Kensington Lockers Inc.

Kensington Lockers Inc. operates at 218 W. Highway 36 in Kensington, Kansas, in Smith County. The plant holds establishment numbers M31898, P31898 and V31898 and is listed with USDA FSIS for Meat Processing, Meat Slaughter, Voluntary Processing - Meat and Voluntary Slaughter - Meat. FSIS classifies it as Very Small, with a grant of inspection date on file of April 18, 2017. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, with a reported slaughter 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 retail-exempt sales.

The company website states that Kensington Lockers slaughters and processes beef, buffalo, deer, elk, goat, lamb and pork for Kansas and surrounding states' farmers and ranchers. The site describes the business as a regional custom slaughterhouse and retail meat store and references 40 years of combined experience. Beef and pork processing instruction forms can be submitted online, and a deer price sheet is posted, with deer processing bookings taken by phone. A note on the site refers to accepting whole carcass deer on September 8.

Retail products listed on the website include a full beef and pork case plus smoked and further-processed specialty items. The site notes that prices are subject to change, that credit cards are accepted with a 3 percent discount applied for cash or check payments, and that customers who submit the required form pay no sales tax on meat processing. Gift cards are available online for shipping or pickup at the locker.

The website states that Kensington Lockers slaughters and processes beef, buffalo, deer, elk, goat, lamb and pork for Kansas and surrounding states' farmers and ranchers, and the plant reports both federally inspected and custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS. Beef and pork cutting instruction forms are available to submit online, and the site says meat will be processed to the customer's specific instructions. Posted processing fees include a beef butcher fee of $75.00 per animal, pork and sheep or goat butcher fees of $65.00 per animal, buffalo at $105.00 per animal, processing at $0.95 per pound for beef, pork, sheep and goat and $1.25 per pound for buffalo, an emergency butcher fee of $150.00, a late butcher fee of $100.00 per head, cooling only (kill and chill) at $0.55 per pound, condemned carcass disposal fees, weight surcharges for beef over 1,000 and 1,500 pounds and pork over 300 to 500 pounds, a $50.00 charge to hang beef longer than 14 days, a $0.05 per pound add-on to mark for resale processing, and USDA inspection for yak at $85.00 per hour. Deer butcher and processing fees are updated each year and deer processing is submitted by phone. Booking windows, minimums and scheduling lead times are not stated on the site.

Kensington Lockers 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 plant operates a retail meat store and reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS. The website lists priced retail beef, pork and specialty items and asks customers to call 785-476-2834 or stop in for current pricing, noting that all prices are subject to change. Credit cards are accepted, with a 3 percent discount applied for cash or check payments. The processing page states that Kensington Lockers sells home grown beef and pork that it can process on request, that customers may purchase a whole or half, and that hormone free beef is available for sale with more information by phone. Gift cards can be purchased online for shipping or picked up at the locker. Delivery and shipping of meat are not stated.

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.