Square Mile Ranch
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Frequently Asked Questions

Square Mile Ranch of Wallowa, Oregon offers local delivery of regeneratively raised, pastured pork, chicken and duck, and grass-fed, grass-finished beef and lamb on their family farm in the Northwest.

+ Why is this meat so good?

Our animals live out their lives on pasture that is managed to support the diversity of the entire ecosystem - this includes the health of our soil, water and the community around us. As much as our animals are nourished by the land they live on, their presence is crucial to the thriving community of plants, wildlife, birds and insects, and the microbiome of the soil and root system of the land.

As a customer you are a link in the chain of positive impacts that managing land with care and conservation catalyzes. It tastes so good because we are respecting the natural cycles of the animals and the land we are all connected to. The meat you are eating is extremely fresh, comes from a single source, and is imbued with the undeniable effect that knowing your farmers has on your eating experience.

+ How does buying meat from you work?

We sell our meat in “shares” because this (among other reasons) allows us to harvest the animals on the ranch where they lived. This is known as “Custom Exempt” slaughter. When you place your deposit for your “share” you are actually transferring ownership of that animal from us to you! Voila! You now own anywhere from one sixteenth to an entire animal (or several) here on the ranch!

This is also why you must make a deposit on your animal BEFORE the animal is slaughtered, and why your packages will say “Not for Sale” on the label. We aren’t selling individual cuts of meat to you, we are orchestrating “your” animal into meat on your behalf. We also believe in whole animal butchery, and this model supports the entirety of the life taken.

+ When is the best time to order?

Every May we open orders for the year to come. This is the best time to make your deposits on the "shares" you would like to reserve. Come summer and fall your healthy animals will be fat and ready to be harvested at their absolute best quality, having feasted on all that the land offers each growing season. We will begin delivering them (at no cost) to each of our locations throughout the summer, fall and early winter.

Orders can however, be placed any time throughout the year! Shares are often added as we approach our harvest dates and we may not actually be sold out yet (we like to play it safe). Similarly, our Pastured Pork is the one meat that is ready year-round, making winter and spring a great time to get your annual or biannual pork share. Many of our sows give birth during the warm summer months therefore providing market hogs to warm us through the colder months.

There is a rhythm here on the ranch that will, after your first order, start to make sense. After your second or third order this rhythm will become second nature, and wondering what meat to buy at the store will be a thing of the past.

+ You are sold out of the size share or type of meat we were hoping for, when will you have more?

If the website prompt comes up to add your name to our waitlist for that item, please do so. This will ensure that you will be automatically contacted when we add more stock. Alternatively, send Aimee an email to be manually added for the next available share or to find out if there are any unadvertised shares available!

+ How much freezer space will I need?

Freezers come in four basic sizes: compact (5 cubic feet), small (6 to 9 cubic feet), medium (12 to 18 cubic feet) and large (18 to 25 cubic feet). As a rule of thumb, one cubic foot of freezer space will hold approximately 30 pounds of meat. Our biggest freezer recommendation is to purchase more cubic feet than you think you will need. The compact and even small size chest freezers are not user-friendly, and for most everyone we recommend a medium size (12-18 cubic feet).

If space is at a premium in your home an upright freezer, while it will hold slightly less, can be a great solution. Look for one that has a bin at the bottom and possibly metal shelving. Modern freezers are energy efficient, and they will tell you on the “EnergyStar” rating just how much it will cost to operate on an annual basis. Freezers in the 16ft cubic ft range cost as little as $50-75 per year to run. After the initial investment the cost savings in time and trips to the store is undeniable.

Here are our cubic feet recommendations for our meat shares to help you plan:

  • Eighth Beef (2), Quarter Beef (4), Half Beef (8), Whole Beef (16-17), Ground Beef Share (1)
  • Quarter Hog (2), Half Hog (4), Whole Hog (8)
  • Half Lamb (1), Whole Lamb (2)
  • Larder Box (2)
  • Whole Harvest (8)
  • Farmers Feast (16+)
  • One Box Whole Chickens (2)
  • One Box of Chicken Cuts (1)

If acquiring a chest freezer is not feasible for you at this time, these are our items that will fit in (but fill) your standard kitchen freezer: Ground Beef Share, Chicken Cut box, Quarter Hog, Half Lamb, Ducks sold individually, a box (8-10) of our Chickens or our Larder Box as long as you thaw a few things your first night! We offer storage for orders such as our Farmers Feast (over 8 boxes) where we will deliver half your order in the summer/fall and then bring your other half during our spring deliveries.

+ What does it cost?

The more meat you buy, the greater value you get per pound. Your final invoice will list the exact hanging weight of your animal/s (weighed at the butcher) which is what is paid to the ranch, plus the on farm “kill fee” paid to the mobile abattoir, and finally the exact butcher fees paid to the cut-and-wrap that correspond to how you had your animal/s cut.

When all is said and done, the average cost for the meat in your freezer (from sausage to steak) will between $10-12/lb for beef, $9-11/lb for pork, $15-16/lb for lamb, $8.20/lb for our whole chickens and $14.80/lb for our chicken cuts. Whole Harvest Shares average all of your meats around $11.20/lb & Farmers Feast Shares average all of your meats around $10.40/lb!

+ I have no idea how to fill out a butcher sheet for my custom Half or Whole Hog, Lamb, or Beef, can you help me?

It is completely normal to be unsure about this. On the right hand side of the “Shop” page you will see a link to our “Butchery Cut Sheets” where we walk you through the process. Please do not hesitate for a moment to email or call if you would like to fill this out together.

+ What do I get when I order a Quarter Hog?

+ What do I get when I order a Quarter Beef?

Ordering a Quarter beef share means you are splitting a Half beef with someone else. Each of you will get a portion of the front quarter and each of you will get a portion of the hind quarter. Our Quarter Share boxes are all cut the same, ensuring that each party receives equal value in total lbs of meat and an equal variety of cuts.

What you will recieve:

  • Oxtail & Tongue are sometimes available for Quarter shares upon request. Every animal only has one tongue and one tail and they aren’t big enough to split, but every once and awhile a Half or Whole share customer will offer theirs to someone else - please send us an email if you would like to be on the waitlist.

+ What do I get when I order a Half Lamb?

Half Lambs are approximately 28+lbs of take home meat. You may fill out a Butcher Cut Sheet for a custom cut mix, or opt for our curated mix as follows:

  • 1 (3-4lb) Shoulder Roast
  • 2 Shoulder Steaks
  • 1 package Riblets
  • 6-7 packages Lamb Chops (2/package)
  • 1 (3-4lb) Leg Roast
  • 2-3 Leg Steaks (1/package)
  • 2-3 1lb packages of Ground Lamb
  • 2 1b packages Lamb Stew Meat

+ Do you ship meat?

We have made a commitment to building a regional food system and more specifically to reducing our carbon footprint and use of packaging/shipping materials. We offer our meat exclusively to customers at our pickup locations in the Pacific Northwest and Ojai, California, Aimee’s hometown. Please see our Where we Deliver page for more information.

We have several customers who drive 1-6 hours to our pick-up days or to the ranch who are still within our region but not specifically in our drop-off cities. Relearning to stock our freezers two to three times a year reminds us of the inherent seasonality of the harvest.

 

More Questions?

 

We are here to answer any additional questions you might have. Please reach out to aimee@squaremileranch.com