Princess Beef began in 1999 with a cow named Princess, which had been given to Cynthia Houseweart by Steve and Rachel Allen. Princess was raised by Cynthia at the Allen Ranch near Crawford,Colorado. It was with Princess and her calves that the idea of selling homegrown, grass-finished beef was created.

Today Cynthia and her husband, Ira, and their daughters, Izzi and CeCe, live and work on their fifth generation portion of the century old Houseweart Family Ranch. They continue to raise their Princess Beef on the Allen Ranch, while combining the resources of both ranches for the betterment of the herd and the business.

The family goal is to produce grass-finished, healthy, lean beef raised in a manner where caring for and continually improving both the animals and the environment are primary.

You are welcome to visit the Princess Beef operation at any time.

• NO anitbiotics, NO hormones and NO toxic chemical fertilizers employed

• Animals NEVER confined in a feedlot and NEVER grain fattened

• Beef lower in fat, calories and cholesterol

• Beef higher in beta carotene, vitamin E, conjugated linoleic acid (cla) and omega 3 fatty acids

Cost

The goal of Princess Beef is to give the consumer a consistently priced, superior product unrelated to the ups and downs of the cattle market. At the same time, Princess Beef seeks to increase the sustainability of a small, family ranching business by cutting out the large feedlots and processors that presently control the beef industry.

When you buy Princess Beef, you legally are buying a live animal and we are having it processed for you. This allows us to keep the price reasonable for you while giving us the opportunity to employ the services of a small meat processing plant in our area.

The price of the meat is based on hanging weight, which is the carcass weight before being butchered into cuts. To give you an idea of your total cost, the average price of a split quarter last year was $400.00 and a half was $800.00.

A $100 deposit is required when you place your order.

Quantity

Princess Beef is sold in whole, half or split quarters. (A split quarter is divided between the front and back of the carcass.)

We sell mostly split quarters and halves. Last year’s hanging weight averaged 133 pounds for a split quarter. After the meat is cut and wrapped, it averaged a total of 73 pounds with a price of about $5.50 a pound. If you’re wondering how much freezer space you need, a quarter of beef fits into a 5 cubic foot freezer. However, you should choose a larger freezer if you wish to store other food items.

Generally a split quarter wrapped for two people includes Sirloin Steaks, Filet Mignon, New York Strip, Rib Eyes, Round Steak, Chuck Roasts, Pot Roasts, Rump Roasts and Hamburger. Steaks are cut 1 1/2 inches thick and
roasts run 3 to 5 pounds.

Receiving your Princess Beef

It is not possible for us to make individual deliveries of Princess Beef orders nor do we have the facilities to store any of the beef once it is processed.

We schedule ONE date for nearby customers (primarily Delta County) to pick up their orders at the Houseweart Ranch on Rogers Mesa, Hotchkiss, Colorado. We send written notice well in advance, along with directions.

We do our best to make other arrangements for customers outside Delta County to receive their beef. For example, we schedule ONE DELIVERY DATE each for cities such as Montrose, Grand Junction, Denver/Colorado Springs and arrange for one time and one place in each location where customers can pick up their orders. We send written notice one month in advance. The cost of these deliveries is 50 cents per mile, roundtrip, per pickup load, which means we prorate the total mileage charge among all customers participating in a particular delivery. It is important that customers reserve early so that we can make these distant deliveries the most cost efficient for everyone.