Beef Quarters, Halves and Wholes available NOW

We are just like you.  Our family is on the go and stays busy all the time!  Never a dull moment!  My husband Luke and I have been raising cattle for over 20 years!  During this time we have focused our herd on maternal and carcass traits.  That means we want our cows to be excellent mothers and we also want our beef to taste delicious. Along with raising the cattle ourselves, we also operate a small feedlot. Luke has been feeding cattle for the last 15 years. All of the cattle we sell, have been born, raised, and finished on our farm. They have never left our care, or been through a sale barn.  In 2020 we determined that we wanted to bring our high-quality product to our family, friends, and neighbors.   

What kind of cattle do you have?

We primarily have Black Angus cattle.  Our herd consists of cattle that are Black Angus and many of them are considered Black Baldies.  These cows usually have a white spot on their face and are half or part Hereford breed. The Angus industry has worked tirelessly to develop a breed for both the rancher and the consumer.

What do they eat?

From birth to a year old they have primarily foraged on grasses.  In the summer months, they graze on native buffalo grass pasture.  In the winter months, they enjoy a variety of feed such as corn stalks, ground-up CRP grass hay with a mix of distillers grain and silage.  They are also fed bales of sorghum feed.  Some of them get to spend a portion of the winter months grazing on winter wheat pasture.

All animals will be corn fed for at least 120 days.

Most animals are antibiotic-free, and no added hormones.

What comes with a quarter of beef?

How much does a quarter of beef cost?

Between $750-800 per quarter - depending on the weight of each animal

We charge by the hanging weight.

The cost will be $2.90 per pound, plus .82 cents per pound processing.  

Total of 3.72 per pound. (Plus kill, and disposal fee 25 for a half beef.) We will sell you the  "hot carcass weight."  Keep in mind the carcass will shrink when it is hanging.   Also, bones and trimming will come off.  

Each beef is different so we can't give you an exact weight until later.

You will be able to give your cutting instructions to the locker.  Some of the questions they will ask are; how many pounds do you want your roast? How thick do you want your steaks cut? What size of packages do you prefer your ground meat to be packaged in?

We will put you in touch with the processer when your beef is ready.

Cost example, a half of beef that has a hot carcass weight of 406 pounds will cost  

$1469.72 plus $25 = $1,510.32. (406x3.72+25)

There will also be sales tax.

This is an example of a quarter from earlier this year.

This year at the Pratt County Fair our son Weston was able to show his steer.  It was later categorized as PRIME.  The word "prime" is a quality grade assigned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to describe the highest quality beef and other meats, including veal and lamb, in terms of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor.  Not every animal is prime, however, most of our cattle finish high choice in yield grade.

What do our customers say?

"We will never buy meat in the grocery store again." 

"I have never bought a steak like this at Dillon's."

"We have never tasted meat this good."

"My wife is eating red meat again."

"We had hamburgers tonight, the best we've ever had, absolutely DELICIOUS!"

"My in-laws stated they were the best steaks they've ever had"

Appointments are available NOW, July, Aug, September & October.

Our customers have come to us as far as Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, and Illinois.

We deliver in Kansas.  But please reach out to us for other locations.

