Adams Farm Slaughterhouse LLC

Adams Farm Slaughterhouse LLC operates at 854 Bearsden Rd in Athol, Worcester County, Massachusetts, under FSIS establishment numbers M5497 and V5497. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, and voluntary slaughter and processing, with a grant of inspection date on file of 2022-02-18 and a small size class. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and bison. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, along with retail-exempt sales and both halal and kosher slaughter. Its FSIS slaughter volume category is 2.0.

The company's website describes a third generation business providing custom animal processing since 1946, serving individuals, farms, and organizations in New England and New York. The site describes a 9,000 square foot USDA inspected facility with an 1,800 square foot kill floor, walk-in, chill, and holding coolers, an 800 square foot freezer, a 1,500 square foot cutting and packing room, and an 1,800 square foot retail store. Livestock holding pens are described as designed by Dr. Temple Grandin, with one-way gates along a circuitous path. Carcasses are held in the cooler from seven to fourteen days or per customer requirements. The site states the plant is certified by Animal Welfare Approved and Baystate Organic Certifiers, follows HACCP, and uses a livestock tracking system so a customer receives meat from the animal delivered. The site states the plant does not process poultry or wild game.

Alongside processing, Adams Farm runs a retail store selling beef, pork, chicken, smoked meats, and a small selection of lamb, goat, and veal, plus deli items and local groceries. The store does not accept EBT or SNAP. Hours, drop-off days, and posted price lists appear on the website as summarized here, and are as listed rather than confirmed current.

The website describes Adams Farm as a full service slaughterhouse for farmers and mid-sized companies, working with livestock farmers in New England and New York. Appointments are scheduled through the site, and kill-only appointments are handled separately by email to noreenheath@yahoo.com. Posted drop-off times are beef on Sundays 8am to noon and pork, lamb, and goats on Wednesdays 8am to 3pm. Cut sheets may be emailed. Cutting instructions not submitted by 10am on the Friday of the week animals arrive carry a $50 late cut sheet fee. Prices effective March 2026 as posted include beef dressed $120 plus hide, beef kill only $185 plus hide with E. coli O157:H7 testing before product leaves, beef dressed and quartered $175 plus hide, a $50 charge to take a hide back, bison dressed $210 and kill only $260 plus hide, veal dressed $85 and kill only $130, pig dressed $75 with $0.25 per pound over 200 pounds dressed, sow and boar over 300 pounds $125, lamb and goat dressed $60, and lamb kill only $70. Cut and package rates are $1.25 per pound hanging weight for beef, bison, veal, and pork, $1.35 per pound for lamb and goat, with primal rates of $0.90 boneless and $0.95 bone-in for beef and bison, $0.90 for pork, and $1.05 for lamb and goat. Smoking is $2.50 per pound dried weight including slicing. Labeling is $0.10 per pound hanging weight, or $0.12 for larger required labels. Linked sausage is $2.30 per pound and specialty linked $2.70 per pound, both with a 25 pound minimum. Saving hides is an additional $5 per hide, and splitting beef more than in half is $25 extra; the site states quarters are not done for lamb or pork. Storage beyond four weeks is $50 for the first month then $10 per day, product left over six months becomes plant property, and unpaid invoices accrue 3 percent monthly interest. The plant states it does not process poultry or wild game.

Adams Farm Slaughterhouse 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 retail store sells beef, pork, chicken, smoked meats, and a small selection of lamb, goat, and veal, along with deli products, homemade deli items, deli platters, and local groceries including bread, milk, cheese, and ice cream. Roaster pigs are offered, with frozen roasters listed as available year round. Meat packages range from a $46 breakfast package to a $323 mixed package, with build-your-own options; the site asks that package orders be phoned in rather than emailed or sent by Facebook, allows only two changes per package, and notes substitutions may occur and prices may change with the market. The store does not accept EBT or SNAP. Delivery, shipping, and online ordering are not mentioned in the sources.

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.