cowpooling
pp. Purchasing a whole cow or side of beef from a local farmer and sharing the cost among multiple families.
Etymology
Examples
2008
Top quality, tender lean beef with (as we see it) a healthy balance of omega 3 and 6. Dry aged a minimum of 14 days, cut to your specifications and quick-frozen. (included in price)
Available by the half, quarter, or mixed quarter (from $3.19/lb) ***** Special pricing for Cowpooling groups.
—“Grass fed beef,” kijiji.ca, June 08, 2008
2008
Amid growing concerns about large-scale meat production fuelled by such recent books as The Omnivore's Dilemma and The 100-Mile Diet, some consumers are bypassing supermarket meat aisles and even the local butcher shop in favour of cowpooling — clubbing together to buy half or whole carcasses directly from local farms.
—Wency Leung, “You take the ribs, I'll take the rump,” The Globe and Mail, May 21, 2008
2008 (earliest)
Have any of you given any thought to 'cowpooling'? That is, buying an entire cow or side of beef from a local farm, having the butcher section it up and divvying it up with neighbours?

My parents did this when I was a kid. Saved countless trips to the grocery store and the meat is much better quality than what you'd typically find at the grocer.
—Glammie, “Food Prices Skyrocketing,” iVillage, May 21, 2008
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