Calhoun Livestock

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.

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 🙏

@CL_Farms Please don't kill and eat other animals!

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!

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 🤠🥩)

The Prices are ridiculous with no middleman $11.98 for ground beef sorry that’s a turn-off :(

@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!

@CL_Farms Holstein.... Milk cows .. Or Sonny Holstein bovine

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!

@CL_Farms What no angus?

@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!

@CL_Farms ALDI 25 GRASS FED AND FINISHED GROUND BEEF $149.75

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

@CL_Farms So what is the cost for the 1/4 delivered to Maryland?

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

@CL_Farms Just placed my 1st order today. Looking forward to checking your products out!

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.

@CL_Farms Crazy I used to pay that same price for a Half cow not that too long ago. Why has the priced doubled?

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 🤠

@CL_Farms Why Holstein?

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!

@CL_Farms I ordered stakes and at checkout you added $35 shipping. I'm in NC. Confirmation #KH4YQQCGL

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

@CL_Farms We eat our Jersey boys and they're delicious, same slow growth so they come out nice and tender.

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 CalhounLivestock.com

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!

@rustbeltkid1 Anyone who feeds and butchers their own and is honest will tell you Holsteins and jersey’s make the superior tasting beef

Dairy calves going to the moon because crunchy moms hop on the Holstein bandwagon would be hilarious

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! 😂🤠

@Empty_America We've always bought them, liked them good enough, some great some fair but never bad. Cull dairy cows carry some lore re:yellow fat and such This really might go off with the crunchies

@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! 🤠🐄

@rustbeltkid1 These are very big critters

@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!

@rustbeltkid1 They’re already on the moon price wise, big dawg

@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!

Holstein are dairy cows so they’re just naturally a little more tender

@8_o_Demerzel Might be! I've also had Dexer and Jersey beef that was really good! So far Holstein steers have worked well from a consistency and supply chain standpoint, but I'm always interested in finding new types of beef to enjoy!

@CL_Farms I've found grass fed Normandy to also be quite excellent. Maybe similar because they are traditional dairy breeds? Least favorite so far is Dexter

It's like I broke the Matrix around here 😂 My neighbors (all ranchers here in Bedford County VA) stop by from time to time to remind me "you can't raise Holsteins for beef", then my customers stop by and beg me to keep raising them for beef because it's so dang good. After beating cancer twice, I've studied too much about nutrition to eat anything other than grass-fed grass-finished, and the Holstein beef is the only grass-fed grass-finished beef that is more tender than traditional grain-fed cuts, so I guess I'm just stuck here on the outside of the laws of conventional wisdom for now 🤠

That’s usually the case! Most grass-finished beef lives up to that 'tough' reputation, but that’s the Holstein difference! Their slower growth cycle creates a tenderness that’s really rare for grass-fed. It’s the exact opposite of the standard experience, which is why I'm working hard to share it! 🤠

@CL_Farms They are stringy and tough