Calhoun Livestock

Grass-Finished Holstein Beef |
Tender and Nutritious Beyond Belief

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

About Us

We're a first generation family-owned and operated farm nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Here, raising high-quality, healthy beef isn't just a business – it's a personal mission.

As a cancer survivor, I understand the profound impact food has on our health and well-being. Having faced health challenges firsthand, food integrity became the cornerstone of our family's values. We believe you deserve to know exactly where your food comes from and how it's raised.

That's why we primarily raise our beef for ourselves and our loved ones. We're blessed enough to have an abundance to share with our community. We raise our cattle on lush pastures, allowing them to graze freely and develop naturally. We never use antibiotics or growth hormones, ensuring the purest, healthiest beef possible.

We have found that the Holstein breed makes an unmatched Grass Fed Grass Finished Beef. Naturally tender, the beef is unbelievably nutrient dense and makes for an amazing Grass Finished Beef experience. Sure it takes longer to get Holstein cattle to a finishing weight, but we believe it is worth the wait, and so will you as soon as you taste it!

Our commitment goes beyond just our animals and our plates. We strive for sustainable practices that nurture the land and our environment. We believe in a holistic approach to farming, one that respects the delicate balance of nature as God intended.

Giving back is also a core value at Calhoun Livestock. We've all been touched by the fight against cancer, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was there for us when we needed them most. That's why we're proud to donate a portion of every sale to support their lifesaving work.

At Calhoun Livestock, you're not just buying beef – you're getting a piece of our family story, supporting sustainable practices, and contributing to a worthy cause. We take immense pride in what we do, and it shows in every bite of our delicious, nutritious beef.

We invite you to join us on this journey towards healthier living, a deeper connection with your food, and giving back to those in need.

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

We're almost sold out of beef for the year — but we're opening up a handful of November & December harvest slots right now.

Grass-fed, grass-finished holstein beef from our Blue Ridge ranch.
Delivered to your door, anywhere in Virginia.

Half beef: $500 deposit
Whole beef: $750 deposit
All-in cost: ~$13/lb for ribeyes, filets, NY strips.

Grocery store grass-fed is $35–60/lb.

2 whole shares + 1 half share left.

👇 Reserve yours: https://t.co/TBP8ufH8cX

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

The 25lb. Ground Beef Bundle is in Stock!
The best of our Grass-Fed Grass-Finished Holstein Beef
Perfect 1lb. packs for smash burgers, tacos, and meal prep.
Raised and Grazed in VA
Delivered to your door FREE anywhere in the contiguous US!
https://t.co/ffWcP44rtV

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

Your freezer could be full of grass-fed grass-finished ribeyes for $13/lb. 🥩
The grocery store charges $35-$60/lb for the same cut.
From our Blue Ridge, VA ranch - delivered to your porch free, anywhere in Virginia.
4 spots left for 2026.
→ Reserve your half or whole beef now: https://t.co/w1tbAEnGvV

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

Great question!

For the baseline, everything that ever walked across a patch of grass and took a bite is “grass-fed” so the finishing is the important part.

Grass-Finished means the animal always only ate grass.

Grain-Finished means the animal was fed only or primarily grains the last 6-8 Months of its life.

Here's a good way to look at it:

Imagine the difference between eating salad and lean protein for 10-14 months (Grass-finished) vs. eating nothing but oatmeal and carbs for 6-8 months (Grain-finished).

Grain-finishing forces a "bulk" that creates that heavy marbling, but it's an unnatural pace for the animal. Grass-finishing takes longer because we're letting the animal build muscle naturally on the diet they were built for.

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

The Quarter Beef Bundle is Back in Stock!
The best of our Grass-Fed Grass-Finished Holstein Beef
Packed with premium cuts for every meal.
Raised and Grazed in VA
Delivered to your door FREE anywhere in the contiguous US!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

I appreciate you sharing that. It’s definitely the hardest part of what we do—we care deeply for our animals.
Our goal is to ensure they have a great life on pasture, believing that the food we produce is essential for human health and well-being.
Beyond the cattle, this way of farming also heals the soil and creates a thriving habitat for all the local wildlife to benefit from.
I respect everyone’s opinion and truly believe that we give our cattle a better life than any conventional producer would.
They only have one bad day and never have to suffer the harsh realities of nature in their old age, and they become a healthy source for hundreds of meals after that.
If there was a way to create food this healthy without that happening, I would certainly be first in line 🙏

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

I agree 100%!

Unfortunately our cost is $12/lb per lb of beef we produce.

Middleman#1 is the Processor which costs roughly $1,000/hd (up 3x from just two years ago!)

Middleman#2 is the Cattle Producer (whether our farm or from a partnering farm)
Cattle could be sold at the market for $2500/hd on average (up 2.5x from just two years ago!)
And

Middleman#3 is UPS Delivering to our customers door which averages $3/lb

Not including website costs, freezer costs, dry ice for shipping, and more taxes and insurance that anyone could imagine.

Would we be more profitable selling our cattle straight to the market right now? For sure!

But we believe in the quality of the beef and the hope of a future on our farm, so for now we are selling our beef as close to cost as we can in order to provide as many folks as we can with the highest quality beef possible!

