Riverbend Meats, LLC

Riverbend Meats, LLC, doing business as Riverbend Ranch Steaks, operates a USDA-inspected cattle slaughter and meat processing plant at 8143 West Broadway in Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho. The establishment holds FSIS establishment number M53863 with a grant of inspection dated May 25, 2023, and is classified by FSIS as a small establishment. FSIS activities on file are meat slaughter and meat processing, with cattle listed as the species slaughtered under inspection. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales. Its FSIS slaughter volume category is listed as 3.0.

the company describes itself as a vertically integrated beef operation, raising cattle on its own ranch pastures and processing them at the Idaho Falls facility. The website states the processing plant opened in 2022 and was built on lava rock several miles west of Idaho Falls, requiring crews to blast through basalt, extend power and gas lines nine miles, and drill a 500 foot well. The site says Engineering News-Record named the facility the Best Manufacturing Project in the United States for 2024. Described plant features include smart slicers, fat analyzers, seven temperature zones, and a 728,000 cubic foot cooler where beef is aged 21 days. The website also describes a covered anaerobic lagoon that captures methane to help power the plant, treated water used to irrigate nearby farmland, and blood and paunch contents composted for local farmers.

Two phone numbers appear across the sources. The federal record lists (208) 715-2704, while the website contact page lists (986) 497-0111 along with the email hr@riverbendmeats.com. The website directs consumers to a separate online store, Riverbend Ranch Steaks, for steak bundles and a steak subscription shipped to the home. Hours of operation, custom processing booking procedures, fees, and cut and wrap details are not stated in the sources on file.

The federal record shows this establishment slaughters cattle under USDA inspection and also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and returned in packages marked Not for Sale. FSIS lists the plant as small with a slaughter volume category of 3.0. Beyond that federal record, the website focuses on the company's own vertically integrated ranch-to-plant operation and does not state whether outside livestock are accepted, how to book a slaughter date, lead times, minimums, kill fees, hanging weight charges, or cut and wrap options. Farmers would need to contact the plant directly to confirm availability, as listed.

Riverbend Meats, LLC 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 states that consumers can order ranch-raised beef through an online store branded Riverbend Ranch Steaks, including steak bundles and a steak subscription, with cuts shipped to the home. The federal record notes retail-exempt sales. The sources do not describe an on-site retail counter, store hours, halves or quarters sold by the side, local pickup, or pricing.

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.