About Johnson's Farm & Market

Prophetstown, Illinois

We are small family farmers located in Northwestern Illinois operating our two family farms for the past 28 years. The two farms that make up our operation were started by our grandfathers and great-great grandfathers and we are dedicated to keeping them in the family.

Pork and grain production have been the foundation of the farms for generations. Grandpa Johnson raised pure-bred, award-winning Duroc hogs and we want to continue the tradition of quality. Our focus has become producing high-quality pork for our own consumption and to sell to friends and family, leading us to raise pure-bred Berkshires for the quality and incredible flavor of their meat. We then expanded to raising a few Angus-cross cattle for our own beef and most recently started raising chickens for quality meat and laying hens for pasture-raised eggs. Our chickens are raised on organic feed and all of our livestock are raised without hormones or regular antibiotics.

With the increasing interest in purchasing good quality, local, farm-raised meats we decided the next step was an on-farm meat market, expanding our production to provide local customers with high-quality, affordable meat and eggs. Our focus remains on raising quality meats and products in the tradition of our grandfathers.

BeefProducts found: 3

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Local Beef for Sale

directly from farmers and butcher shops near you

ChopLocal has local beef for sale ready for you to order online. You can purchase online and pick-up at a local beef farm, or have the beef shipped to your door!

Local beef for sale includes beef brisket, ground beef, beef jerky, prime rib, beef roast, beef short ribs, beef sticks, filet mignon, New York Strip Steak, beef summer sausage and beef tri-tip directly from farmers.

Why buy Local Beef?

Local beef has many benefits! One of the benefits of the local beef for sale here is that most of it is dry aged.

"One of the advantages of buying local meats is that small processors dry age the beef on site for 10 days to 14 days. This allows the enzymes in the meat to break down the connective tissue resulting in more tender and flavorful beef. Dry aged meats also contain less water so you aren't paying for added water when purchasing from a local farmer making it a better investment." - Ty Gustafson - Owner/Operator of Story City Locker.

ChopLocal has beef for sale from farms in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, MinnesotaGeorgia, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Or browse our best-selling local beef. You can also purchase half a cow from many of our farms.

Why buy from local beef farms?

1. The US imported approximately 2.5 billion pounds of beef in 2021, all while US beef farmers struggle to make ends meet.
2. Much of the imported beef is used for ground beef for fast food restaurants.
3. Imported beef comes from countries like Brazil, which are home to dangerous animal diseases and corrupt meat inspection systems.

Read more about why purchasing from local beef farms is so important here.

Order Local Beef Online: How it Works

1. Check out the local beef farms and butcher shops above.

2. Can't find one near you? Many farmers and butcher shops in the ChopLocal network will ship beef right to your door!

3. Looking for something specific? Use the search bar or filters to find the meat that's right for you.

4. Order local beef online and the farmer or butcher shop will fulfill your order!

Interesting Fact: Why is cow meat called beef?

Long story short, it's because of the French invasion of Britain in 1066.

To go into a bit more detail, here's the history:

The Anglo-Saxons (British in the 11th century) spoke Old English, a language with Germanic roots. This language used the word "cu" to describe cattle.

When the French-speaking Normans invaded and conquered Britain, they continued to speak French and using the French term "boeuf" instead of "cu."

As time went-on, the fancier French term became "beef" and was used to describe meat from cattle.

Spoiler Alert: The "cow meat" you're looking for isn't from cows.

Technically, the beef at ChopLocal isn't actually cow meat.

Cows are female cattle who have given birth to a calf (baby bovine.) And beef from cows is not the highest quality. It is generally less tender and less flavorful, but makes great ground beef, hamburger and things like that.

The best beef comes from steers - younger, full-grown male cattle. This beef is tender, flavorful, and makes delicious steak and other high-end cuts.

Johnson's Farm & Market
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