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How Our Beef is Raised

Pichel-McGovern Farms is an 80+ acre farm that provides all natural pastures for our cattle. Our cattle are fed grass and hay as well as top quality locally sourced natural grains. 

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All of our cattle are born and raised locally within Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Our cattle are not given any hormones, steroids, or antibiotics. They are provided with shelter in case of inclement weather and are freely allowed to graze. Our cattle are humanely treated and are never forced into feed lots.  

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Benefits

Since our cattle are fed quality hay and grains, the meat is healthier as we control the quality of their food. Along with other health benefits, buying a whole, half or quarter of a Black Angus beef cow saves money, time and provides you with healthy raised beef.  

  • Naturally raised in the Lehigh Valley

  • Locally processed at a USDA inspected butcher

  • Hand cut and vacuum packed for freshness 

  • Aged 21 days

  • Boxed and packaged for easy handling and pickup 

Beef Terminology

  • Live Weight

    •  Is the weight of the animal while it is alive. The “live weight” of steers is approximately 1200 pounds when they are ready to be processed. Just like all animals, the weight of each cow varies depending on the individual characteristics of the animal.

  • ​Hanging Weight

    • ​Is the weight of the carcass after most the non-edible
      portions are removed. The “hanging weight” is typically 60% of the live weight. So, let’s say one of our steers weighs 1200 pounds “live weight” then the expected “hanging weight” would be approximately 720 pounds.

  • Take Home Weight

    • Is the final product that you, our customer, will take home from our USDA butcher. The “take home weight” is typically 60% of the “hanging weight”. The 40% loss from the “hanging weight” is due to water loss through the aging process that takes about 21 days. This aging process helps tremendously with the quality and taste of the beef. The “take home weight” for a full live cow that starts with a weight of 1300 pounds is approximately 432 pounds for a whole cow, about 216 pounds for half a cow and about 110 for a quarter cow. Please note that we do not know ahead of time how much each animal weighs and the exact amount of meat you will receive. (Pricing is fixed, you will not be charged more/less if the final weight is above/below the listed estimates).

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