—Frontier Organics Local Natural Provisions
Grass-Fed Beef in Modesto — Cuts, Shares and What It Actually Costs
Grass-finished beef is sold by the cut and by the share at Frontier Organics, 429 McHenry Ave, Modesto. Individual cuts are in the case daily. Whole, half and quarter shares run about $9.50 to $11.50 per pound of hanging weight, all-in — which works out to roughly $13.57 to $16.43 per pound of packaged meat in your freezer.
Every animal, every program
No added hormones, no antibiotics, no vaccines. That is the floor across all three beef programs, not an upgrade you pay for. All shares are California-raised and butchered at a USDA-inspected plant in Petaluma.
Can I buy grass-fed beef by the cut?
Yes. The case carries grass-finished ground beef in 80/20 and 90/10, New York steak, carne asada, stew meat, and an organ-and-ground power blend from Engler Grass Fed. Filet mignon and organic chicken come from Marin Sun Farms in Petaluma. Bone marrow and suet from Yolo Land & Cattle are sold by weight — marrow at $9/lb, suet at $8/lb, which is what you want if you render your own tallow.
Fresh and frozen meat is in-store only. It is not a shipping decision, it is a cold-chain one.
The three programs
01 · Grass-fed, grass-finished — regenerative. Raised and finished on grass and forage, on organic pastures farmed regeneratively without synthetic inputs. Leaner, deeper mineral flavour, higher omega-3. The pastures meet organic practice; the ranch does not hold the USDA Organic certificate.
02 · Grass-fed, organic grain-finished. The same cattle on the same pasture, brought to finish on certified-organic grain. Heavier marbling, milder and sweeter, and a better-yielding carcass — so you take home more beef per pound you pay for. Pricing on request.
03 · Certified organic, grass-finished. Everything in Program 01 plus USDA Organic certification on the herd, the feed and the land.
How much does a beef share cost?
Shares are priced per pound of hanging weight — the chilled carcass before it is cut. That price is all-in: the beef, the butchering, the cut and wrap, the vacuum sealing and the freezing. There is no separate butcher bill, which is where most beef-share math goes wrong.
| Share | Hanging weight | Regenerative grass-finished | Certified organic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear quarter | ~160 lb | $10.50/lb · est. $1,680 | $11.50/lb · est. $1,840 |
| Front quarter | ~200 lb | $10.50/lb · est. $2,100 | $11.50/lb · est. $2,300 |
| Half | ~360 lb | $10.00/lb · est. $3,600 | $10.97/lb · est. $3,949 |
| Whole | ~720 lb | $9.50/lb · est. $6,840 | $10.45/lb · est. $7,524 |
You pay a 50% deposit to reserve. The balance is figured on your share's actual hanging weight and is due at pickup — no two animals finish the same.
How much meat do I actually take home?
Packaged yield runs about 70% of hanging weight on grass-finished animals and up to 77% on grain-finished. Your cut sheet moves it: bone-in steaks and soup bones push the number up, everything boneless and closely trimmed pulls it down.
| Share | Packaged beef | Freezer space | Real cost per lb of meat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear quarter | 112 lb | 4–5 cu ft | $15.00 · organic $16.43 |
| Front quarter | 140 lb | 5–6 cu ft | $15.00 · organic $16.43 |
| Half | 252 lb | 8–11 cu ft | $14.29 · organic $15.67 |
| Whole | 504 lb | 15–22 cu ft | $13.57 · organic $14.93 |
That last column is the honest number — what the beef costs once it is in your freezer, averaged across ribeye, tenderloin, roasts and ground alike.
Front quarter or rear quarter — which should I take?
Neither is the leftover. They are two different kinds of cooking.
Rear is the premium-steak end: tenderloin, New York strip, sirloin, tri-tip, flank, and the big round roasts. Lighter carcass, about 160 lb hanging.
Front is the smoking and slow-cooking end: ribeye and prime rib, chuck, brisket, short ribs, shank, and a great deal more ground beef. Heavier, about 200 lb hanging — so at the same price per pound you take home roughly 28 lb more beef for the money.
Take the rear if you grill steaks. Take the front if you smoke, braise and live on ground beef.
What's the difference between grass-fed and grass-finished?
Nearly all beef cattle eat grass for most of their lives, so "grass-fed" on a label tells you very little. Grass-finished means the animal ate grass right through to harvest and was never moved onto a grain ration to put on fat. That is the distinction that changes the fat, the flavour and the price. When we say grass-finished, we mean finished on grass.
Is grain-finished beef worse?
No — it is different. Grain-finished cattle are pasture-raised and then brought to finish on grain, which produces heavier marbling, a milder and sweeter eat, and a heavier, better-yielding carcass. Plenty of people prefer it, and we carry it because good beef is good beef. Which one is right depends on how you cook and what you like.
How long does a share take?
Roughly two to three weeks from the batch cutoff. Shares go to the ranch in batches so several customers ship on one pallet — that is how the price stays where it is. We will tell you the cutoff for the next run when you reserve. Pickup is in store; bring coolers.
Is offal included?
No. Liver, heart, kidney, tongue, head, tail and feet are removed at the plant. They are not in your box and their weight is not in the hanging weight you are billed on. Ask us and we will try to source them separately.
Full cut list, pound by pound, and the reservation form are on the beef shares page. Or see everything in The Farm Store.
Frontier Organics, Local Natural Provisions · 429 McHenry Ave, Modesto, CA 95354 · (209) 968-8435 · Mon–Fri 8 AM–8 PM, Sat 8 AM–7 PM, closed Sunday.
Last updated August 2026. Prices are current at the date of writing and move with the market — call to confirm.