Homestead Farm and Packing, LLC

Homestead Farm and Packing, LLC operates at 265 Pat Eubanks Rd in Lucedale, Mississippi, in George County. The plant holds federal establishment numbers M46011 and V46011, with a grant of inspection on file dated April 2, 2020. FSIS lists its activities as meat processing, meat slaughter, and voluntary processing and slaughter for meat and poultry. It is classified as very small, and its reported slaughter volume falls in the under 1,000 head per year category. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and goats. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale.

The website describes the operation as a USDA and custom processing plant specializing in beef and pork, and states it can process nearly any animal brought to the plant, including cattle, deer, hogs both wild and domesticated, goats, and sheep. Meat is vacuum sealed for freezer storage. The site says the plant does not sell meat itself but connects customers with local farmers, naming Black Creek Farms of Wiggins, Stonnington Farm of Perkinston, and Nature's Gourmet Farm of Petal as area producers. An About Us page frames the business as a response to the loss of local slaughter capacity in the county after the late 1980s.

The website states the humane treatment of animals is a priority, that animals are not over prodded, and that they have access to fresh water while held overnight. The plant reports it owns and operates a label machine on site, so labels bearing a farm name can be produced without a third party printer. Ethan Welford is listed as manager. The federal record lists the phone number (601) 947-6446, while the website lists (601) 508-7741 for calls and texts.

The website directs farmers interested in bringing animals to call or text Ethan Welford at 601-508-7741, and to contact him Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays from 7am to 4pm. Printable cut sheets for beef, pork, lamb and goat, and deer are posted on the site and can be filled out and brought at drop-off. Custom beef pricing is listed as a 10 cents per pound kill fee with a $40 minimum, a 1.5 cents per pound waste disposal fee, and a 76 cents per pound cut and wrap fee, described on the home page as 85.5 cents per pound total on hanging weight. Pork is listed at a $30 kill fee plus a per pound processing fee on hanging weight, with the home page citing 85 cents and the price page citing 87 cents. Sheep and goat are listed at a $35 kill fee with $1.25 per pound custom processing or $1.50 per pound USDA processing, though the price page also states sheep and goat prices are the same as pork. For resale, the site states beef or pork can be run under USDA inspection at $1.10 per pound on hanging weight (the price page lists $1.02 per pound for beef and $1 per pound for pork), which the site says exempts the customer from the tenderizing fee and the 1 pound burger fee. The plant states it pays testing fees and furnishes labels with the farm name, with an 8 cents per pound fee for colored labels with a custom logo. Sausage must be made in batches of 25 pounds or more. An additional $25 charge may apply if a carcass is very dirty. A storage fee of $1 per box per day begins on the fifth day after the customer is notified product is ready. The site states prices are liable to change without notice.

Homestead Farm and Packing, 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 website states the plant does not sell meat and instead connects customers with local farmers, listing Black Creek Farms in Wiggins (grass fed beef and pork), Stonnington Farm in Perkinston (grass fed beef), and Nature's Gourmet Farm in Petal (grass fed beef, chicken, eggs, and pork), with phone numbers for each. Households that raise their own animals can bring them for custom processing, and the site describes the result as a freezer full of vacuum sealed meat. Deer processing is offered at $1.25 per pound plus additional fees for burger and smoked sausage, with a choice of beef or pork fat added. No retail counter, halves and quarters program, delivery, shipping, or online ordering is described 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.