Contact us at ksfarmerswife@gmail.com 

Call or text me anytime, 620-546-6062

Thank you

Unexpected Goodbye

By Tammie Hoeme
Layout Editor

Have you ever gotten one of those phone calls, and you just know that something is wrong?  Well, that’s pretty much what happened to me on Sunday.  My little sister called, and I just asked, “What’s wrong?”  There was a long pause, followed by the news that our long-time neighbor and friend had died.
Having served on the school board for twenty-five years, he had the privilege of handing out hundreds of diplomas.  I can’t remember what we were laughing about as Robert handed me my eighth-grade diploma. The photo is from May of 1992.
The Smiths and the Howells had some good times together. Lots of dinners and kids playing. Honestly, I think the Howell kids just liked us because we had a pool.  Living so far out in the country, we didn’t go to Pratt every day and the summers were a great time to get together and play.   Both families even went snow skiing together.  What a crazy time that was.
Once his daughter Ashton was jumping over my brother and broke her arm.  (We are still not 100% sure what really happened.) Sam got in trouble once and was not allowed to go to the high school football game. He had to stay with my parents when he was in middle school and had a good time despite being in trouble.  The Howell kids discovered The Walton’s TV show at my parents’ house. I babysat for mainly Ashton and Alayna, and learned a lot about kids.  I had instructions to put Alayna in her bed and just let her take a nap.  It was so hard listening to her cry.   I had to get lunch ready for Robert and any of his hired men in the summer.  Luke and I attended church with the Howells for several years.
More recently Robert and I would stand around talking each year at the Medicine Lodge track meet and discuss life.   He made fun of my green shirt. I told him “It doesn’t say ‘Pratt’ anywhere on the shirt,” Robert laughed and admitted he had a plain green shirt to wear to baseball games to watch his friends’ son.  You see Robert and I had both attended Skyline and my kids attend the rival school in the same town.
I just want to tell Ashton, Alayna, Audra, and Sam that your dad loved you so much.  Don’t ever wonder if your dad loved you.  He did.  Don’t ever wonder if he was proud of you.  He was. When he would talk about you his chest would puff up as he would give me little updates on your lives.  One of his greatest treasures in life was his grandchildren.  He loved how much his little granddaughters looked and acted like their moms, and he loved the drama that they were going to bring into your lives.  Robert was also excited for the grandchildren he had not met yet.
I learned that Robert was what I refer to as a ‘faithful reader.’  He read my column faithfully. In fact, I had written a column about meeting his daughter’s roommate from college.  She was Allie’s new teacher, in a new town, fresh from California via Sterling College.  I noticed that Audra was our one ‘mutual friend’ on Facebook.  He cut the article and shared it with people.
How do you sum up the life of someone?  Robert knew so many people in the Pratt community and beyond.  In just a few sentences, he would start sharing one of his many stories.  He had a soft voice and a strong presence. Robert once put a huge smiley face on the Croft road blacktop we lived on.  It was fun to drive over the face and wonder who exactly drew it, but I had a pretty good idea.  He also loved spicy things.  I can remember him explaining to me how much hotter Habanero peppers were than Jalapenos. Since that conversation, I have never wanted anything to do with a Habanero.  I think most people who knew Robert were caught off guard with his sudden passing.  It’s hard to wrap our heads around an unexpected goodbye, but like the pastor said at the service, “It’s just part of life.”  We sat in the same church at his funeral where I had attended his wedding and the weddings of his sisters.  I went to his mother’s funeral there also.  Thankfully we have a shared faith in the Lord and one day we shall all be reunited.
But let’s get down to the hard stuff.  It’s hard to lose a parent at any age, especially when you are young and just starting a family.  My daughter recently told me that it wasn’t fair that my grandpa was still alive, but hers wasn’t.  I told her she was right, life is not fair.   I hope Roberts children can draw on his memory as a source of strength.  It’s not fair that they lost their dad, but again, “It’s just part of life.”
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

Time to make hash brown casserole

By Tammie Hoeme
Layout editor

I can’t help but reflect on my cousins today.  It was a year ago their mother passed. This last year I am sure has been a struggle to let her go.  Another cousin said, I think about her every day.  My son doesn’t even like to drive by her house because it makes him sad.  I haven’t experienced the pain of losing a parent, I am sure it must be rough.  Christmas is supposed to be such a joyous time, but the older I get the more I realize it can also be a sad time.  But isn’t that what Christmas is about finding hope in the Savior that was brought to earth, and die for our sins?
So a quick recap of the kids.  Addie is a sophomore and is quickly gaining in recognition for her ability to run.  This year she finished 9th at state in 4A.  I have no idea where her little legs will take her.  Allie is an eighth grader and seems to enjoy about any activity she gets involved in.  She has enjoyed being a teachers-aide this year.  The teacher gave Allie a jar of sand hill plum jelly, something only a farm girl would truly appreciate.  Weston is a big second-grader and has plenty of energy.  Just last Monday he told me, “I am getting ready to go outside and do something dangerous.”  Thanks for the warning.
I am including a copy of what is known as ‘funeral potatoes’  however most people call it Hash brown potato casserole.  Basically, it goes good with ham or brisket.  But that’s just my opinion.
Hash Brown Potato Casserole
This easy-to-make side uses on-hand ingredients like frozen hash browns and cream of potato soup that combine with sour cream and cheese to make a terrific potato side dish that is a great alternative to mashed potatoes.  It’s easy to make ahead too!


1package (about 30 ounces) frozen country-style hash brown potatoes
1cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1container (16 ounces) sour cream
2cans (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Potato Soup
1small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/2cup grated Parmesan cheese
How to Make It
Step 1
Set the oven to 350°F.  Spray a 3-quart shallow baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
Step 2
Stir the potatoes, half the Cheddar cheese, the sour cream, soup, onion and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl.  Season the potato mixture as desired.  Spread the potato mixture in the baking dish. Cover the baking dish.
Step 3
Bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover the baking dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining Cheddar cheese.
Step 4
Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the top is lightly browned.
Recipe Tips
Make Ahead: Assemble as directed but do not bake (reserve remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese for topping).  Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.  To bake, heat the oven to 350°F.  Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle with the reserved Cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes more.

