Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Company

Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Company operates a USDA-inspected slaughter and processing plant at 383 East 1st Street in Craig, Moffat County, Colorado. The establishment holds FSIS establishment numbers M46419, P46419, and V46419, with a grant of inspection date on file of January 21, 2022. Listed FSIS activities cover meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry slaughter, poultry processing, and voluntary meat slaughter and processing. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. FSIS classifies the plant as small, with a slaughter volume category of 2.0. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, where animals owned by the customer are returned in packages marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

The company describes itself as family-owned and operated, located primarily on the Western Slope of Colorado, with three generations of ranching background. Its website states the business began in 2011 on a small farm with a vegetable garden, a few cows and sheep, and free-range chickens, ducks, and turkeys, and has grown to ranch more than 20,000 acres with several hundred head of Black Angus cattle. The website states the plant is licensed to process Certified Angus Beef and describes itself as one of only 34 licensed Certified Angus Beef processors in the United States. It also states that Fitch Ranch was awarded the Ingenuity in Rangeland Management Award by the National USDA, and that spent grains from Breckenridge Distillery are fed to its cattle.

The website says the plant processes Wagyu, lamb, pork, and beef for ranchers throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska, and publishes custom processing guides for beef and Wagyu, lamb and goat, hog, and wild game. Note that goat and wild game are not among the species listed in the federal record for inspected slaughter; wild game work would fall outside federal inspection. Hours, pricing, booking lead times, and shipping or delivery terms are not stated in the material on file.

The plant lists custom processing for beef and Wagyu, lamb and goat, hog, and wild game, with a separate processing guide published for each on its website. It reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, meaning animals owned by the customer can be processed and returned in packages marked Not for Sale, and it also holds federal inspection for cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, which is what a producer needs in order to sell cuts by the piece. The website states the plant processes for ranchers across Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska, and that it is licensed to process Certified Angus Beef. Booking windows, drop-off scheduling, minimums, kill fees, cut and wrap charges, hanging weight pricing, and aging periods are not stated in the sources on file. Producers should call (970) 824-3855 to confirm current availability and terms.

Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Company 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 company reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS and its website includes a Shop Now link for online ordering, along with a sign-up for a Granby newsletter. Named products include Certified Angus Beef, Black Angus beef, Wagyu, lamb, and pork. The sources on file do not state whether there is a walk-in retail counter at the Craig plant, whether halves, quarters, or bundle boxes are sold, or whether the business ships or delivers. Household buyers can reach the business at (970) 824-3855 or through the contact form on its website.

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.