A Classen beef share is your portion of a Nebraska raised Black Angus animal, packed as steaks, roasts, ground beef, and specialty cuts for your freezer. You choose a size, tell the farm your favorite cuts, approve a pull sheet, and a real person on the Classen family farm sets up pickup or delivery with you. You pay by finished packaged weight, so you pay for the beef that actually goes in your freezer.
If you have never bought beef this way, the hard part is knowing what size to get, what the price includes, and how the beef gets home. This guide walks through each one.
You want a freezer of beef from a farm you can name, and a price that makes sense.
Current sizes, per pound prices, and approximate packaged weights live on the Classen beef shares page. This guide explains how the path works. It does not replace that live table.
As listed on that page in November 2026, a quarter is about 125 packaged pounds, a half is about 250 packaged pounds, and a whole is about 500 packaged pounds. Eighth and sixteenth sizes are listed for households that want to start smaller.
What is a Classen beef share?
A Classen beef share is a set portion of one animal raised on the Classen family farm in Nebraska, then cut, vacuum sealed, and packed for your freezer. The live share page lists whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth sizes.
It is a mix of everyday cuts, not a box of only steaks. The farm describes that mix as steaks, roasts, ground beef, and specialty cuts. Exact counts follow the pull sheet you approve and can vary with the animal and what is available.
You can buy a share that is ready now, or reserve a share from an upcoming harvest. Both paths are on the Classen site: the ready shares page and the reservation page.
How is a share priced?
Classen prices shares by finished, packaged weight. That is the weight of the beef that is cut, wrapped, and ready for your freezer, not a hanging number on the rail.
Many farms quote a hanging weight and then add a separate processing bill, so the pounds you take home are lower than the number on the first quote. Mississippi State University Extension explains why: bone, fat, and moisture are lost as a carcass is cut and packaged. Classen's promise is simpler: you pay for the packaged beef you take home. Current per pound prices and approximate weights are listed on the beef shares page. Your final total follows the actual packaged weight of your share.
The buying beef in bulk page lists processing and vacuum sealed packaging as included in share pricing, with custom cut selections on orders placed with a deposit. Pickup or delivery is set with you by phone. For delivery to your address, check the shipping page or call 531-810-1107.
For a fuller explanation, read hanging weight versus packaged weight.
Which size should I get?
Choose a size based on how many people you feed, how much freezer space you have, and whether another household will split the share with you. The live share page lists each size and its approximate packaged weight.
A half is what many people mean when they say "a side of beef." If you are comparing quotes, make sure you are comparing packaged pounds to packaged pounds. For a closer look at a half, read How much is a half cow, and what does side of beef mean?. For a quarter, read How much is a quarter beef, and how much meat do you take home?.
If this is your first share and you are not sure, consider a quarter, or an eighth if freezer space is tight. You can size up next time.
Can more than one household split a share?
Yes. Families can split a share. The share goes to one address with one contact.
Pickup or delivery is set with that one contact by phone. After the beef arrives, the households divide the labeled packages themselves.
How do I order a share?
The path is short. On the ready share page you choose a size, fill out a form with your favorite cuts, and place the order. The farm emails a pull sheet that lists the cuts and quantities you will receive. You approve that sheet, and the packages are set aside under your name.
If you are reserving an upcoming harvest, you start on the reservation page. A deposit holds your size. The remaining balance is due at pickup or delivery, and the final total still follows finished packaged weight. After the deposit, the farm reaches out about your cut preferences.
The live share page also notes that boxes may vary slightly with cut availability, and that substitutes of equal or greater value are communicated before delivery.
How do pickup, delivery, and shipping work?
Shares of every size are picked up or delivered. A real person at the farm sets the time with you by phone. There is no fixed route day, and anyone can pick up.
Pickup and delivery are arranged with Jordan by phone at 531-810-1107. Pickup can be set at the Classen Mercantile storefront, 237 South 2nd Street, Albion, or at the farm in Saint Edward. You can also find the Classens at farmers markets in season.
Smaller boxes ship on Tuesdays by UPS. Tracking goes out when the box ships. Plan to be home and move the beef into the freezer right away. Checkout shows the shipping cost for your address before you pay. For shipping questions, check the shipping page or call 531-810-1107.
How much freezer space will I need?
Plan from the approximate packaged pounds listed for your size on the beef shares page. Leave a little room so you can see labels and rotate packages.
Once the beef is in the freezer, read how long beef lasts in the freezer for storage and thawing tips.
What cuts will I get, and can I have a say?
Yes, you have a say. A share is a mix of steaks, roasts, ground beef, and specialty cuts. You name favorites on the order form, then approve the pull sheet before packages are set aside.
Exact steak or roast counts are not a single fixed public list, because they follow your approved sheet and the animal.
If a cut is unavailable, the farm's published note is that a substitute of equal or greater value is communicated before delivery.
Where can Nebraska families get Classen beef?
Start with the beef shares page if you already know you want a share. Shop individual cuts if you want to start with a single package. For smaller boxes, see ready to ship beef and the shipping page.
For city-by-city pickup and delivery detail, start with the Nebraska locations page, then see Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Papillion, and Gretna. Or call 531-810-1107 or email info@classenmercantile.com to set a plan.
Meet the family on the Our Farm page. Travis and Jordan Classen bought pasture near Fullerton in the spring of 2016, then expanded to Saint Edward and Albion.
Plan your size, then see the live shares
When you are ready to order, use the one button below. Current prices and approximate packaged weights are on that same page.
Questions? Call 531-810-1107 or email info@classenmercantile.com.
Beef share FAQ
What is a beef share?
A beef share is your portion of a Nebraska raised Classen animal, packed as steaks, roasts, ground beef, and specialty cuts for your freezer. Classen lists whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth sizes on the share page.
How is a Classen share priced?
Shares are priced by finished, packaged weight, the pounds that are cut and wrapped for your freezer. Current per pound prices and approximate weights are listed on the beef shares page. Your final total follows the actual packaged weight.
Can two families split a share?
Yes. Families can split a share. It goes to one address with one contact. After it arrives, you divide the packages yourselves.
Do you deliver, or is it pickup only?
Shares of every size can be picked up or delivered. The farm sets the details with you by phone. There is no fixed route day, and anyone can pick up.
Can you ship beef?
Yes. Smaller boxes ship on Tuesdays by UPS, and checkout shows the shipping cost for your address. Shares of every size are picked up or delivered. For a shipped option, see the ready to ship beef page or the shipping page, or call 531-810-1107.
