Alsager Meats

Alsager Meats operates a very small USDA-inspected plant at 343 4th Street in Audubon, Becker County, Minnesota, under establishment number M823. The federal record lists both Meat Slaughter and Meat Processing activities, with cattle and hogs reported as the species slaughtered under inspection. The grant of inspection on file dates to May 25, 2023. FSIS places the plant in slaughter volume category 1, meaning under 1,000 head per year, and the establishment reports both custom-exempt slaughter and retail-exempt sales.

The company website describes Alsager Meats as a fifth-generation ranching family based just outside Walcott, North Dakota, that raises cattle and sells beef direct from the ranch. The site describes the Audubon location as its full-service butcher shop and lists additional retail locations in Fargo and Jamestown, North Dakota, and Breckenridge, Minnesota. The website states that products are sourced from the family ranch and from other local farms and suppliers.

Because the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, it handles animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, in addition to inspected product. The website does not describe booking procedures, per-head charges, or cut and wrap terms for livestock owners, so those details are not yet on file beyond the federal record.

The federal record shows Alsager Meats reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer and returns packages marked Not for Sale, and it is licensed for cattle and hog slaughter under federal inspection. FSIS classes it as very small, with a slaughter volume category of under 1,000 head per year. The website does not publish scheduling lead times, drop-off instructions, kill fees, hanging weight rates, or cut and wrap options, so a producer would need to contact the Audubon shop at (218) 439-6909 to confirm whether custom work is being booked as listed.

Alsager Meats 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 Audubon location is described on the company website as a full-service butcher shop with a retail counter and experienced butchers who help customers select cuts. The site lists priced butcher bundles ordered by contacting any location, including the CRACK of DAWN breakfast box at $49.99, THE STEAK WHISPERER'S SELECTION at $69.99, THE MOO, OINK & CLUCK and PORKY'S PETITE PACK at $99.99 each, STEAK ME HOME TONIGHT at $229.99, PORKY'S PRIME PACK at $249.99, THE HIGH STEAKS at $499.99, and the RANCHERS RESERVE at $900. Gift cards and an email list are also offered. The sources do not state whether halves or quarters are sold, and shipping or delivery is not described.

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.