Delta Meat & Sausage Co.

Delta Meat & Sausage Co. operates at Mile 1413.5 Alaska Highway in Delta Junction, Alaska, in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area. The plant holds federal establishment numbers M20892, P20892 and V20892 and is listed with FSIS for meat slaughter and meat processing plus voluntary slaughter and voluntary processing of meat. FSIS classes the establishment as very small, with a slaughter volume category of under 1,000 head per year, and the grant of inspection date on file is October 26, 2021. Species reported to FSIS for slaughter under inspection are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are returned in packages marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

According to the company website, Delta Meat and Sausage, Inc. was built by Doug and Cathie McCollum in 1997 and incorporated in 2007, and is managed by Cathie McCollum and daughter Jeannie Pinkelman, with Doug and Russ Pinkelman handling the farm and livestock. The site is a former John Deere dealership building nine miles east of Delta Junction that the family purchased in 1995 and remodeled to state packing plant standards. The website states the plant became a federal USDA plant, #20892, after the State of Alaska cut its red meat inspection program in 1999, and describes the business as recognized as the first privately owned and operated USDA packing plant in Alaska's Interior.

The website says the associated farm, Northwest Land and Livestock, raises Galloway cross beef and Berkshire cross pork, with 400 to 500 head of Galloway/Angus cattle raised from birth to market on brome hay and a small amount of Alaska grown ground barley. The site states no growth hormones, steroids, antibiotics or feed additives are used on the farm and no herbicides or pesticides are applied. Beyond slaughter and processing of its own livestock, the website describes a full range of processing services for other Alaska farms raising beef, pork, bison, elk, reindeer and yak, plus big game processing for hunters, and a custom smokehouse for sausages, hams and bacon. A notice posted on the home page states that the amount of game animals accepted for processing will be limited, that hunters should not drive down without calling first, and that drop-ins are not accepted.

The plant reports both federally inspected slaughter and custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, so animals can be processed for the owner's own use with packages marked Not for Sale. Species reported for inspected slaughter are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, and the website states the plant also provides processing services for Alaska farms raising beef, pork, bison, elk, reindeer and yak. Volume is small: FSIS places annual slaughter under 1,000 head. Hunters are told on the website that game animal intake is limited, that drop-ins are not accepted, and that space availability must be confirmed by phone first, which indicates booking ahead is required. A price list is offered for download on the website and a custom processing page is referenced. Specific booking lead times, minimums, kill fees and cut and wrap rates are not stated in the material on file.

Delta Meat & Sausage Co. reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, which means it can process an animal a customer already owns (a whole, half, or share bought before slaughter) and return it in packages marked Not for Sale. Most small farms have one or two plants they book with, and the plant's calendar decides the delivery date.

The website describes a small retail store at Mile 1413.5 Alaska Highway with a showcase of smoked meats and fresh local eggs, where customers can buy sides of beef and pork or individual frozen steaks, roasts and burger from locally grown animals. Beef is sold whole, in halves, in quarters, or in value boxes, priced on hanging weight, with sides averaging about 285 pounds hanging and roughly 200 pounds finished and packaged. The site notes a market cut portioned for a family of two, including roasts, steaks, stew meat, ribs and ground beef. Half hogs are described with a listed cut set, and BBQ hogs and spring weaner pigs are offered in limited supply with advance reservation suggested. The website states the business delivers to Fairbanks and arranges ground or air transportation to other locations inside and outside Alaska. Prices are on a downloadable list and are stated as subject to change without notice.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.