If you raise livestock intended for market , you ’ll likely need to take brute to a processor that ’s endorse for a market - bound Cartesian product . demand for different destinations alter by state — to trade at a farm market place might take something different than selling to grocery stores across state stock , for instance — but in most cases , if you betray essence to third - party client , you postulate a processor .
CPU vary from humble - scale abattoirs to full - burn out slaughterhouses certify by theU.S. Department of Agriculture , so watch your metropolis and state law for what processing serving match your intentions . Although rule vary , some things stand truthful no matter . The process is n’t always visceral — on our farm , we learned a lot the hard way . So today I transcend along pointers for kinfolk who ’ve never load a processor - reverberate laggard as well as those who still find uncomfortable with how it works .
1. Plan Ahead With the Processor
Long before roll up with animate being in towage , specify your date for pitch with the livestock C.P.U. . Some abattoir do different animals in dissimilar seasons , and scheduling can get busy once the season is under way . Do your dear to determine when your animals will be quick to take in , then get hold of your opt processor to hold the day of the month for your saving . Often , this means call ahead , though some have websites that display usable dates and the option to reserve time .
You also need to know what your order will be — that is , how you require your animals butchered . pass some prison term studying the different cuts available to decide what cuts and processed products you require .
2. Choose the Time of Day for Delivery
Some processors proffer free fall - off flexibility for farmers who have bound hours to consecrate to farming . In general , this mean you may omit off beast before the processor fill up in the afternoon or first thing in the morning time . For our first slovenly person , we turn in the eventide before . We were glad we would n’t take to charge fauna before daybreak the next morning , but late that night , we worried : Would our hog , hand - set up over seven months on expensive organic feed , be all right overnight ?
They were . Nonetheless , we did our later delivery in the aurora so our pig ’ “ one bad mean solar day ” would be as short as possible . What ’s more , one good morning when we cut down off our hardy Berkshire , we saw the processor ’s stave haul aside the carcass of a pig that had expired in the pen overnight . earn that was someone ’s loss of a full - rise pig , we matte up better about our 4:30 a.m. rise time and load up in the darkness . ( Eventuallywe did originate loadingpigs into the lagger at night . )
3. Beware of “Tricky Business”
While you do finally get the knack of taking creature to the processor , one tricky bit of occupation always loom . Like it or not , the act of converting animals into food befall behind closed doors , away from farmers ’ eye . This enter the voltage for dirty dealing — you’ll be firmly press to encounter a farm animal central processor who has not been accuse of delivering the wrong brute , keeping some cuts for the house , or both .
What can you do ? While I ’ve heard of granger performing deoxyribonucleic acid tests on their animals to check against the packaged product they get in counter , some well-situated safeguards be .
First , always check over the track flat solid against what you get in proceeds . Yes , this entail bet hundred of icy , vacuum - packed kernel products , but I ca n’t state you how many times we ’ve fall up curtly and call in the CPU only to be severalize that they they ’d go to give birth a corner of chops to the speech level . Also , you’re able to close to determine what your yield rate should be against your hang weight based on animal and breed — once you get it down , you ’ll know when something ’s not good . eventually , if you ’re concerned about getting back the untimely fauna , consider raise a breed that knuckle under a typical center . We promote Berkshire pigs and Dexter kine , both of which break down to deep , rich - colored cuts — if we get a pale pork chop or a grayish - look steak , we make out to question it .
