Moweaqua Packing Plant

Moweaqua Packing Plant, Inc. operates at 601 N. Main St. in Moweaqua, Shelby County, Illinois, south of Decatur. It holds federal establishment numbers M171, P171Y and V171, with a grant of inspection date on file of 2022-02-03. FSIS lists the plant as Very Small and records activities including meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry processing, food inspection, meat identification, and voluntary slaughter and processing of meat and rabbit. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, at a volume category of under 1,000 head per year. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

According to its website, the business has been family owned and operated since 2006 by owners who describe themselves as farmers. The site states the plant processes and packages beef, pork, goat, lamb, rabbit, elk, buffalo and deer. Deer processing is described as seasonal. Alongside processing, the plant keeps a retail freezer stocked with major beef and pork cuts, steak boxes, meat bundles and specialty items such as summer sausage, with grass fed beef cuts added to the frozen retail case.

Hours listed on the website are Monday through Friday 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm, and Saturday 9am to 12pm. The listed phone number is (217) 768-4714. Details beyond the federal record and the website text above are not on file.

The plant reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it also slaughters cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under federal inspection at a volume of under 1,000 head per year. The website states staff will guide first-time customers through cutting options and can pull up prior cutting instructions for returning customers. Beyond beef and pork, the site lists processing for goat, lamb, rabbit, elk, buffalo and deer. Deer drop-off requires a $100 deposit, with deer processing at $175, leg quarters $25 and cape for head mount $50; skinning, washing, cutting, grinding, wrapping and packaging carry no extra fee, and skull cap and European mounts are free. Deer must be picked up within two weeks of notification or a $5 per week fee applies. Booking lead times, scheduling windows and slaughter fees for livestock are not stated in the sources.

Moweaqua Packing Plant 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 retail freezer stocked with major beef and pork cuts, steak boxes, meat bundles and specialty items such as summer sausage, with fresh ribeye steaks offered daily and fresh pork and beef cuts available every Friday and Saturday. Grass fed beef cuts were added to the frozen retail case. Quarters and halves of beef are listed as available in corn fed, grass fed or non-GMO, and halves of hogs are available for custom butchering or hog roast. Listed bundle prices include a 20 lb ground beef bundle at $97.80, a beef bundle at $89.95, a pork bundle at $75.95, a 20 lb pork sausage bundle at $77.80, a pork and beef bundle at $99.95, a variety bundle at $89.95 and a family pack bundle at $179.95. The site directs customers to call to reserve an order and references an online order page. Delivery and shipping are not mentioned.

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.