[zendog3]

For years, I produced and sold gourmet lowlife Angus for sale by the side. My meat was grass fed and fattened late on corn.
Some things to consider: 1) My biggest problem was finding customers with space in their freezer for more than 300 pounds of beef. 2) It is relatively easy to buy a steer to butcher. To get the best price you go to a livestock auction and bid on one. Then you have to get it to a butcher. 3) In Indiana, butchers had to be licensed and inspected by the FDA. Florida may be different, but you may not want to have your meat butchered by the rancher, even if it is legal. 4) Not all beef is the same. Bulls and retired dairy cows are ground for hamburger. To get the best beef know your livestock or the rancher. 5) The best beef is hung and aged for some time before being cut and frozen. Not all butchers will do that for you. 6) Think about the parts you may not want, the brains, tongue, heart, etc. The butcher should dispose of the skin, bones etc. If you want to but less -- sides are the same, but the front and back have different cuts on them. In either case you need a partner or partners to share in the purchase. 7) I, of course, ate my own beef, but after a year or so, you will have some meat left that was not your first choice. You may be tired of hamburger or chuck roast by then. 8) I also grew gourmet hogs, and I found pork a be a better choice. There is not so much and the variety from bacon, sausage, to roast and chops was greater.