Heart O' Lakes Quality Meats

Heart O' Lakes Quality Meats operates at 14 Industrial Park Dr. in Pelican Rapids, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, under FSIS establishment numbers M47032, P47032 and V47032. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry processing, meat identification, and voluntary processing and slaughter activities, with a grant of inspection date on file of November 4, 2021. FSIS classifies the plant as Very Small, and its reported slaughter volume category is 1, meaning under 1,000 head per year.

Species reported slaughtered under inspection 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 the packages are marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales.

The establishment's website presents the business as Heart O' Lakes Meats, a neighborhood butcher shop serving the Heart O' Lakes region. The site describes fresh cut beef, pork and lamb prepared by its butchers, in-store shopping with staff assistance, custom meat cutting and processing tailored to customer preferences, and weekly specials posted to its Facebook page. Pricing, booking lead times and cut sheet details are not stated in the sources on file.

The federal record shows cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and bison slaughtered under inspection, plus custom-exempt slaughter for animals owned by the customer, with those packages marked Not for Sale. Reported slaughter volume falls in the under 1,000 head per year category and FSIS lists the plant as Very Small, so capacity is limited. The website says custom meat cutting and processing is tailored to customer needs. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, kill fees, cut and wrap charges, hanging weight pricing and drop-off instructions are not stated in the sources on file; producers would need to contact the plant at (218) 863-6328.

Heart O' Lakes Quality 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 website describes an in-store butcher shop where customers can browse the full selection in person and get help from staff selecting cuts, with hand-selected beef, pork and lamb cut fresh on site. Weekly specials and new products are announced on the shop's Facebook page. The plant reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS. Halves and quarters, bundle boxes, delivery, shipping and online ordering are not mentioned 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.