Buying Pastured Pork in Bulk

Buying pastured meat in bulk is a great way to support your local farm. It is a simple way to provide yourself with food security against the potential of food shortages. Filling a freezer full of quality meat provides convenience throughout the year, reducing or eliminating trips to the grocery store for factory farm meat. While buying in bulk is a large upfront investment, you can save a significant amount of money over buying the same quantity of meat, piece by piece, at retail price.

Honeysuckle Farm’s pastured, unvaccinated, non-GMO pork is $4.25/lb for a half and $4.00/lb for a whole and is calculated based on the hanging weight, which is the live-weight of the hog less the inedible products such as the head, feet, blood, and most of the internal organs.

A typical 250 lb live-weight whole hog should produce approximately 170-200 lbs hanging weight. After custom cutting, the total yield should be approximately 120-150 lbs of meat and requires about 6-7 cu. ft. of freezer space.

A half hog should produce approximately 90-100 lbs hanging weight, yielding approximately 70-75 lbs of meat, and requires roughly 3-4 cu. ft. of freezer space. 

Please keep in mind that these are estimates, and can vary significantly in either direction. We have had hanging weights for large hogs over 300 lbs. 

The estimated cost for a half hog would be about $380-$425 but could potentially be more than $640 for a large hog. 

The estimated cost for a whole hog would be about $720-$800 but could potentially be more than $1200 for a large hog. 

These costs are paid directly to the farm. A $100 deposit per half ($200 deposit for a whole) is made at the date of purchase and is applied to the total balance due upon delivery to the processor. We deliver the hog to the processor on the next available date we have scheduled with them. The purchaser will be notified of the processing date so they can plan accordingly for prompt payment of the balance due. 

Processing availability can vary depending on how busy the processor is; for example, during the fall deer hunting season, availability is limited. COVID has also made getting processing dates more difficult.

Once the hog has been delivered and dispatched, we contact the processor, usually in the afternoon to get the hanging weight. We are then able to calculate the balance and will notify the purchaser of the amount due. Payment of the balance is expected to be paid within 48 hours of delivery. After the balance payment is received, we will relay instructions to contact the processor within a few days to discuss the custom cutting options. The processor will walk you through all the options and make it as easy as possible. 

Hogs are custom processed based upon the purchaser’s personal preference. Total processing costs depend upon options selected, which may include smoking/curing, various sausage seasonings, linking or patty-forming, packaging, etc. Because of this variability, the buyer pays the processor directly, separate from the farm. An average cost to the processor may be in the $125-$150 range per half, varying based on the complexity of the processing.

The processor will notify you directly once your order is completed and ready for pick up at the processor. All meat will be packaged and frozen.

We do not pick up or deliver bulk pork orders. You must pick up the meat at the processor and pay them for their services. They may charge a storage fee for orders not picked up in a timely fashion.