Hopefully costs come down soon and we can drop our prices accordingly 🙏

(Do some research on the amount of subsidies going into the large beef processors and commodity farms, and I think you’ll be amazed at how the big picture is skewed against us little guys who pay our own bills and don’t take any help from the government 🤠🥩)

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@AThompson131511 You’re right! 99% of the time, Holsteins are for dairy. But when we started raising the steers for beef, we stumbled onto something incredible. The natural tenderness of the breed combined with a 100% grass-fed grass-finished finish is the ultimate 'health meets flavor' combo!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

Nothing wrong with some good quality grass-fed grass-finished Angus!
Personally, I found it a little tough.
I was ready to quit grass-finished beef entirely until I tasted Holstein. It’s the secret to actually loving the beef you’re eating while staying healthy. Nothing against Angus, and the good news is you can get that on every corner! But we wanted to do something unique that actually also tastes better!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@Tana_Labs I’m a big believer in people eating the healthiest food they can afford. Even if it isn't Holstein beef, grass-fed and finished is still a nutritional win over grain-finished. It’s great that Aldi has that option!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@NowWeRiseband All orders over $249 ship free to Maryland!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@emurray1959 Thank you for your business!
I think you’re going to love the Holstein difference!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

Excellent question!!
It’s true I used to sell these quarters for $599 just a year or two ago!

Then our processing was $450/head now it’s $1000/ head on average
Cattle used to cost $800/head now our average cattle cost is $2300/head

Ironically, even though our prices have gone up so much, our margin has gone down significantly,
and most of these sales are breakeven or very close,
but we are hoping to build a customer base right now and then if price is correct and get any better, maybe we can make a profit in the years to come.

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

I started raising them just because I knew they were the most docile breed and found that alot of the farmers in my area were raising one or two in their herd of angus cattle.
When I would ask them what they were for, they would tell me those were for their own family. "They don't bring much at a commodity market but they are the best beef in the world!"
So I had some beefed and found this to be true.
When finished on grain, they're too inefficient with feed, i.e. it takes more pounds of feed to get them to the same finishing weight that an angus steer would take.
But we found that finishing them on grass solves the feed inefficiency problem and makes a healthier beef too.

Basically, it takes the nutritional value of grass finished beef and combines it with a super tender breed of cattle and makes an awesome combination.

All I can say is everyone who tries it comes back and tells me its the best beef they've ever had 🤠

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

Hi Meir!
Thanks for pointing this out.
The 'Free Shipping' in this ad was intended for the Quarter Beef Bundle specifically, as our usual free delivery threshold is $249.
However, I can see how that wasn't clear, and that’s on us!
I’ve just refunded your $35 shipping fee, and we’re honoring the free delivery for your order.
Hope you enjoy the steaks!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@JulieLovesFluff That's awesome!
Jersey beef is absolutely phenomenal!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

Most people think "Grass-Fed" means "tough."
But that’s the Holstein secret. 🐄
Because they are a slower-growing breed, they develop a natural tenderness that you just don't find in standard grass-finished beef.

We don't rush the process. We just provide the grass, the sunshine, and the mountain water. The result is beef that’s as clean as it is delicious.

Shipping nationwide.
Order your Grass-Fed Grass-Finished Holstein steaks at https://t.co/XFZrllsNp2

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

True!!
I absolutely love Jersey as well, but found the Holstein steers to be easier to raise on a consistent commercial level.

It seems the transition from Angus to Holstein beef will be hard enough for some folks to imagine, so I'm afraid Jersey would be another level of convincing for most folks! I
t would be awesome to see more folks try these different breeds!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

I worked at a stockyard throughout high school and visited farms pretty often. I always noticed the old ranchers (first gen, the ones who lived off the land when they were young) had one or two holstein steers in the back of the herd.

When I would ask what they were for, they would say they were raising them for their own family.

They wouldn't sell for much at the market, but it was common knowledge it was the best beef out there.

I wasn't totally sure if Holstein steers raised on grass for this purpose would translate to the same tenderness as an old dairy cow, but it turns out they do!
We've been real happy with the consistency of the beef too.

The only problem is I'm in cattle country, so no one here will buy it because they all raise Angus, but once we figured out shipping past our county lines, it has been taking off since then!

But let's not be in any rush to convince other ranchers, I'm not in any hurry to see the prices get up to angus level! 😂🤠

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@jscottshipman @rustbeltkid1 Our steers end up massive compared to my neighbor's angus cattle! (even though it takes longer to be fair!)
I'm told often that they just don't work for beef because they are too big boned...
Turns out bones are great for broth! 🤠🐄

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@hjosh00 @rustbeltkid1 Truth!! 😂
Two years ago, I could by a small trailer load of Holsteins to raise for about $2,500
Now, that wouldn't buy two
They are still less than angus for sure, but none of us are filling up our pastures with the cattle prices right now!

[Calhoun Livestock @CL_Farms]

@fde_enthusiast7 True!
The tenderness of the Holstein breed paired with the nutritional profile of grass-fed grass-finished beef makes for an unbelievable combination!