Farmer's Pride

Farmer's Pride, listed with USDA FSIS as establishment M48195 at 2181 Highpoint Rd. in Bowdon, Carroll County, Georgia, is a very small plant approved for both meat slaughter and meat processing. The federal record shows a grant of inspection dated July 21, 2021, and reports slaughter of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection, with an annual slaughter volume category of under 1,000 head. The establishment also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale.

The plant's website, operating as Farmers Pride Processing, describes USDA inspected processing for meat intended for resale alongside custom processing for personal freezer use, and lists beef, pork, goat, lamb, sheep, and deer. Goats and deer are not among the species the plant reports slaughtering under federal inspection to FSIS. Deer processing is described as seasonal, with a note that deer coming from Alabama must be deboned before being brought to the plant. The site says the business was founded in 2016 by Nick and Laura Whitman and describes itself as family owned. Service area is given as West Georgia and East Alabama, including Bowdon, Carrollton, Bremen, Tallapoosa, Villa Rica, Roopville, Waco, and Alabama communities such as Ranburne, Heflin, Wedowee, and Woodland.

Contact information differs between sources. The federal record lists (404) 562-5900, while the website lists 770-328-1379 throughout. The website repeatedly instructs customers to call before hauling livestock or bringing deer to confirm scheduling, capacity, and drop-off instructions. Hours of operation are not stated in the sources on file.

The website tells farmers and producers to call before hauling livestock so scheduling, capacity, animal type, and drop-off instructions can be confirmed, and to state whether the meat is intended for resale. Two paths are described: USDA inspected processing when the finished meat may be sold to customers, retail, farm stores, markets, or restaurants, and custom processing for personal or family freezer use, which by rule cannot be sold. The federal record confirms the plant is approved for slaughter and processing of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection and also reports custom-exempt slaughter. The website additionally lists goat processing, a species not reported to FSIS for inspected slaughter. Staff are described as helping with cut sheets covering steaks, roasts, ground, sausage, package sizes, and dry aging requests. No prices, minimums, deposits, booking lead times, or kill day schedules are stated in the sources.

Farmer's Pride 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 says local meat is sold to the public when inventory allows, and asks buyers to call before driving in because availability changes with season, processing schedule, and current inventory. Items named include ground beef, beef cubed steak, mild and hot pork sausage, and beef boxes that may contain a mix of steaks, roasts, ground beef, or sausage. Larger freezer orders are described as quarter, half, and whole beef and half and whole hog, subject to availability and processing plans. Households bringing their own animal are pointed to custom processing, with cut sheet choices based on how the family cooks and vacuum-sealed packaging for freezer storage. No shipping, delivery, or online ordering is mentioned, and no prices are listed.

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.