozen. Most cuts keep well for 12–18 months properly stored. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Keep raw meat separate from other foods, and wash hands and surfaces after handling. Cook to a safe internal temperature (ground meats 160°F; poultry 165°F; whole cuts 145°F with a 3-minute rest). Once thawed, cook within 3 days.

Questions? Howdy@BC-FR.com