Cow Pool FAQ
Welcome!
1. What kinds of animals are available through Cow Pool Gainesville?
So far we have done cow, farm raised pig, wild hog, water buffalo, deer, and turkey. We’re hoping to do lamb and goat this year.
2. How do you find the animals? Where do they come from?
Each coordinator finds the animals, usually through friends of friends, talking to people at the farmer’s market, or through postings on places like Local Harvest. I like to go out and meet the farmer, see the animals and how they’re raised, but not all coordinators do this.
My criteria for choosing farms to buy animals for the Cow Pool:
Local- the farm must be within an hour’s drive of Gainesville
Free-range/grass-fed- All of our beef is 100% grass-fed. Right now our cows come from GreenWay Farm in Alachua. You can read about GreenWay Farm here. Our pigs are kept on pasture, not concrete, or they’re wild.
Usually not “organic”- None of the farms we currently source animals from are certified “organic”. They all use as few chemicals as possible and have diversified farms using many sustainable practices.
3. How does the pool work?
This is how I run the pool when I am acting as coordinator. Other coordinators may do it another way.
I post to the cowpool Gainesville yahoo group. You sign up for a share. My husband & I front the $1500-$2000 to pay the butcher and farmer up front, and then we are repaid when everyone picks up their shares. Pickups are at my home in NW Gainesville in the evening (usually on Wednesdays) about 2 weeks after the signup. I leave work, drive to the butcher, sort the meat into milk crates, weigh each milk crate/share, and bring the meat back to my house. Everyone MUST pick up within 1-2 hours. I do not have a deep freeze and the meat thaws quickly.
Pig shares are usually 10# each. They will be half ground and half steaks and roasts. The meat will not be smoked or seasoned. Cuts will come in vacuum-sealed plastic and each cut will be labeled.
Cow shares are 25# each and will be roughly half ground meat and half steaks and roasts. The cow will be dry aged 2 weeks before the meat is cut & packaged. The meat will come in vacuum-sealed plastic and each cut will be labeled.
4. Do I get to choose what cuts I receive?
No. Everyone receives the same weight of meat but the sorting is random. Shareholders are welcome to trade among themselves.
5. Does my share include organ meats?
Sometimes. If you ask for organ meats, soup bones, fat, or other offal when you sign up for a share I will do my best to get them for you.
6. Where is the animal butchered? Is the butcher USDA certified?
Almost all of our butchering is done by Crawford’s Custom Meats in Worthington Springs, north of Lacrosse. Crawford’s is a “custom cut butcher” and is not USDA certified, which means all meat will be labeled “not for sale”. Other coordinators may choose other area butchers.
7. How much does it cost? Are there membership fees?
We do everything possible to keep our shares under $5 per pound. Beef is usually right around $5 per pound, pork is usually less. There are no membership fees.
8. What else does the cow pool group do?
In 2011 we had our first workshop! A group of us drove out to Crawford’s and learned how to butcher a hog and make fresh sausage. I hope we can do more workshops in 2012!
9. Do you take SNAP/EBT cards?
No, we do not. I have no way to cash those in. The cow pool isn’t a business, it’s a community cooperative. We don’t have a business license, pay business taxes, anything like that. I don’t take credit cards either. Cash or checks only.
Have more questions? Post your question here as a comment and I will add it to the FAQ.
May 24, 2013 at 9:52 am 
May 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm 
Feb 11, 2012 @ 22:19:22
If I am reading this correctly 10# of pork will cost me approx. $40.00 and 25# of beef will cost me approx. $125.00; making my total out-of-pocket expense $165.00 and I pay this money when I pickup the product. Does this mean that I purchase 165 shares @ 1.00 per share or 35 shares @ 5.00 per share? When you say “the boxes are “sorted” randomly, do you mean one box could contain all ground meat and one box could contain all steaks? – or, do you put one of each, two of each, etc. in each box to balance the product?
Feb 12, 2012 @ 09:24:15
Welcome! I’ll try to answer these questions one at a time.
“If I am reading this correctly 10# of pork will cost me approx. $40.00 and 25# of beef will cost me approx. $125.00; making my total out-of-pocket expense $165.00″
We usually only have one pool going at a time, with one animal. But otherwise, yes.
