Buying Local Meat in Springfield, MO: 4 Ways to Stock Your Freezer

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear about buying meat directly from a local farm is that you have to go all in.

You need a big freezer. You buy half a cow.

You certainly can buy meat that way—and for some families, buying a ¼ beef or ½ beef is a great fit.

There's no "one way" to buy meat from our family farm.

We have customers who come to the Farm Store and leave with a couple pounds of meat for the week. We have customers subscribed to receive a monthly meat order. Others stock up with 30 lb bundles every couple of months. And we have families who buy a ¼ or ½ beef and don't need to think about buying beef again for months.

The better question is: Which way works best for your household?

If you're looking to buy local meat around Springfield, Missouri, here are four ways you can do it with Blue Silo.

1. Start Small: Buy Individual Cuts at the Farm Store

If you've never purchased meat directly from a farm before, this is where I recommend starting.

Come to the Farm Store and buy what looks good.

Seriously. It can be that simple.

You don't have to preorder a big package or know how much meat your family will eat over the next six months. You can look through our freezers and pick out the same kinds of cuts you're already used to cooking.

Grab a couple pounds of ground beef. Pick up chicken breasts for next week's dinner. Try some pork chops. Get steaks for Saturday night.

You can buy a little or fill a cooler.

Our Farm Store carries individual cuts of our beef, pork, chicken and turkey, so it's an easy way to try our meat before deciding whether you want to keep more of it on hand.

It's also a good opportunity to ask questions.

If you're staring at a cut you've never cooked before, ask us what we'd do with it. If you're not sure which roast you need or want something easy for the slow cooker, we'll help you figure it out.

Best for: First-time customers, smaller households, people with limited freezer space, or anyone who simply likes the personal connection of shopping in our store.

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2. Stock Up With a Meat Bundle

Once you've decided you like having local meat in the freezer, you may realize something:

Buying a little more at once makes life easier.

That's where our popular meat bundles come in.

A bundle lets you stock up on a variety of cuts without making the jump to a ¼ or ½ beef.

Depending on the bundle, you might come home with several different proteins and enough meat to build dinners around for the next few weeks.

For a busy family, that's a nice middle ground.

You get the convenience of opening the freezer and having choices, but you don't need a huge freezer or a large upfront purchase.

It can also cut down on those little trips to the grocery store.

When there's ground beef, chicken, pork and a few other options already in the freezer, deciding what's for dinner becomes a lot easier.

Best for: Families who cook at home regularly and want several weeks of meat on hand without making a large bulk purchase.

[SHOP BLUE SILO IN-STOCK MEAT BUNDLES]

3. Create a Regular Freezer-Restocking Rhythm With a Meat Subscription

The word "subscription" might give you the wrong idea -- a box of showing up monthly with meat cuts you can't change.

That's not how a Blue Silo meat subscription works.

A meat subscription doesn't mean getting the same box every month

You start by shopping our online store and choosing the meat cuts you want.

At checkout, you can choose to subscribe to that order and have it renew every 2, 4 or 8 weeks.

When your next order comes up, we send you an email and text reminder and you do a quick freezer check.

Still have plenty of pork chops? Take them off your order.

Already out of ground beef? Get a couple more pounds this time

Add steaks for a date night or wings when you know the neighbors are coming over to watch the game.

Your subscription gives you a starting point for your next order, but you can change the meat and quantities based on what your household actually needs.

Put your staples on repeat—not dinner

This is one of my favorite ways to think about our subscriptions.

Most households have a handful of meats they use over and over.

Maybe yours are ground beef and chicken breasts. Another family might always want bacon, sausage and ground turkey around.

Those staples can stay on your regular order, and you build around them. 

The result isn't eating the same meals every month. It's simply making sure the things you use all the time don't disappear from the freezer.

And instead of having to remember, I really need to order meat this week, the subscription reminder does that part for you.

Your subscription can be a few pounds or a much larger restock. That's why a subscription can work for any household - from empty nesters to a nest filled with teenagers.

Best for: Households that want to keep meat stocked regularly without having to remember to order, anyone wanting to streamline and simplify grocery shopping, families who have a set food budget.

[LEARN HOW BLUE SILO MEAT SUBSCRIPTIONS WORK]

4. Stock Up Long-Term With a ¼ or ½ Beef

Then there's the option many people immediately associate with buying beef from a local farmer:

Buying beef in bulk.

If you've been searching for a "¼ cow near me" or "½ cow near me," you're probably looking for what we call a ¼ Beef or ½ Beef.

This is a completely different way of stocking your freezer than buying a few individual cuts.

Instead of thinking about what you need for the next couple of weeks, you're putting away a large supply of beef that can last your household for months, up to a year.

What does buying a ¼ beef mean?

