The national registry · Est. 2026
The national registry of local meat.
Every USDA-inspected slaughter plant in the United States, the farms and ranches that sell direct, and the rules that decide how you can buy from them, state by state. Built on the federal record and dated so you can check it.
Independent · Not a government agency · FSIS directory of 2026-09-01
Start with your state
- PlantsUSDA plants
- 1,495
- Custom workCustom-exempt
- 943
- ProgramsState programs
- 30
USDA-inspected plants
1,495
Every federal slaughter establishment, by state and county
States and DC
51
30 state inspection programs, 11 ship interstate
Custom-exempt plants
943
Will process an animal you own; sort by distance
Producers that ship
34
Farms and butchers that deliver nationally
Imported beef, 2025
17%
Share of U.S. supply; dated import tracker
How the registry is used
Start with the plant, not the farm
The processor is the part of local meat most buyers never see, and it is the fastest way to find every farm in range. Three steps, in the order locals have always done them.
01
Find the plant
Every farm that sells meat by the cut, or processes an animal you buy, uses a USDA-inspected slaughter plant. The finder lists the ones within driving distance, with establishment number, species, and whether they take custom work.
Search by distance →02
Ask who they cut for
Small plants know every producer in the county. One phone call turns a plant record into a list of farms with animals to sell, which is how locals have always found the good beef.
Processor registry →03
Check the state rules
Shares, on-farm poultry, state inspection, and custom-exempt processing differ by state. Each state page carries the statute, the program status, and the plants that serve it.
State registry →
Processor registry
Every USDA-inspected slaughter plant, by state
Establishment number, county, phone, species, and whether the plant will process an animal you own. Figures are plants with a federal grant of inspection for slaughter.
- Alabama36
- Alaska5
- Arizona8
- Arkansas32
- California50
- Colorado35
- Connecticut6
- Delaware6
- District of Columbia0
- Florida34
- Georgia69
- Hawaii19
- Idaho25
- Illinois47
- Indiana24
- Iowa35
- Kansas37
- Kentucky42
- Louisiana9
- Maine10
- Maryland27
- Massachusetts3
- Michigan34
- Minnesota51
- Mississippi30
- Missouri57
- Montana18
- Nebraska43
- Nevada4
- New Hampshire4
- New Jersey25
- New Mexico8
- New York54
- North Carolina50
- North Dakota15
- Ohio27
- Oklahoma32
- Oregon16
- Pennsylvania126
- Rhode Island3
- South Carolina23
- South Dakota16
- Tennessee49
- Texas96
- Utah17
- Vermont10
- Virginia39
- Washington22
- West Virginia9
- Wisconsin47
- Wyoming11
Registry standard
Six things a local claim has to answer
The label rarely answers them. A farm and a plant you can name always do. Every profile in this registry is written against this list.
01
Where the animal was born, raised, and processed
Origin is the whole question
Since January 1, 2026, a package can only say Product of USA if the animal was born, raised, slaughtered, and processed here. Before that, imported beef trimmed in a domestic plant could carry the label. Buying from a farm you can name, processed at a plant you can look up, removes the guesswork entirely.
02
Who inspected the meat
USDA, state, or custom-exempt
Meat sold by the cut must come from a federally inspected plant or, in the 30 states with their own program, a state-inspected plant. A custom-exempt plant can only process an animal you already own, and the packages are stamped Not for Sale. Each path is legitimate; each one changes how you buy.
03
How the animal was fed and finished
Grass-fed is not grass-finished
Grass-fed only means the animal ate grass at some point. Grass-finished means it ate grass until the end. Grain-finished beef is not inferior, it is different, and the farm should be able to tell you exactly which one you are buying and for how many days.
04
Whether you are buying by the cut or by the animal
Bulk changes the math
A half beef priced by hanging weight lands around six to ten dollars per pound of packaged meat across every cut, including the steaks. That beats retail for the premium cuts and loses to retail for ground beef. The freezer space and the upfront check are the real constraints.
05
How far the meat traveled to reach you
Local has a radius
A farm forty miles away that hauls to a processor twenty miles further is local in every sense. A national brand that ships frozen from a single hub can still name its farms and is often the only practical option in a metro. Both belong in this registry; they are labeled differently.
06
What the producer will show you
Transparency is the tell
The producers worth buying from answer four questions without hesitation: which farm, which processor, how the animal was finished, and what the price per pound of packaged meat works out to. Anyone who dodges those questions is selling a story, not a steak.
Registry notice · Where your meat comes from, 2026
Record imports, a 75-year-low herd, and a quintupled Argentine quota
U.S. beef imports hit about 5.5 billion pounds in 2025, roughly 17 percent of supply. In February 2026 the in-quota allowance for Argentine lean trimmings went from 20,000 to 100,000 metric tons. We keep a dated, sourced record of what changed and what it means at the meat counter.
