Frequently Asked Questions
Shopping and Products
When will my order ship / arrive?
Orders placed by 11am MT will usually ship the same business day. Otherwise, your order will ship out on the next business day.
Orders are shipped via UPS or USPS, and total transit time depends on your location and the shipping option you select at checkout.
When will my pickup order be ready?
Please allow 24 hours of processing time between placing your order and picking it up.
You can pick your order up at our retail location Monday - Friday between 9am and 3pm.
Can I shop in-store?
Absolutely! You can shop at our retail store for beef cuts from our co-op producers, sausages and beef stix, and jerky from Montana Jerky Co.
We’re located at 180 Trap Road, and our store hours are 9am - 4pm Monday through Friday (open until 5pm on Wednesdays). You do not need to be a co-op member to shop with us.
Meat Processing
When can we schedule our livestock for processing?
Processing is scheduled 6 months in advance. Scheduling for July - December takes place in January, and scheduling for January - June takes place in July of the previous year.
We are currently working to double our current processing capacity of 1,100 head.
Sometimes we have processing slots open up – you can follow us on Facebook to be the first to know when this happens.
What animals do you process?
We offer slaughter, processing, value added, and packaging services for beef, pork, lamb, goat, and wild game.
Beef and pork processing is available for both co-op members and non-members.
Sheep/lamb, goat, and wild game processing is available for co-op members only.
What are your prices?
You can find pricing information on our Meat Processing Services page.
Is your processing plant federally inspected by the USDA?
Yes! As of April 2025, we are now federally inspected by the USDA.
Do you offer Certified Organic processing services?
We do offer Certified Organic processing for beef, and are currently working to expand this certification to all our processing types.
How do I / my customers fill out a cut sheet?
We now have online cut sheets for Beef and Pork! You can find those cut sheets here:
For other species, please contact our processing team directly.
Producers can use this form to make their selections, and send this link to any customers who have purchased a share. All they will need to know is your name and what size of share they will be purchasing from you.
Make your selections and submit your cut sheet online, and we will send you a copy of your selections to the email you’ve provided. We’ll contact you if we have any questions about your selections.
Common Bulk Meat Questions
What are live weight, hanging weight, and cut & wrapped weight?
Live weight: The weight of the live animal
Hanging weight: The weight of the animal after slaughter, without blood, and skinned with the hide, organs, head, and legs up to the first joint all removed (also known as rail weight or carcass
weight).
Cut and wrapped weight: The total weight of the finished product (steaks, roasts, burger etc). Also known as finished weight or meat in your freezer
Hanging weight to live weight %: Hanging weight / Live weight
Cut and wrapped weight to hanging weight %: Cut and wrapped weight / Hanging weight
What can I expect for live, hanging, and cut & wrapped weights?
Fed Steer (Beef)
Live weight is typically 1000-1500lbs.
Hanging weight is ~50-60% of the live weight, usually 500 – 1000 lbs. Bulls and larger mature breeds can yield more.
Cut & wrapped weight is usually ~55-65% of the hanging weight.
Note: Cut and wrapped percentages are lower for fatter steers and higher for skinner steers. Boneless cut orders yield lower lbs in your freezer, while bone-in cut orders yield more lbs in your freezer.
Pig
Live weight is typically 250lbs.
Hanging weight is ~70-75% of the live weight (~175lbs).
Cut & wrapped weight is:
- ~75% of the hanging weight for bone-in cuts (~130lbs)
- ~65% of the hanging weight for boneless cuts (~110-115lbs)
Note: Sausage without extra fat removed has the highest yield.
Goat
Live weight is typically 40-50lbs.
Hanging weight is ~48-50% of the live weight (~19-23lbs)
Cut & wrapped weight is usually around 12-15lbs packaged meat.
Lamb
Live weight is typically around 90-150lbs
Hanging weight is ~50% of the live weight (~45-75lbs).
Cut & wrapped weight is usually around 27-53lbs packaged meat.
What will my final cost and yield be?
You won't have a final total cost until your animal is cut and wrapped, but you can get an idea for your final cost! Let's do the math with this example.
Example:
- You bought a half beef from a farmer for $4/lb hanging weight.
- You are also paying processing fees, which are $75 per half slaughter and $1.10/lb.
processing. - Your half of the carcass was 400 lb of “hanging weight.”
1. Estimate your total cost:
Hanging weight x (cost per pound to producer + cost per pound to butcher) + slaughter fee
Using our example:
400 lb hanging weight x ($4/lb to producer + $1.10/lb to butcher) + $75 slaughter fee
= $2,115 total for 400lb hanging weight
2. Estimate your yield (lbs of meat in the freezer):
Estimated yield = hanging weight x estimated cut and wrapped %
Using our example:
Estimated yield = 400 lb x 0.60 = 240 lb of meat, cut and wrapped.
Estimate your cost per pound:
Estimated cost/lb = Total cost / estimated yield
Using our example:
Estimated cost/lb = $2,115 / 240 lb = $8.81/lb
How much freezer space do I need?
A good rule of thumb is 1 cubic ft of freezer space per 35-40lb of packaged (cut & wrapped) meat.
The ratio of hanging weight to final cut and wrapped weight can vary widely by animal type, producer, finishing feed, cut order, etc. - but here are a few examples:
15 month steer, extra fatty for prime steaks
- Hanging weight: 750lbs
- Selected cuts: All boneless cuts
- Yield: 375lbs cut and wrapped.
- Freezer space: Whole - 10 cu ft, Half - 5 cu f, Quarter - 2.5 cu ft
Mature bull, well fed
- Hanging weight: 1,150 lbs
- Selected cuts: All boneless cuts, more burger meat
- Yield: 375lbs cut and wrapped
- Freezer space: Whole - 19.7 cu ft, Half - 10 cu ft, Quarter - 5 cu ft
30 month grassfed steer, leaner
- Hanging weight: 850 lbs
- Selected cuts: Bone-in cuts
- Yield: 550lbs cut and wrapped
- Freezer space: Whole - 15.7 cu ft, Half - 8 cu ft, Quarter - 4 cu ft
Our Co-Op
Do I need to be a member of Glacier Processing Cooperative to have my animals processed?
For beef and pork: No, you don’t have to be a member! (Though, our members do get priority scheduling and lower processing pricing.)
Lamb, goat, and wild game processing is limited to co-op members only.
Ready to join the co-op? Get in touch!
What are the benefits of being a Glacier Processing Cooperative member?
In addition to supporting access to processing services for both your business and your community, Glacier Processing Cooperative members get lower processing prices, priority scheduling dates, and a member vote on the direction of our processing facility.
How do I become a member of Glacier Processing Cooperative?
Producer memberships are available for $7,000 each. (One membership covers one farm/ranch/family.)
Investment in the cooperative also can be made by purchasing non-voting preferred stock shares at $1,000 each.
Read our bylaws and articles of incorporation for more details.
Ready to join the co-op? Get in touch!
Still have questions?