A ¼ Beef gives you a variety of cuts from 1/4 of the whole animal.

You'll have everyday cuts like ground beef along with steaks, roasts and other cuts to work through over time.

That variety is one of the reasons people love buying beef this way. You open the freezer and already have the foundation for all kinds of meals. With one purchase, you've eliminated dozens of future shopping trips or meat orders.

It does, however, require a dedicated standalone freezer in the garage and a large upfront investment.

A useful rule of thumb is:

Plan for approximately 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 25 pounds of meat.

That makes freezer space one of the first things to consider before deciding whether bulk beef is right for you.

What about buying a ½ beef—or "half a cow"?

A ½ Beef takes the same idea and makes it a bigger stock-up.

For households that eat beef frequently, have adequate freezer space and like purchasing a large portion of their meat at once, this can be a really convenient way to buy.

You'll make a larger investment upfront, have a waiting period until your meat is ready, but then you have months' worth of beef already sitting in your freezer. 

And that's really the appeal of bulk beef.

You aren't buying it because you want something for next Tuesday.

You're buying it because you want to look in the freezer for months to come and know beef is already taken care of.

Best for: Families that eat mostly beef and cook most meals at home, those with space for a deep freezer, and anyone preferring to make a larger purchase less often or who live far from their farmer.

[LEARN ABOUT BLUE SILO ¼ BEEF & ½ BEEF]

Meat Subscription vs. Bulk Beef: Which Is Better for Your Family?

This isn't really a question of which option is "better."

It's about how you like to shop and how much meat you want to keep on hand.

If you love the idea of having months of beef in the freezer and have room to store it, a ¼ or ½ Beef may make a lot of sense.

If you'd rather buy smaller amounts, mix different proteins and change what you're getting based on what's already in your freezer, a meat subscription may fit your life better.

And if neither sounds right?

That's okay, too.

Buy a bundle. Stop by the Farm Store for a few cuts. There isn't a minimum amount of meat you have to buy to support our local farm.

So, What's the Best Way to Buy Local Meat?

When you shop with our farm, you have choices:

Buy individual cuts if you're trying our meat for the first time, don't have much freezer space or simply prefer in-person shopping for meat as you need it.

Buy a meat bundle if you'd like several weeks of meat and some variety without making a large bulk purchase.

Start a meat subscription if you want a regular rhythm for keeping the freezer stocked while staying in control of how much—and what kinds of meat—you receive.

Buy a ¼ or ½ Beef if your household eats plenty of beef, you have the freezer space and you'd rather make one large purchase that can last for months.

You don't have to choose the biggest option to make buying local worthwhile.

Start with the option that fits the way your household actually eats.

Where to Buy Local Meat Near Springfield, Missouri

Blue Silo is a local family farm serving families in the Springfield, Missouri area with beef, pork, chicken and turkey.

You can shop individual cuts at our Farm Store or order online, choose from available meat bundles, start a flexible meat subscription or stock your freezer with bulk beef.

Home delivery is also available to qualifying addresses in our delivery area.

Whether you want two pounds of ground beef or you're ready to stock a freezer, you can buy directly from a local farm in a way that works for your household.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Local Meat

Can I buy local meat without buying a whole or half cow?

Absolutely. Buying directly from a local farm doesn't have to mean buying beef in bulk. At Blue Silo, you can buy individual cuts, meat bundles or a subscription in addition to ¼ Beef and ½ Beef options.

Is a "half cow" the same thing as a ½ beef?

When customers search for a "half cow" or "half a cow," they're generally looking for the type of bulk purchase we call a ½ Beef. You're purchasing a large assortment of beef cuts from the entire animal, the equivalent of 1/2 of the meat a beef animal yields. 

What's the difference between a ¼ beef and a ½ beef?

Both are ways to purchase a variety of beef cuts in bulk. A ½ Beef provides considerably more meat than a ¼ Beef, so household meat consumption, available freezer space and budget are important considerations when choosing between them. A ½ Beef includes more variety of cuts than a ¼ Beef.

How much freezer space do I need for bulk beef?

A good rule of thumb is approximately 1 cubic foot of freezer space for every 25 pounds of packaged meat. The amount of space you'll need depends on the size of your bulk purchase and what style of freezer you have (upright vs. chest)

Can I have local meat delivered around Springfield, MO?

Blue Silo offers home delivery to qualifying addresses within our delivery area. Customers can also order online for farm pickup or shop in person at the Farm Store.

How does a local meat subscription work?

With a Blue Silo meat subscription, you shop for the meat you want and choose to subscribe to your order at checkout. Your order can renew every 2, 4 or 8 weeks. Before it finalizes, you'll receive a reminder to change what cuts you receive. 

Ready to stock your freezer your way?

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