Calcium Deficient

ATTACK!  The vegan activists have signaled their attack earlier this week when an animal abuse video was released.  Fair Oaks Farms was the victim of the vegan attack. Of course, the video was pretty sickening to anyone who watched.  I would like to make a note that June is Dairy Month and the video release was part of a very strategic attack against animal agriculture.  Fair Oak Farms has released a video of their own stating that three of the four employees in the video had already been fired.  The fourth was let go shortly after the video release.

I first noticed the video on Facebook.  A childhood friend who is a lawyer was wondering about the authenticity of the video.  So was another friend.  Both are well educated, moms, and have girls.  I told them to check for commentaries from Food Babe, and also Dairy Carrie. 
So many things scare me about the release of a video like that.  The number one thing that bothers me is people see it, and believe it.  It's on the internet after all.  Secondly, my peers get scared and quit drinking milk.  Trent Loos had a radio show and reminded people why we NEED dairy.
"Today on Loos Tales I remind folks that as we have reduced our consumption of whole milk our public health has suffered.
In the United States found that fewer than 15% of teenage girls, fewer than 10% of women over 50, and fewer than 22% of teenage boys and men over 50 met the recommended calcium intake.
http://www.loostales.com/audio/loostalesthursday.mp3"  He also noted that 80% of teenage girls are calcium deficient. Wow with two teenage girls this certainly hits home.  While I don't think my girls are calcium deficient I can't help but think of all of their friends.  I have also been trying to explain to my girls that their bodies are absorbing calcium for their bones that will be needed for the rest of their lives.  At some point, a woman quits absorbing calcium, which is why many senior ladies have osteoporosis. 
Enough about milk.  Can you believe the weather?  We are heading into an unseasonably cool week.  The wheat keeps trying to change, but then the sun needs to come out.  We have finally planted a little bit of cotton but not too much.   Most of the cotton that was planted in May rotted, and now needs to be replanted.  Some of the cotton from last year hasn't even made it to the gin yet. 
We finished school and the kids are glad to be at home.  I am not sure that they are glad to be helping their dad.  They have been working on changing disks on the drill.  Weston will be turning eight this week.  He wants a remote control truck, a Nerf gun, and some Legos. 

Day with Cats and Cousins

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, you know the jingle.  Well, Weston had only lost one tooth at Christmas but the other came out this last week.  Now there are certain words that are very hard for me to interpret.  However, I did get his winter benchmark tests from school.  Not going to lie, I need to be reading with him more. Coming in the 92nd percentile for his Auditory Vocabulary was no surprise.  He says the funniest things, probably because he is the youngest child.  Last Monday while getting ready to go back to school from Christmas break, he said, “When I get days off, then I just want more days off.” 
Another example of his auditory prowess was when he said, “It says 8+, but don’t worry I can handle it.”    This weekend he stated that he was poor.  So, I asked, “Why do you think you are poor?”  Then he said, “You know why, I spend all my money on Nerf guns.”  I don’t know that he is using ‘big’ words, but he certainly says things that have some meaning, or understanding of life.
Weston started basketball practice for rec league.  He was so excited to be able to play in a group.  After practice, he confessed how nervous he was to go to practice.  He didn’t know his coach and only knows some of the boys on his team.  Another mom told me that not knowing very many boys is good because then they don’t stand around and talk. 
Allie just finished up middle school basketball.  Her last game was at Hesston.  Cousin Julia lives close by and showed up at the game surprising Allie.  My nephew Lane was disappointed that only I was at the game.  He didn’t understand why I hadn’t brought along Weston and Luke. She also got to go to a birthday party this week for a girl in her class.   Next, she starts Scholars Bowl, that will go on for a few weeks this winter.
Addie is in the middle of her basketball season.  This weekend she attended the homecoming dance which she informed me was stupid because nobody really danced.  The girls stood on one side and the boys on the other.  However, I am sure she had fun with her friends.
We took the kids and our nieces Leah and Kaylee to Manhattan to the KSU versus KU girls’ game.  The 4-H extension agents have a ‘4-H Day with the Cats’ where they can purchase a ticket that includes a meal and t-shirt.  I think they all had a good time.  We stopped and ate at Freddy’s in Hutchinson on the way home.  My brother and his family met us at the game so you can imagine the excitement of the event.  Everyone made it back home with only one child throwing up.

