Ben-Lee Processing Inc.

Ben-Lee Processing Inc. operates at 12783 Hwy 25 in Atwood, Kansas, in Rawlins County, under FSIS establishment numbers M2366, P2366, and V2366. The federal record lists meat processing, meat slaughter, poultry processing, poultry slaughter, and voluntary meat processing and slaughter, with a grant of inspection date on file of July 14, 2021. FSIS classifies the plant as very small, and its reported slaughter volume category is under 1,000 head per year. Species reported slaughtered under inspection 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 it reports retail-exempt sales.

The company website describes a family-owned USDA-inspected facility serving farmers, ranchers, hunters, and households in Northwest Kansas and surrounding areas. Its stated primary business is slaughtering, cutting, wrapping, and sharp-freezing beef, pork, and lamb. The site says one day each week is dedicated to livestock slaughter, with the remaining four days used for cutting, packaging, and preparing customer orders. Beef is described as dry-aged up to fourteen days after slaughter, while pork is processed and packaged quickly and then smoked and cured, with pork orders generally finished within one week of delivery to the facility. Cuts are wrapped in traditional butcher wrap paper with a protective film overwrap, and most ground products are bagged.

Website history states the facility was established in 1975, that Ben and Lee Spiers purchased it in 1978, that Tom and Kathy Carroll joined in 1985 and bought the business in 1995, and that Tom and Kathy work with their children Jason and Jess. The site is internally inconsistent about age, saying in one place that the business has been a trusted name for over 51 years and in another that it has been for over 100 years, while also giving 1975 as the founding year. The federal record lists poultry activities, and the website mentions smoked turkeys among specialty items, but no poultry species are listed as slaughtered under inspection in the record on file.

The website states that the plant's primary business is slaughtering, cutting, wrapping, and sharp-freezing beef, pork, and lamb for area farmers and ranchers, and that one day each week is dedicated to livestock slaughter with the other four days devoted to cutting and packaging orders. Beef is dry-aged up to fourteen days after slaughter; pork is processed promptly and, when smoked and cured, is generally finished within about one week of delivery. Cuts are wrapped in butcher paper with film overwrap, and most ground products are bagged. The federal record shows both federally inspected slaughter and custom-exempt slaughter, so animals may be processed for resale under inspection or returned to the owner in Not for Sale packages. FSIS reports cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb as species slaughtered under inspection, and the plant's reported slaughter volume is under 1,000 head per year. Beef and pork processing instruction forms are posted on the website, though the cut sheet content requires JavaScript and was not readable in the fetched text. Scheduling procedures, lead times, minimums, and fees are not stated in the sources on file; contact the plant at (785) 626-3732 to confirm availability.

Ben-Lee Processing 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 website says the plant keeps a small inventory of popular beef, pork, and specialty meat products on hand for walk-in pickup, with retail items sold by the pound. Listed items include steaks, roasts, ground beef and patties, brisket, prime rib, bacon, hams, sausage, ring bologna, summer sausage, jerky, meat sticks, and dried beef. The site says other cuts are available upon request and invites customers to contact the plant about availability and pricing. Gift certificates are described as available. The federal record notes retail-exempt sales. Prices, halves and quarters, bundles, online ordering, delivery, and shipping are not stated 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.