A Hudson Valley Almanac day-trip guide
Thirty farms across eleven counties that will sell you a quarter or half of beef, a half or whole hog, or a lamb share — meat raised down the road, cut the way you want it, and stacked in your own freezer. Buying in bulk is one of the best ways to eat well from local farms on a budget, and it keeps the money with the families doing the raising.
Washington County has more share sellers than anywhere else in the region. Estherland Wagyu in Greenwich sells Wagyu beef by the half and quarter, and Our Farm CSA at Spring Hill Farm, also in Greenwich, sells half and quarter hogs alongside grass-fed beef. K&L Hollow Farm in Cambridge raises rare, forest-raised heritage pork, including American Mulefoot, and sells bulk shares. Frederick Family Farm in Argyle offers whole or half American Guinea Hogs, du Trieux Farm in Hartford sells half and whole lambs by pre-order, and Fuller Acres in Fort Ann sells quarter cows. Next door in Rensselaer County, St. Croix Farm in Valley Falls offers quarter and eighth beef boxes, and Laughing Earth Farm in Cropseyville sells bulk beef and custom bulk pork.
Kinderhook Farm in Valatie is a one-stop shop — quarter, half, and whole grass-fed beef, half pigs, and half-lamb boxes, with a year-round farm store. Grimaldi Farmstore in Ghent sells beef by the quarter, half, or whole, and Hudson River Homesteaders in Germantown sells half and whole pastured pigs. Across the river, HBT Family Farm in Earlton sells USDA-inspected heritage-cross pork and beef by the whole or half carcass, Pathfinder Farms in Catskill sells grass-fed Hereford beef by the half, and Johnk Family Farm in Greenville takes orders for half hogs of its Berkshire pork and quarters of beef.
Sap Bush Hollow Farm in West Fulton, grass-fed since 1979, sells wholes, halves, and quarters. Sweet Tree Farm in Cobleskill sells quarter, half, or whole 100% grass-fed beef, and Locust-Spring Farm in Sloansville offers quarter or half Angus-Ayrshire beef and half or whole pork. For lamb, Acres Wild Farm in Warnerville sells butchered whole lambs, and The Flockery in Cherry Valley raises 100% grass-fed whole lambs. Sunset Ridge Beef in Morris sells half and whole beef.
Before you order, ask how the price is figured — many farms charge by hanging weight (the carcass before cutting), which is more than the meat you take home — and whether butchering and processing are included or billed separately by the processor. Most shares come with a cut sheet where you choose steaks versus roasts, bacon versus fresh pork belly, and how thick to slice. Pickup often follows the butcher's schedule, which can be booked months ahead, so order early, especially in fall. And measure your freezer first: even a quarter of beef takes up real space. If a whole or half is too much, split it with friends or family, or start with a box.
Explore more of the region's theme guides on Explore by Theme, or pair a farm pickup with Honor-System & Self-Serve Farm Stands.
One farm, one animal, one full freezer — the most direct way there is to know where your dinner comes from.