Northeast Regional Corrections Center

Northeast Regional Corrections Center, doing business as NERCC's Meat Market and Processing, operates at 6102 Abrahamson Road in Saginaw, St. Louis County, Minnesota. The plant holds federal establishment number M2972+P2972 and is listed with FSIS for meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry slaughter, and poultry processing. FSIS lists the establishment as small size class with a grant of inspection date on file of September 12, 2024, and a slaughter volume category of 2.0. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are hogs and poultry. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packaged with Not for Sale marking, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The processing operation is part of a correctional work farm run by Arrowhead Regional Corrections. The facility website describes NERCC as a minimum/medium correctional facility in a work farm setting where incarcerated men learn vocational skills including farming and meat processing. The site states the facility sits among 3,200 acres bordering Fish Lake and Caribou Lake and dates back to the 1930s as a work farm with logging, lathe mill, dairy, laundry, beef, poultry, and hog operations. The website says the meat processing facility allows NERCC to raise and process food for the residents, which reduces food costs while teaching a trade.

Alongside the meat plant, NERCC runs a Farm Fresh Meat Market described as open to the public and open year round, plus a greenhouse and garden center and seasonal sales of hay, straw, firewood, pumpkins, cornstalks, wreaths, and produce. Meat processing inquiries are directed to Rob or Luke at 218-729-3442, retail meat market inquiries to 218-729-3401, and the main office to 218-729-8673.

The website states NERCC provides custom and USDA certified processing services to local farmers and hunters, open to the public. USDA inspected processing is listed for beef, pork, sheep, goats, elk, buffalo, and poultry. Custom, non-inspected pricing is listed for beef, pork, venison, sheep and goat, turkey, and chicken, with chicken accepted May through September only. The site states NERCC no longer processes ducks, geese, or rabbits. Order sheets for beef, pork, poultry, goat, and venison can be downloaded from the website and filled out in advance, then dropped off with the animals. The site recommends scheduling a processing day as early as possible to secure a date and directs questions to Rob or Luke at 218-729-3442. Prices, product availability, and services are stated to be subject to change. FSIS lists hogs and poultry as the species slaughtered under inspection at this establishment, while the website describes inspected processing for a broader list of species. Specific minimums, fees, and cut and wrap terms are not stated in the sources on file.

Northeast Regional Corrections Center 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.

NERCC operates a Farm Fresh Meat Market in Saginaw described as open to the public and open year round, with drop-in visits during business hours and no appointment needed. The retail phone number listed is 218-729-3401. Current hours are referenced on the website through a link but the hours themselves are not stated in the material on file. Halves and quarters, bundles, delivery, shipping, and online ordering are not mentioned in the sources. The same site also lists seasonal farm produce, hay, straw, firewood, and greenhouse plants for sale, with produce prices including cabbage at $.50 per pound and potatoes at $1.00 per pound, and hay and straw pickup by appointment only.

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.