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  • What makes Shining Cross Farms diffferent?

    Our beef comes straight from our family ranch on the coast of CA to our home in the small town of Templeton. Our kids, family and friends work these cattle. They are the ones branding, giving preventative vaccines, coaxing cows through the chute, and feeding our steers daily. We are advocating daily to give animal agriculture a voice and increase awareness about the food system. Our cattle are fed local grain, handmade in an old school feed mill in the heart of our town. They are harvested using humane handling practices by local expert butchers, all under USDA inspection guidelines. The beef is dry aged for 14-21 days, sealing in flavor and creating the most tender meat you have ever experienced. THAT's something you don't get in a grocery store. Local. Family owned and hand raised. Always advocating for agriculture and sustainability.

  • Will my meat arrive frozen?

    Your meat is deep frozen straight from the butcher, to our business, and to your home. During transport, it is kept frozen with dry ice and/or gel packs. It is unlikely, but possible, that your order may arrive partially thawed. Meat below 40 degrees is safe to consume and can be refrozen or thawed completely for consumption. If you have any issues or concerns, please reach out to shiningcrossfarms@gmail.com.

  • How does shipping work?

    Any order placed before a shipping day will be shipped on those specific Tuesday afternoons. The deadline to place your order is Monday at 3 P.M. prior to the shipping date. Your meats will arrive frozen either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on your location and shipping options. I sure do wish shipping costs were more reasonable, but just like everything else in the world, costs of fuel, labor, maintenance, etc. have increased.

    Shipping estimates provided during checkout are based on a single destination. Please place separate orders for each address receiving a shipment. Click on "How Does Shipping Work?" on the menu bar to find out more.


    Once you taste the difference in our ranch raised meats, it will be very hard to go back to any store bought commercial meat. The cost to get it to you will be worth every penny.

  • Can I customize my order?

    We are not currently offering customization. Think of this as a subscription farm box.  Every box is a little different!  We want you to expand your culinary skills and palate by experimenting with a variety of cuts and flavors. Ranchers don't just eat steaks. They eat the O-bone roast, cubed rump roasts, ground beef, etc.  There is only so much pork belly on every hog and only so many ribeye steaks on every steer. We will teach you to use the whole animal to lessen any waste and honor the lives of our livestock to nourish our families.

    All that said, send us an email or enter any specific requests in the Order Special Instructions Box at checkout.

  • Why grain fed and not grass fed?

    ALL cattle are grass fed. They have to be. They are ruminant animals and their 4 stomachs don’t work unless they have roughage. Grass fed cattle develop fat over a longer period of time when they are fed certain grasses, rather than grain fed cattle eating a corn based grain that develops fat faster (in addition to grass/hay). They happen to love it, by the way.

    Second, I think it tastes better! If I am going to eat something, I’d prefer to like the taste.  The classic beef flavor that most of us love is grain finished. In fact there are many studies that did blind tastings of grass vs grain fed and most people prefer grain finished beef. That doesn’t mean that it’s better or that people don’t prefer grass fed. It’s just a different flavor profile. 

    Lastly, we live in an arid climate where water availability is a HUGE concern. Some areas of CA or the US can rotationally graze all year long and not supplement. Here, with only a few inches of rain last year, our hay cost went through the roof. Wells go dry all the time here, so irrigating pastures is out of the question if I still want to take showers or do laundry.

    All of these factors play into a beef producer’s decisions. Here we grain finish our cattle from a local feed mill, out in the sunny hills of the coast of CA, not in a feedlot, feed robust hay from local farmers, and they are humanely processed at a local butcher right here in our same county. These cattle never go more than 50 miles from where they were born. We support other small businesses so we can keep this local food chain and an old way of life going.




  • Can you share any recipes?

    We are ALWAYS cooking. We are a family of 6: six very busy and active Millers who LOVE mealtime. We are always sharing recipes on Instagram and Facebook. Give us a follow there to find out more! It's on our list to include a recipe section on this website that is easy to access as well, but until then... watch for more on social media.

  • Tell me more about this monthly subscription option...

    Sign up for our monthly subscription service to receive 10% off the standard price and you don't even have to think about remembering to reorder!

    You will receive a 10 lb box monthly, either mixed beef or ground beef. You will make the selection on your first purchase when setting up the subscription.

    You will automatically be billed on the 1st of the month and subscription boxes will ship the first Tuesday of every month!  Local delivery or pickup is also available monthly!

    Pause/Restart/Cancel your subscription at any time. You will receive notifications when you have been billed and when your package ships.  ** If you are going on vacation or will not be home on the expected date of delivery, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for a different ship date or pause your subscription for that month! Nobody wants spoiled meat waiting for them after a lovely vacay.**