Blue Ridge Meats

Blue Ridge Meats operates a USDA-inspected slaughter and processing plant at 193 Ponderosa Road in Rabun Gap, Rabun County, Georgia. The establishment holds FSIS establishment numbers M6648 and P6648 with a grant of inspection dated April 5, 2022, and is listed as small with activities covering meat slaughter, meat processing and poultry processing. Cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb are reported as species slaughtered under inspection, and the plant falls in the smallest FSIS slaughter volume category, under 1,000 head per year. The business also does business under the names BRM, Blalock Meat, Providence Farmstead and The Farmstead Market.

The company website describes a family-owned facility run by the Russell family that offers processing and packaging of beef, pork, lamb and goat for the local community and its farmers. The site states the operators are farmers themselves and describes an intent to handle animals humanely at harvest. Cut sheets for beef, pork and lamb, a processing fee list, and a note on beef yields are offered for download on the site. Website material reflects a name change from Blalock Meats to Blue Ridge Meats.

In addition to inspected work, the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales. A separate retail location, The Farmstead Market, is listed at 135 E Savannah Street in Clayton, Georgia, where meat from the plant's producers is sold. Hours, booking lead times and current availability are not stated in the sources on file.

The plant slaughters cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under federal inspection and its website adds goat to the species it processes and packages. It is a small operation in the lowest FSIS volume category, under 1,000 head per year. Custom-exempt slaughter is reported to FSIS, so farmers can have their own animals processed and returned in packages marked Not for Sale. Beef, pork and lamb cut sheets and a processing fee list are posted on the website for download, along with information on beef yields. Scheduling is by phone at (706) 746-2822, described on the site as call to schedule. Specific fees, deposits, minimums and booking windows are not reproduced in the sources on file, and availability is not stated.

Blue Ridge Meats 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 establishment reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS. Its website directs buyers to The Farmstead Market at 135 E Savannah Street in Downtown Clayton, Georgia, where meat from the plant's producers can be purchased. The sources do not state retail hours, bundle or half and quarter pricing, online ordering, delivery or shipping. Questions about processing or purchasing are directed to (706) 746-2822 or info@blueridgemeatsga.com.

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.