Franching: Last week before school starts

My friend and I chuckled as our girls were asking us what all we had at our wedding the other night.  We were attending the wedding of a high school friend who conservatively waited to get married.  The main reason we were laughing at that we had no money for a huge party when we were young and just starting out.  She told her daughter – we just had cake and punch in the church basement, no meal, not dance.  They have been married twenty years, so having a dance didn’t make or break the success of the marriage.
Addie managed to make it through band camp this week.  She plays the trumpet.  It’s quite a change going from just sitting and playing to the marching and dancing for the band.  Plus there is a lot of new music to learn. 
Allie enjoyed the week in Colorado with my parents.  Well, maybe I shouldn’t say she enjoyed the week since she got sick one day.  Thankfully they really didn’t have a tight schedule planned, so they just were able to hang out and play at their cabin part of the time.  On their way the stopped at some sand dunes.  The girls ran around and played for a while until their feet got hot walking on the sand.  The main part of the trip was riding the train through the mountains at Durango.  Most evenings they enjoyed swimming and playing around.  Finally, they came home on Friday and survived the long trip home. 
Weston got to enjoy some boy cousin time.  Levi came over and spent the night.  They went to church together on Wednesday night and played the next day.  They went over to the shop and played in the big pile of sand.  Weston then went over cousin Grants house and did some backyard swimming, bicycle riding and just some boy time.  They played for several hours and seemed to have a good time together.
Saturday I finally did the dreaded school supply shopping.  I think I have everything but who knows, I can get more things later if they need it.
Luke had a flat tire on the baler but was not able to get it fixed before more rain started coming down.  Will he get it dried to start baling again before the next little shower, who knows? 

Summer nearly over

What happened to the summer???  That is what I have been wondering this last week.  We entered the first week of August and the kids are already enrolled in school.  I now have kids in all three buildings.  Elementary, middle and high school.  I guess I had better get to know a few more secretaries.  However, I have been warned by other parents that the high school expects the students to manage their problems and schedule.
This week Addie has band camp, Allie has gone on a girl grandchild trip with my parents and Weston is stuck at home.  However, I think he is going to do a boy cousin sleep over later this week.
The Pratt county fair.  First, we need to go back and revisit the county fair.  It was very nice to attend most of the shows and not break a sweat.  The fair had some very nice temperatures for the end of July. The girls started off with the style review.  Then on Monday they did foods judging followed by the horse show performance classes.  Tuesday brought quilt, photography and crafts judging then we went back home and loaded horses for the speed events.  Wednesday, we brought all the animals to the fairgrounds.  Thursday, we show swine in the morning and sheep in the afternoon.  Friday the girls showed their cow-calf pairs, and Addie qualified for Round Robin.  On Saturday they did the livestock judging contest and then the premium auction.  Now we just need to do record books and write thank you notes.
After putting the paper together last week I finally got enough laundry done for us to pack up and leave for a few days.  After enrolling the kids, we took off for Branson a few days.  Our first stop was the Dixie Stampede.  We went 4 years ago, and the show had changed a little bit.  The girls still enjoyed it.  Weston didn’t really remember it the first time, so he really enjoyed it.  Allie said she still wants to be a Dixie Stampede girl. I think Addie liked the competition parts. 
The next morning, we managed to drag ourselves out of bed and eat some hotel breakfast. Weston must have wanted some type of responsibility because he grabbed the hotel room key and kept a hold of it.  He kept it in his pocket the whole time while we were at Silver Dollar City.  He insisted that he get to hold it.  Finally, we got loaded in the car and headed to the park.  We got a parking spot and then walked to the park.  At first, they were experiencing an electrical problem, but then they got it fixed.  I was a little concerned.  After all what were the girls going to do?  Finally, they got he roller coasters going.  We spent the whole day there and enjoyed all the food.  On the way home, we stopped at the factory outlets to do some school shopping, then headed to Springfield to walk through the Bass Pro Shop.   We saw one family from Pratt we knew, our old pastors from nearly twenty years ago, and a guy that was in Luke’s class spotted him at SDC.  It was fun to run into them and just say hi.
Saturday, we jetted up to Moundridge for our nephew Lane’s sixth birthday celebration.  I think he had a pretty good day.   Since we have no DQ in Pratt we had to slip into the one Hutch for a dip cone, or chocolate malt.