Buy a Half Cow, Quarter Cow, or Whole Cow in Howe, TX
Howe is a fast-growing city in southern Grayson County along the US Highway 75 corridor, roughly 45 miles north of Dallas. New developments like Noble Ridge, planned for more than 700 homes, and the master-planned communities coming up along FM 902 are pulling in families who left the DFW suburbs for more room, better schools, and a quieter pace. Howe families can reserve a whole, half, or quarter share of 100% grass-fed, grass-finished Texas beef and pick it up in McKinney, a short drive from most of Howe.
Where to Buy Grass-Fed Beef Near Howe
Howe doesn't have a large-format grocery store of its own yet. Residents usually drive north to Sherman or south toward McKinney and Melissa for a full grocery run. Some of the beef in those stores is labeled "Product of USA," a standard that starting January 1, 2026 requires the animal to be born, raised, and processed here. H-E-B has bought land in Sherman for a future Grayson County store, but it isn't open. Even once it is, the label tells you how an animal was raised, not where; plenty of grass-fed beef on US shelves is imported from Australia, New Zealand, or South America, so a verified Texas grass-finished cut takes more searching than it should. For Texas-raised grass-fed beef by the share, Texas Grass Fed Farms offers pickup in McKinney.
Buy Grass-Fed Beef by the Share
Instead of buying cuts one package at a time, you reserve a share of the animal: a whole cow, a half cow, or a quarter cow. A half or a whole lets you pick your cuts on a cut sheet. A quarter arrives as a balanced split quarter, a standard mix of steaks, roasts, and ground beef. It's the same clean, grass-finished Texas beef no matter the size; the share simply fills your freezer in a single trip. Reserve online through our bulk grass-fed beef page, then pick up in McKinney on a scheduled Saturday once the animal is processed.
Why Howe Families Choose Texas Grass-Fed
The families moving to Howe from Frisco, Allen, or McKinney aren't making a random jump. They're trading suburban density for room to breathe, and many bring along the same instincts that had them researching school districts: they read labels, they cook from scratch, and they want to know where their food comes from. In Noble Ridge and the new neighborhoods rising along FM 902, you'll find households already hunting for grassfed beef from Texas instead of whatever imported product fills the grocery shelf.
Reserving a share is how that instinct pays off. Every cut is born, raised, and processed in Texas by ranchers we've worked with for years. When Howe families reserve a share, their dollars go straight to the Texas ranchers running cattle on open pasture the right way and keeping regenerative agriculture alive in this state.
How Texas Ranchers Raise Grass-Fed Cattle
The ranchers we partner with run rotational grazing across Texas pasture, cycling cattle through fresh sections so native grasses recover between rounds. Their cattle never go to a feedlot and are never grain-finished; that's the line that separates grass-finished beef from the grain-finished conventional product most "natural" labels still allow. The ranchers we work with use no antibiotics, no added growth hormones, and no mRNA vaccines, and they've never applied glyphosate to the land they manage. Every animal is born, raised, and USDA-inspected in Texas. That's the grassfed standard done right.
Half Cow, Quarter Cow, or Whole Cow: What You Get
Every share is cut to order and packaged frozen, ready for the freezer the day you pick it up in McKinney. Here's roughly what each size gives you:
- Quarter cow: a balanced split quarter, roughly 75 to 90 lbs of packaged beef. A standard mix, no cut sheet needed.
- Half cow (a side of beef): your choice of cuts on a cut sheet, roughly 150 to 180 lbs of packaged beef.
- Whole cow: the full animal, two halves, roughly 300 to 360 lbs of packaged beef, your cut choices throughout.
Across those shares you get steaks, roasts, ground beef, brisket, short ribs, and soup bones. Your price is based on the hanging weight (the hot carcass weight) once the animal is processed, and a fixed deposit set by share size reserves your spot.
How Much Does a Half Cow Cost in Howe?
A half cow prices out differently than a package at the store. You reserve your share with a fixed, non-refundable deposit set by size; quarter, half, and whole each have their own deposit amount. Once the animal is processed and the hanging weight is confirmed, we calculate the final total from that weight, and the balance (final total minus your deposit) is due then. Spread across every cut, from ground beef to ribeyes, the per-pound price on a half cow lands well under what boutique grass-fed cuts run at retail. You're buying in bulk, so you pay a bulk price for beef you'd otherwise pay a premium for one steak at a time.
Is Buying a Quarter Cow Worth It?
For a lot of Howe families, yes. A quarter cow runs roughly 75 to 90 lbs of packaged beef, enough to keep a couple or a small family in grass-finished beef for months, and the per-pound cost beats buying the same cuts individually. A quarter is the right starting point if you've never bought freezer beef before or your freezer space is limited. If you cook beef most nights, or you've got a chest freezer and a big family, a half cow usually makes more sense per pound. Either way you're getting local, grass-finished beef and supporting the Texas ranchers who raise it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy grass-fed beef near Howe, TX?
Howe has no grocery store of its own, so the closest options are in Sherman to the north or McKinney and Melissa to the south; check for "Product of USA" on the label. For verified Texas-raised grass-fed and grass-finished beef, you can reserve a whole, half, or quarter cow from Texas Grass Fed Farms and pick it up in McKinney.
What cuts do you get from a half cow?
A half cow comes with steaks, roasts, ground beef, brisket, short ribs, and soup bones, cut to your preferences on a cut sheet.
How much meat is in a quarter cow?
Roughly 75 to 90 lbs of packaged, frozen beef. A quarter comes as a balanced split quarter, a standard mix of steaks, roasts, and ground beef rather than a custom cut sheet.
How much freezer space does a half cow need?
Plan on roughly 10 to 15 cubic feet of freezer for a half cow, and about 7 to 10 for a quarter. Real-world packing wastes space, so size the freezer up rather than down.
What is the difference between grass-fed and grass-finished beef?
These days, none. Grass-fed cattle can't be fed grain, so grass-fed and grass-finished describe the same thing: an animal that ate grass and forage its whole life. Our beef is 100% grass-fed and grass-finished. And the label says nothing about country of origin, so always check for "Product of USA" when you shop in-store.
Where does most grass-fed beef in US grocery stores come from?
Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Brazil are the primary sources of grass-fed beef sold in the US. "Grass-fed" describes the feeding protocol, not the origin. Effective January 1, 2026, the USDA requires beef labeled "Product of USA" to be born, raised, and processed in the United States. Every share we sell meets that standard.
Where and when is pickup?
Pickup is in McKinney, TX, on a scheduled Saturday. We announce the date once the animal is processed and the hanging weight is confirmed, then we meet you in McKinney to hand off your beef. Pickup only: you collect your share, nothing gets mailed out.
Ready to reserve? Browse sizes on our bulk grass-fed beef page, or see our Texas grass-fed beef page for the towns we serve.
New to buying a share? Our grass-fed beef planning guide covers freezer space, transport, and choosing a size.
Other North Texas Towns
Sherman | Denison | Pottsboro | Van Alstyne | Gunter | Melissa | Anna | Weston | Celina | Prosper | Princeton | McKinney | Pilot Point | Aubrey