“I pay this money when I pickup the product”
Yes.
“Does this mean that I purchase 165 shares @ 1.00 per share or 35 shares @ 5.00 per share?”
Neither. You purchase one share of x pounds total meat. The pounds per share is determined by whoever is coordinating. The usual is 25# for beef and 10# for pork. The price for each share cannot be accurately determined until we get to the butcher and weigh the cut & wrapped meat.
“When you say “the boxes are “sorted” randomly, do you mean one box could contain all ground meat and one box could contain all steaks? – or, do you put one of each, two of each, etc. in each box to balance the product?”
One of each, two of each, etc in each share box so that each share is made of approximately the same number of steaks, roasts, ground meat, stew meat, etc.
Feb 11, 2012 @ 22:20:18
What if I am not happy with the product?
Feb 12, 2012 @ 09:30:30
Please understand, you are not purchasing meat. I cannot sell you meat, the butcher cannot sell you meat. That is illegal.
You are purchasing a share in a live animal, and a share of the butcher’s services. Just like purchasing a share in a CSA, this includes a certain amount of risk. There are no refunds. If you don’t like what you receive you are welcome to not purchase shares from the farmer in the future, or maybe from that kind of animal, or you can leave the group. Some people find they just don’t like the flavor of grass-fed beef or wild hog meat, but want to try venison or free-range turkey instead. No one is ever forced to buy a share in any pool.
Feb 12, 2012 @ 18:56:57
Gotcha!
Feb 12, 2012 @ 18:43:39
Great. Thanks for the quick response, Andi. I think I got it all straight now. I was trying to compare your operation to a CSA selling produce and related products like Cronescradle over in Citra.
It looks like more and more buyers are turning to alternative approaches to the market. Do you think delivery could be incorporated in your operation?
Thanks, again.
Roger
Feb 12, 2012 @ 20:15:00
It’s similar to purchasing a CSA share, since you are technically purchasing a share of the future harvest, there is an element of risk, and there are no refunds.
I think delivery could absolutely be incorporated, if you’re willing to pay enough to make it worth my time. Otherwise, I transport everyone’s shares from the butcher in Worthington Springs to my house in NW Gainesville and all of the shareholders meet me there to pick up.
I do think more and more buyers are turning to alternative approaches. The system is important but the opting out is an exercise in freedom.
May 16, 2012 @ 22:19:46
Absolutely fascinating. I have forwarded your information to my son and daughter-in-law who live in Gainesville. I surely hope that the next time I am able to come up for a visit you have something available. I am most interested in turkey and also the beef. Do you have water buffalo available often?
May 17, 2012 @ 08:16:18
Thank you! I’m so glad you like my blog!
Water buffalo is now being sold at the Farmer’s Markets and is readily available, so we’re not “pooling” it any more. There’s not much slaughtering happening in the summer, but the cow pool starts really picking up in September and we usually have several pools in the fall and winter.
May 17, 2012 @ 17:56:48
Great! Can (and will) you send me an invitation when you start it up again? Meantime…I will look for the water buffalo at the markets. I would imagine I could start with the 441 market? Or do you have any suggestions? Haile perhaps?
May 21, 2012 @ 12:53:26
They are always at the 441 market and sometimes downtown. Good luck!
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Sep 19, 2012 @ 11:26:01
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Dec 27, 2012 @ 15:36:32
I am interested in some fresh ground pork and possibly cow shares when available. Could you please add me to your yahoo group? Or contact me via FB? Thanks!
Jan 01, 2013 @ 23:41:10
Welcome Sara! I cannot add you to the group, you have to go to the group page and click “Join this group”, I look forward to seeing you there!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cowpoolgville/
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Feb 15, 2013 @ 09:47:20
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Mar 28, 2013 @ 19:38:40
Great idea. I am too far from Gainesville to make this work (SoFL) but I just wanted to give you a thumbs up- great idea!
Mar 28, 2013 @ 21:55:27
Thank you! You might be too far away to participate in our cow pool, but you could always start your own.