Open the import tracker- 2025 imports
- 5.5B lb
- of U.S. supply
- 17%
- cattle, lowest since 1951
- 86.2M
- ground beef, Dec. 2025
- $6.69
Producer registry
Farms and ranches that deliver anywhere
For households without a plant or a farm in range. Each record names the sourcing, the finishing, and the real price per pound.
- No. 01
Wild PasturesNo. 01
100% pasture-raised, regenerative-ag meat box, beef, pork, chicken, and lamb sourced from a small network of small American family farms.
Grass-fed beef · Pasture-raised pork · Organic chicken · Multi-protein subscription box · Rated 4.9
- No. 02
ButcherBoxNo. 02
The largest meat-subscription source in the directory, grass-fed beef, heritage-breed pork, free-range chicken, and wild Alaskan salmon in curated monthly boxes.
Grass-fed beef · Pasture-raised pork · Wild-caught seafood · Organic chicken · Rated 4.7
- No. 03
Crowd CowNo. 03
Multi-farm marketplace, buy direct from named small farms across the US, plus curated subscriptions and one-off boxes. Strongest sourcing transparency of any major brand.
Grass-fed beef · Pasture-raised pork · Wild-caught seafood · American Wagyu · Rated 4.7
- No. 04
Grass Roots Farmers' CooperativeNo. 04
Member-owned farmer cooperative, every cut traces back to a farmer-owner, with the highest welfare and pasture standards in the directory.
Grass-fed beef · Pasture-raised pork · Organic chicken · Multi-protein subscription box · Rated 4.8
- No. 05
Snake River FarmsNo. 05
American Wagyu pioneer, Idaho-raised cross-bred Wagyu plus grass-fed bison. The premium-steak destination for steakhouse-quality cuts at home.
American Wagyu · Grass-fed beef · Bison · Rated 4.6
Reference
Guides written from the rules and the record
Inspection law, the Product of USA label, the math on a half or a quarter animal, and how to read a plant record.
- 01How to Buy a Half Cow in 2026: Weights, Prices, and the ProcessA half cow in 2026: about 375 lb hanging, about 225 lb in the freezer, $1,900 to $2,600 all in. The decision framework, weight math, cut sheet, and the law.14 min read
- 02How to Find a Local Farm That Sells Meat: The Processor-First MethodStart with the USDA plant, not the farm. Call nearby processors and ask who they cut for, then confirm through extension offices and USDA directories.10 min read
- 03Questions to Ask a Farmer Before Buying Meat: The 2026 InterviewTen questions that settle where the animal was raised, which plant cuts it, the real price per packaged pound, and whether you own it before slaughter.10 min read
- 04How to Find a USDA Processor Near You: The FSIS Directory, DecodedEvery USDA-inspected slaughter plant is in the FSIS MPI Directory, updated weekly. Establishment numbers, grants of inspection, and custom-exempt flags.9 min read
- 05Animal Shares and Herd Shares: How Buying Part of a Live Animal WorksAn animal share is ownership of a live animal before slaughter under 9 CFR 303.1. Owner records, why packages say Not for Sale, share structures, and risks.10 min read
- 06USDA, State, and Custom-Exempt Meat Inspection ExplainedThe three legal routes for local meat in 2026: federal inspection, 30 state programs, and custom-exempt slaughter.13 min read
About the registry
Built on the record, labeled plainly
Built on the federal record
Our processor registry is drawn from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service establishment directory, the same list federal inspectors work from. Every plant carries its official establishment number so you can verify it yourself.
Independent and plainly labeled
LocalMeat.org is privately operated and is not affiliated with the USDA or any state department of agriculture. Some producer links pay us a referral commission. Commissions never change a listing, a ranking, or a fact.
Dated and sourced
Every registry page shows the date of the data it was built from. Every guide cites primary sources: the Federal Register, USDA agencies, state statutes, and university extension research.
Common questions
What counts as local meat?
Meat from an animal raised on a farm you can name, processed at a plant you can look up, and sold to you either by the cut or as a whole, half, or quarter animal. The registry lists both the farms that sell direct and the USDA-inspected plants they use, because the plant is the part most buyers never see.
How do I find a farm that sells beef near me?
Start with the processors. Use the finder to list USDA-inspected slaughter plants within driving distance, call one, and ask which farms haul to them. Small plants know every producer in the county. Your state page also lists national producers that deliver to your door.
Is this a government site?
No. LocalMeat.org is an independent, privately operated registry. Our processor records are compiled from the public USDA FSIS establishment directory and republished with the official establishment numbers so you can verify each one at the source.
Why does this matter in 2026?
The U.S. cattle herd is the smallest since 1951, beef imports set a record in 2025, and in February 2026 the in-quota allowance for Argentine lean beef was quintupled to hold down ground beef prices. Most of that is trim for grinding, but it made the question of where your beef comes from a national one. The only certain answer is a farm and a plant you can name.