Tehama Angus Ranch

–Correction – This isn’t really a butcher, but a rancher that sells beef to regular folks, and works closely with a local butcher so that you don’t have to cut up a side of beef by yourself :) I just couldn’t find a closer category to put this in.
When my wife and I lived in Redding, we started buying beef by the quarter or side from Tehama Angus Ranch, and became spoiled for life. It has an excellent flavor (not like supermarket steaks), the local butcher said it would qualify for Prime or Choice (among the best he’s ever seen, consistently), and it’s much more reasonably priced than some of the name-​brand organic or grass-​fed beef.
I’m not «selling» for them, don’t get a commission, not even a discount. In fact, I’ve never actually met the owners, just exchanged long, pleasant e-​mails with one of them (Linda) several times per year. However, some of our other Redding colleagues have been to the ranch and were impressed with how it’s run. The reason I’m writing this review is simply to reach out to people to provide them with options they might not hear about otherwise.
Their prices for 2013 are $ 2.20 /​lb and the cut/​wrap, process fees are $.80/​lb and $ 85/​animal. So the end price will work out to about $ 4.90 /​lb in the package, assuming you buy by the quarter or half. Prices are only slightly higher than the past two years (despite increased prices for corn and recent recalls of beef from the big commercial suppliers). The net cost per pound can vary a little, depending on your instructions to the butcher (easy), or about $ 800 to $ 1,000 for the side when all is said and done.
That includes a roughly even mix of burgers, steaks, and roasts, direct from a Chico-​area ranching family (nothing like those smelly, polluting feedlots farther south on I-​5 and Hwy 99). Our family of four eats a side of beef in about 1 year, or about 2 meals per week (~3 to 3.5 lbs per week).
My wife and I have been buying our beef from Tehama Angus for the past 8 years or so, and have a really tough time buying supermarket beef anymore (have you seen the prices for Harris Ranch or Sterling Silver beef? And Harris Ranch is no longer a small, family-​run operation). To stay «green» we make up for our beef consumption by also having a couple of meat-​free meals per week, and usually round it out with chicken or fish…
So if you’re interested in buying a side of beef (~170 lbs) from a local, reliable supplier, give it a try. Don’t worry, it’s all butchered and wrapped into nice cuts for you similar to the supermarket (but wrapped in more eco-​friendly vacuum packs or paper). You’ll need a dedicated freezer if you buy a side (we have the smallest model, cost of about $ 170, and it’s a tight fit). If you’ re willing to cooperate with a friend, you could get less than a side, perhaps a quarter, and divvy it up after you get it from the butcher.
For the record, I don’t get any sort of financial benefit from this (not even a discount, darnit!), nor do I have any personal or family relationship with Tehama Angus beef, other than my annual e-​mails with them to order beef and work out details. In fact, I have never met the ownersin person. However, I’ve learned via my e-​mail correspondence over the years that they are long-​time ranchers in Tehama County, really friendly, absolutely reliable for many years now, and with a few kids either recently off to college or just about to leave the nest.