Rendering, composting or cremation in Clearfield
A dead cow can't wait long, but you still have a choice. Here's how rendering, composting, burial and private cremation compare for farms and families in Clearfield, and what each one costs per head.
- Time limits you need to know
- Pickup points that protect your herd
- Keepsakes from halters to ear tags
Clearfield, Utah
Livestock losses around Clearfield: who's affected and how
A dedicated, individual cremation for a 1,000-pound animal is expensive, and the facilities that offer it are few and spread across the Intermountain region. Most north Davis County owners end up weighing it against a shared cremation, a rendering service, or burial on their property if the county permits it. Whatever you decide, ask what the pickup mileage adds, and consider saving a horseshoe or tail braid before the truck leaves.
Clearfield is mostly houses, apartments and the sprawling Freeport Center, a former naval supply depot turned industrial park, so horses and livestock are rare inside city limits. Head west toward West Point and Syracuse, though, and horse barns, 4-H projects and hobby farms are still common. Owners there should learn which services pick up large animals in north Davis County before an emergency forces the question.
In smaller places like Clearfield, the mixed-practice vet who vaccinates dogs on Monday may be pregnancy-checking heifers on Tuesday, and they often know more about local disposal than anyone. Ask at a routine visit which crematory they'd use for a large animal and whether they can help with loading, rather than on the day of a death. If farm calls are booked days ahead, schedule a planned euthanasia early so the collection can follow on directly.
Clearfield is home to about 35,144 people, the 34th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Salt Lake City, about 24 miles (39 km) away, which is where some providers serving Clearfield are based.
If you want to compare providers, look at Syracuse (3 miles), Layton (3 miles, a larger centre) and Clinton (4 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
46.1%[1]
The NFDA projected Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% for 2024.
$600-$1,000[2]
Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane.
3-5% of body weight[3]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) and Embrace Pet Insurance; we only apply it to this.
How Utah thinks about cremation
Burial is still how most people in Utah say goodbye, with only about 46.1%[1] cremated, so asking for a steer's ashes may raise an eyebrow at the sale barn. Don't let that decide things for you. Families who raised an animal by hand, walked it every evening and cried at the fair have every reason to want something back, and you don't owe anyone an explanation.
The Utah figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Weather, ground conditions and disposal in Clearfield
Moving a frozen carcass is a different job from moving a fresh one. Legs lock at awkward angles, the animal may be stuck to bedding or ice, and a winch cable can slip. Around Clearfield, work in daylight, slide a sled or a sheet of plywood under the animal if you have one, and never stand in line with a tensioned chain. Ask the renderer or crematory whether they need a frozen animal to thaw before they take it.
Clearfield winters are cold, with average lows at or below freezing in January, February, November and December. A carcass keeps longer in the cold, but frozen ground can rule out burial for weeks or months, and a dead animal can freeze to the ground where it fell. Many farms in cold country plan winter losses around a renderer or a compost pile instead of a pit, and bury only when the ground allows.
Where the money goes when stock die near Clearfield
If you're budgeting for a whole year rather than one animal, think in losses per head. US dairy operations lost about 3.1% of adult cattle in 2015 against 1.8% on beef operations[4], and calf losses ran higher still. Multiply your expected deaths by the per-call or per-pound cost of your usual route in Clearfield, then add a cushion for a heat wave or a storm.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Utah overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
What Utah allows for dead stock
You don't need a permit to call a renderer or a crematory, but burial, composting and burning are where rules bite. In Utah, check depth, cover and setbacks from wells, creeks and property lines, plus any limit on how many animals can go in one site. Open burning of carcasses is illegal in most places. Counties, councils and water authorities can add their own conditions on top.
To find your county or city office in Utah, start with the official Utah local government directory.
In the US, dead-stock rules are set state by state, usually by the agriculture department or board of animal health. Most states expect disposal within 24-72 hours[6], and only about 50%[7] of states still have a rendering plant. Where no truck comes, composting and burial fill the gap, but not every state allows both for every species. Your county extension office is the quickest way to find out what applies on your land.
We keep Utah's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Utah rules summary. Before a home burial in Clearfield, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do when livestock die in Clearfield
- Stop and look before anyone moves the animal. If it died without warning, if more than one is down, or if you see a nosebleed or strange nervous-system signs, ring the vet before you touch anything. Samples for a lab could be needed.
