Buy a Half Cow, Quarter Cow, or Whole Cow in Irving, TX
Families in Las Colinas and Valley Ranch have been asking sharper questions about their food lately. Where did it come from? What was the animal fed? Who raised it? Irving sits right in the middle of the DFW area, close to the Mandalay Canal and the corporate campuses along Lake Carolyn, and the households here tend to hold their groceries to a high standard. Irving 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 Irving.
Where to Buy Grass-Fed Beef Near Irving
Irving has solid grocery options for shoppers hunting for grassfed cuts. Whole Foods Market at 6741 N MacArthur Blvd stocks grass-fed steaks and ground beef, and Sprouts Farmers Market sits right up the road at 7730 N MacArthur Blvd, Suite 150, in Las Colinas. Tom Thumb at 4010 N MacArthur Blvd and the Kroger locations at 515 S MacArthur Blvd and 7505 N MacArthur Blvd carry grass fed ground beef and select cuts too. One thing worth knowing when you are standing at that butcher case: the grass-fed label tells you how the cattle were raised, not where. A large share of the grassfed beef on US shelves is imported from Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, or Brazil, so check individual packages for "Product of USA." For Texas-raised grass-fed beef by the share, Texas Grass Fed Farms offers pickup in McKinney.
Buy Grass-Fed Beef by the Share
Rather than buying cuts one package at a time, you reserve a share of the animal: a whole cow, a half cow, or a quarter cow. With a half or a whole, you choose your cuts on a cut sheet. A quarter arrives as a balanced split quarter, a standard mix of steaks, roasts, and ground beef. Either way it is the same clean, local, grass-finished beef; the share just gets you a freezer's worth at once. Reserve online through our bulk grass-fed beef page, then pick up in McKinney on a scheduled Saturday once the animal is processed.
Why Las Colinas and Valley Ranch Families Choose Texas Grass-Fed
Las Colinas is not a typical suburb. The Mandalay Canal, the waterfront walkways, the campuses along Lake Carolyn: Irving's best-known neighborhood has always drawn residents who think carefully about where they live and what lands on the table. Valley Ranch, the master-planned community along the canal paths north of I-635 in zip code 75063, is home to Irving ISD families zoned to Nimitz High School and MacArthur High School. These are households that cook at home, pay attention to food quality, and want cuts that hold up on the smoker or the grill.
The neighborhoods across Las Colinas and Valley Ranch, in zip codes 75038, 75039, and 75063, share a growing frustration with not being able to read a food label and actually understand it. Reserving a share removes that guesswork. Every cut is born, raised, and processed in Texas by ranchers we have built long relationships with. And when Irving families reserve a share, they are directly supporting the Texas ranchers who manage land regeneratively and keep dollars in the state's agricultural supply chain.
How Texas Ranchers Raise Grass-Fed Cattle
Our partner ranchers run rotational grazing across native Texas pastures, moving cattle to fresh grass on a managed schedule. The animals are never grain-finished; that is the line that separates grass-finished from the grain-finished conventional beef most "natural" labels still allow. The ranchers we work with apply no antibiotics, no added growth hormones, and no mRNA vaccines, and they have never treated the land they manage with glyphosate. Every animal is born, raised, and USDA-inspected in Texas. That is the grassfed standard when it is applied correctly.
Half Cow, Quarter Cow, or Whole Cow: What You Get
Every share is cut to order and packaged frozen, ready for your freezer the day you pick it up in McKinney. Here is 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 Irving?
A half cow works differently than a per-package price at the store. You reserve your share with a fixed, non-refundable deposit set by size; quarter, half, and whole each carry 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 below what boutique grass-fed cuts run at retail. You are buying in bulk, so you pay a bulk price for beef you would otherwise pay a premium for one steak at a time.
Is Buying a Quarter Cow Worth It?
For plenty of Irving 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 one at a time. A quarter is the right starting point if you have never bought freezer beef before or your freezer space is tight. If you cook beef most nights, or you have a chest freezer and a big family, a half cow usually pencils out better per pound. Either way you are getting local, grass-finished beef and supporting the Texas ranchers who raise it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy grass-fed beef near Irving, TX?
Whole Foods (6741 N MacArthur Blvd), Sprouts (7730 N MacArthur Blvd), Tom Thumb (4010 N MacArthur Blvd), and Kroger (515 S MacArthur Blvd and 7505 N MacArthur Blvd) all carry grass-fed options; check the label for "Product of USA," since the grassfed label alone does not tell you whether the beef was raised in the US or imported. For 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 areas we serve.
New to buying a share? Our grass-fed beef planning guide covers freezer space, transport, and choosing a size.
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