re: Buying a half cow butchered

Cost depends on the size of the animal. Obvi, buying half a calf is cheaper than buying half of a steer. Price will vary, depending on the farmer's cost & butchering/packaging costs.

My last purchase was half of a roan shorthorn cross steer who lived a very pampered life as a middle-schooler's show steeer. He dressed out at ~1100 lbs; my half cost me $2,300 for abt 525 lbs of meat. I paid $4.39/lb.