- Move it away from water and the herd with a loader or winch, but only where that can be done without risk. Creek banks and the area around the well head are places to avoid.
- Cover it using a tarp held down at the corners so dogs, coyotes and birds can't get at it. This matters most when euthanasia drugs were used.
- Decide whether anyone wants ashes back. If so, call a crematory that can handle the weight before any dead-stock pickup is booked.
- Choose the route: what's allowed and actually on offer right now decides between a renderer, composting, burial, the landfill or a crematory.
- Get the price in writing, with the mileage, the loader and any extra for a weekend call-out all shown.
- Keep a record of when it happened, which animal and how it was handled, for the herd book or an insurer.
Ways to honor an animal that earned its place
Late-winter storms and March mud are the enemies of trailer access out on the west-side fields. With an elderly horse, cow or small flock, walk your property and pick the loading spot now: close to pavement or packed gravel, with room for a vet to work beside the animal and for a truck to back in. That single decision removes a lot of scrambling later.
Our services overview lays out every option side by side, run the numbers with the free planning tools, read our guides and latest articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls. More local pages: Provo, West Valley City, St. George and West Jordan, the Utah overview and every city in the United States.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Can you still get a renderer to pick up at your farm?
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Do you have a written plan for a big loss, like a blizzard, heat wave or disease outbreak?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Livestock mortality planner
Plan disposal capacity and costs for farm losses, from one animal to a herd.
Urn size calculator
Find the urn volume you need from your pet's weight, plus keepsake and sharing options.
Horse aftercare cost comparison
Compare equine cremation, burial, rendering and composting side by side.
Questions people ask
Does the Clearfield climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 87°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, November and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Will I have to travel to Salt Lake City to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Salt Lake City (roughly 24 miles from Clearfield) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Why does the Clearfield page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 46.1%[1] of Utah residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Clearfield?
The closest communities we cover are Syracuse (about 3 miles), Layton (about 3 miles) and Clinton (about 4 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Clearfield too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Who can dig a burial pit near Clearfield?
Local excavation contractors, neighbors with a backhoe and sometimes the county road crew after a large loss. Mass trenches for large animals typically run 4-8 ft deep[8], so it's a machine job. Ask for an hourly rate plus trip charge, and check the site against depth and water-setback rules before the digger arrives.
What should I do when a lamb or kid dies at birth near Clearfield?
Remove it from the pen promptly, wearing gloves, and put it in a lidded bin or somewhere covered and well clear of water until it's collected or composted. Note the dam's ID and anything unusual about the birth. One loss is often just bad luck, but several in a short run, or aborted fetuses, are a reason to call your vet, because some causes of abortion can infect people too.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] Cremating a 1,000-pound horse was reported to cost about $600-$1,000, depending on location and the price of propane. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [3] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [4] Dairy operations had a 3.1% adult cattle death loss rate in 2015, compared with 1.8% on beef operations. USDA APHIS NAHMS - Death Loss in U.S. Cattle and Calves Due to Predator and Nonpredator Causes, 2015 (published Dec 2017), 2015.
- [5] Horse rendering costs about $0.14 per pound and composting about $0.23 per pound, both well below incineration at $0.75 per pound, and composting is comparable to a biodigester at $0.25 per pound. Our estimate: $275 / 1,200 lb (composting); $137.50 / 1,000 lb (rendering); $0.25 and $0.75 per lb from extension. How we calculate.
- [6] State rules commonly require dead animals to be buried within 24 to 72 hours of death, especially when euthanized. Cornell Waste Management Institute & Penn State - Horse Mortality: Carcass Disposal Alternatives (2012), 2012.
- [7] Only about 50% of U.S. states have rendering plants, most of them concentrated in the Midwest. Extension Horses (eXtension national Cooperative Extension) - Horse Disposal Options, 2019, 2019.
- [8] Mass-burial trenches for large animals are typically 4-8 feet deep and about 6 feet wide, and compost sites should be at least 300 feet from bodies of water. USDA APHIS / Center for Food Security and Public Health (Iowa State) - Disposal: Composting, Rendering & Burial handout, based on NAHEMS Disposal Guidelines (2012), 2012.
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