How much am I saving when I purchase a whole or half pork or beef?

This depends on where and how you normally grocery shop.  If you buy your meat primarily on sale at some grocery stores, you're paying roughly the same as buying from us, but for a lesser quality and not nearly as fresh of a product.  If you buy your meat not on sale at your typical grocery store, you are usually paying more than buying from us, depending on the cut.  For example, you may purchase a pound of ground beef at the grocery store for $4/lbs and a T-Bone steak for $12/lbs.  Buying a whole or half beef from us will give you both at slightly more than the grocery store's price for the ground beef.  

What exactly are the quality differences between CottonStone Farms meats and standard grocery store meats?

Our meats are raised first and foremost without hormones and without excessive antibiotics.  In most large-scale meat production operations animals are severely confined in order to maximize production space.  This means large amounts of excrement, bacteria and disease.  This can only be achieved successfully if the animals are maintained on rations of antibiotics to prevent disease.  Additionally, in most large-scale commercial beef operations, cattle receive hormone implants to promote faster growth.  There are concerns that those hormones and antibiotics remain at some degree in the finished meat and are consumed by you.  We never use hormones and we only use antibiotics if we have a sick animal that needs treatment for something that requires them - something that we rarely experience.  

Lastly - our animals are raised to the optimal size for quality in taste and quantity.  Usually, large-scale production sites are more concerned with optimal size for the financial market.  While there's nothing wrong with this, it typically results in a smaller animal.  For example, a commercially raised hog will normally go to market somewhere around 250 LBS.  Our hogs go to market when they reach 300 LBS. 

Does CottonStone Farms raise organic meat?

While we utilize many organic practices, we do not offer true organic meats.  Selling as organic requires a very specific license, which in turn requires regular inspections and costly fees.  If we were to acquire our organic license, it would force us to raise our prices substantially. 

Have more questions?  

Don't hesitate to contact us!  We are more than happy to answer any further questions you may have.