This segment focuses on bridging the gap between local ranchers and slaughter or processing facilities, creating a streamlined service for sourcing premium, locally raised beef. It connects ranchers directly with processing plants, ensuring ethical handling, traceability, and quality assurance throughout the process. By offering a reliable network and logistical support, the service helps facilities access fresh, sustainably sourced beef while empowering ranchers to expand their reach and secure fair market opportunities. This collaboration promotes a robust, locally focused meat supply chain, benefiting communities and fostering trust in farm-to-table practices.
We Got Beef offers added value to slaughter and processing facilities by providing direct access to herd inventories across the United States including estimated harvest dates for future fulfillment. The ability to filter and adapt to all order sizes, all types of facilities and or ranching operations is a unique service under one channel.
We acknowledge the fulfillment struggles for all participants and we are here to provide the custom solution for each scenario. The coordination service includes transport logistics of live cattle into the facilities as well as boxed beef products coming out of the facilities. Visit our Beef Section to see how we can also take it all the way to the consumers front door.
A key note is that we have the ability to consolidate multiple transactions into a single transaction providing control and convenience for all parties. The slaughter & processor market place is a unified tool that integrates the rancher, feedlot, and slaughter with a click of a button.
Source Cattle and Distribute Final Cuts
This is the final product that comes out of federal or state inspected slaughter facility. These products are then sold to retailers or further processors like butchers that then cut the primal into a final cut. The final cuts are sold to the consumer at a store front. **NOTE: ** Some slaughter facilities also do further processing into final cuts.
At We Got Beef, our commitment to supporting local ranchers goes beyond just sourcing quality meat. We recognize the crucial role that state and federal inspections play in ensuring food safety and quality standards. That's why we’re dedicated to assisting ranchers in navigating the complexities of regulatory compliance, whether it be state or federal inspections or custom exempt processes. Our team offers tailored guidance and education, empowering ranchers to meet all necessary requirements while maintaining their unique operational practices. We believe that by fostering these partnerships and providing resources, we can help elevate local ranchers, promote sustainable farming practices, and ultimately deliver the finest, ethically sourced beef to our community. Together, we can strengthen our local economy and ensure that the highest standards are upheld in every step of the meat production process.
This category encompasses a diverse range of facilities involved in the processing and preparation of meat products, each playing a crucial role in the supply chain. These facilities include:
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) is responsible for this type of inspection. Federally inspected products can be shipped over state lines (interstate commerce) and internationally to many countries.
State inspection is required by law to be “at least equal to” federal inspection in terms of regulatory rigor. However, state inspected meat and poultry products cannot be sold across state lines (restricted to intrastate commerce) unless the state and the plant both participate in the new Cooperative Interstate Shipment program.
Can only slaughter and process livestock for the exclusive use of the owner(s). Like a retail exempt plant, the facilities will still be subject to periodic, risk-based inspection by USDA FSIS and/or state authorities. Custom exempt plants still have to comply with the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), along with Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (HMSA). Custom exempt meat is marked “not for sale”.
Allows a meat processor to sell meat at its own retail storefront (or direct to consumer via other methods such as farmers market sales or a restaurant) without developing a HACCP plan or being inspected daily by USDA FSIS. However, the processor is still subject to periodic, risk-based inspection by USDA FSIS and/or state and county authorities (e.g. county health departments). In addition, the meat used to produce retail products (fresh cuts or processed meats) must come from livestock inspected by USDA FSIS or the state inspection agency in the processor’s own state.
Retail exempt processing include operations of types traditionally and usually conducted at retail stores and restaurants, such as: (a) Cutting up, slicing, and trimming carcasses, halves, quarters, or wholesale cuts into retail cuts such as steaks, chops, and roasts, and freezing such cuts; (b) Grinding and freezing products made from meat; (c) Curing, cooking, smoking, rendering or refining of livestock fat, or other preparation of products, except slaughtering or the retort processing of canned products; (d) Breaking bulk shipments of products; (e) Wrapping or rewrapping products.
Only (a), (b), (d), and (e) are allowed for wholesaled products (meaning that the processes listed under (c) above are NOT allowed for wholesaled product). Retail-exempt wholesaling is limited to only 25% of the dollar value of the processor’s total sales or $75,700 for red meat and meat products and $56,600 for poultry products per calendar year, whichever is LESS (Federal Register 5.13.2021). The dollar value limit is reevaluated annually by FSIS.
