Cherokee Locker Inc.

Cherokee Locker Inc. operates at 1300 S 2nd St in Cherokee, Iowa, under FSIS establishment numbers M2839 and P2839. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing and poultry processing, with a grant of inspection date on file of 2025-07-10. FSIS classifies the plant as very small, and its reported slaughter volume category is under 1,000 head per year. Species slaughtered under inspection, as reported to FSIS, are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The company website describes the business as locally owned and operating since 1995, working with local farmers, and lists butchering, sausage making, curing, smoking and processing. It refers to the Cherokee site as its flagship store and processing plant. A second location is listed at 111 Sale Barn Rd #1 in Storm Lake, Iowa, at (712) 213-2185. The site also mentions a mobile truck that brings cuts to nearby towns, with locations announced by email list and social media, and a fundraiser program using meat bundles.

Details beyond what appears in the federal record and on the company website are not on file here. One third party business directory lists a Cherokee address of 120 E Main St, which differs from the 1300 S 2nd St address in the federal record and on the website.

The plant reports both federally inspected slaughter and custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb listed as species slaughtered under inspection. FSIS places annual slaughter volume under 1,000 head. The website posts beef processing and pork processing order forms that ask for size (whole, half or quarter for beef; whole hog or half hog for pork), cut selections such as roasts, and note that if the customer is providing the animal, the animal information is collected later in the form. The website describes custom cutting for whole animals and states the business works in collaboration with local farmers. Scheduling lead times, kill fees, cut and wrap pricing and any minimums are not stated in the sources on file, so farmers should confirm by phone at (712) 225-2185.

Cherokee Locker Inc. 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 Cherokee site is described on the website as a store as well as a processing plant, and a second retail location is listed in Storm Lake. The website sells individual cuts by the pound, including ribeye at $21.99 per pound, T-bone at $17.99, New York strip at $19.99, tenderloin filet at $28.99, ground chuck at $8.49, chuck roast at $9.99, beef patties at $6.99, bacon at $9.99, boneless pork chops at $3.59, pork shoulder roast at $2.29, pork sausage at $4.49, chicken wings at $4.49 and flavored chicken breast at $6.99, along with bundles. Whole, half and quarter beef and whole and half hog orders can be submitted through the website order forms. Online checkout offers delivery, pickup in Cherokee or pickup in Storm Lake, and the site states that orders are weighed and a final invoice with any delivery charges is sent afterward. Shipping outside Iowa is not described in the sources on file.

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.