Beef

Information

Oxford Locker Inc. offers carcass beef processing for a wide variety of customers including beef producers and farmers who raise or feed beef and city folks looking for exceptional quality beef and beef products.

The information below should answer your questions about beef processing at Oxford Locker. If not please call us at 308-824-3662. Or email us.

Appointments

Local producers can call Oxford Locker to set up an appointment for the slaughter of their animal. The schedule is usually booked up 2 to 4 weeks in advance, so please call as soon as possible. Also keep in mind that during the busy deer season we won't slaughter for approximately 3 to 4 weeks to allow time to work on venison. We remain extremely busy during the winter months so again, please make appointments 2 to 4 weeks in advance.

The Oxford Locker will get your product back to you in a timely manner but we can not guarantee your product back to you by a certain deadline.

Thank you.

Purchase

Unfortunately since we are a custom exempt locker plant and are not federally inspected, you cannot purchase hogs or beef from us. However we can recommend many local producers that can fill your needs. The local producer can then call us and set an appointment for slaughter.

Cost and Quantity

The amount of take-home beef and cost per pound of the beef in the freezer are two important considerations for potential beef buyers. Beef is often advertised and sold on a "hanging weight" basis. This term does not refer to take-home beef. In processing, there is a considerable amount of cutting loss. It is not unusual to have 30 to 45 percent of the hanging weight of a carcass or side as cutting loss.

This means that if a side of beef weighs 300 pounds hanging weight, there would be only 165 to 210 pounds of beef in terms of trimmed retail cuts for the freezer. Assuming 35 percent cutting loss, 300 pounds x 35 percent = 105 pounds of fat, bone, shrink and other losses. And, 300 pounds - 105 pounds = 195 pounds of take-home beef.

These figures vary greatly depending on your cutting instructions. At the Oxford Locker, we strive to give you the best finished product possible. This means we cut away any excess bone and fat that is of no use to the consumer. This practice makes for a great end product. While it does reduce the actual weight of product that you take home, we do try to keep the cost low. In carcass processing, we feel that quality is most important.

Buying beef as a carcass or half can result in significant cost savings. However savings are not always realized and the quality of the beef may vary. Careful consideration must be given to purchasing beef as a carcass and having it processed by Oxford Locker. You must consider whether or not the cost, quantity, variety, family needs and preferences can be met by this method of purchasing. The end result in my opinion is much more rewarding as you will have the satisfaction of knowing where your beef came from, where it was processed and how it was handled at the time of processing.

Carl J. Kramer
President of Oxford Locker, Inc.