100% Grass Fed Beef

On our small farm in Essex, we rotationally graze our animals on fresh pasture in season and feed them hay grown exclusively on our farm in winter. We follow the growth cycles of grass to carefully finish our animals on prime pasture to achieve juicy, flavorful beef. We process animals twice a year, with meat available for pick-up in midsummer and autumn. Our meat is slaughtered at a small, family run USDA-inspected butcher, dry-aged for two weeks, vacuum packed and frozen. Our beef is 100% grass fed and finished. Contact us with any questions about our growing practices!

Ordering Options:

Quarter of a Steer:

(Approx. 80-100 pounds of meat at $10.00/lb) This option is 25% percent of the meat from one animal (around 80-100 pounds of meat), and includes various steaks including Porterhouse, T-bone, rib-eye, sirloin and filet mignon, roasts, short ribs, ground beef, kabobs, stew meat and more. Cost is $10/lb. Quarters usually come in around 80-100 lbs, which takes about 4 or 5 cubic feet of freezer space. We ask for a $100 deposit at sign-up, with the balance due at pick up.

Box of Beef, 30-35 lbs:

$370 ($10.57/lb) This option is essentially the cuts from one twelfth of a steer and consists of various steaks, ground beef, one roast, short ribs and more. This amount takes about 2 cubic feet of freezer space. We ask for a $50 deposit at sign-up, with the balance due at pick up.

Want to place an order? Just follow these four simple steps:

Contact us to confirm your reservation of either a Quarter of a Steer or a Box of Beef.
Drop off or mail your deposit to us: Alprilla Farm, 94 John Wise Avenue, Essex MA 01929
Check your email inbox for notification of the upcoming pick up date.
Come see us at Alprilla Farm on the pick-up date to pay your balance and get your share!

Restaurants & Caterers:

Please contact us if you are interested in purchasing a side of beef to break down yourself.

Interested in receiving news about our beef? Please use the form below to add you name to our mailing list and we'll send you updates when they are available.

Cows, Grass & Soil

The family farm here in Essex has a rich history of raising cattle. From homestead dairying in the 17th century to Noah’s grandfather buying the farm and raising beef cattle in the 1970’s, the land supported herds of cows for centuries. After a few decades’ hiatus from cattle, we felt the time had come to put cows back on the land, and return the farm’s burnt-out hay fields to fertility and food production.

We graze our animals on pasture for as many months of the year as weather will allow, frequently rotating them to new paddocks of fresh grass. We make our own hay for the herd to eat through the winter in the barn. We’re happy to support nearby, fellow grass-fed producers by purchasing yearling calves and carefully finishing them here at Alprilla until they are between 26 and 30 months of age and of prime quality. Our cattle have the genetics to perform particularly well on grass.

Learning the art and science of grazing livestock has been an incredible process, full of intricacies, frustrations and success. Already, the fields are responding to the ruminants: a greater diversity of grasses and forbs has taken up residence and we're seeing several kinds of clover in fields where none grew before. The almighty dung beetles have returned, breaking down the manure and building the soil, which supports more forage, and more animals, each season. The transformation has been extraordinary to watch. We’re glad to have a robust and healthy herd on the farm. Managed carefully, the relationship between soil, pasture and cow is a powerful and delicious force of regeneration.