Butterball, LLC

The Carthage, Missouri plant at 411 North Main Street is operated by Butterball, LLC, doing business as Carolina Turkey, under establishment numbers M8727, P8727 and V8727. FSIS lists the establishment for Poultry Processing, Voluntary Slaughter of Poultry, Voluntary Processing of Poultry, and Export Certification, and classifies it in the large size category. The grant of inspection date on file is November 8, 2021. Species detail is not reported to FSIS, and no custom-exempt activity is reported, meaning the plant does not appear in the federal record as a custom processor for individual livestock or poultry owners.

The website on file, butterball.com, is a national brand site rather than a page for the Carthage plant. It describes Butterball as a turkey company that has supplied retail and foodservice turkey products since 1954, and lists products including fresh all natural ground turkey 93/7, hardwood smoked turkey sausage, frozen seasoned turkey burgers, boneless savory herb turkey breast roast, turkey breast tenderloins, and turkey wings, drumsticks and necks. A separate brand line, Farm to Family by Butterball, is described as sourced from contract farms and raised with no antibiotics ever. The site states that Butterball was the first and remains the only commercial turkey company to earn the American Humane Certified mark, and that products are sold through major retailers nationwide using a where-to-buy product finder.

Plant-level details for the Carthage facility, including retail sales at the site, tour or pickup arrangements, hours of operation, and whether the plant takes in animals from outside growers, are not stated in the sources on file. Buyers and growers should treat the federal listing as the primary record here and contact the plant or the company directly for anything beyond it.

The federal record reports no custom-exempt activity at this establishment, and nothing in the sources describes booking, drop-off scheduling, kill fees, or cut and wrap for individually owned animals. The company website describes turkey supply through contract growers for its Farm to Family line, naming farms such as M&H Gobblers, Mark Rouse Farms, Mill Branch Turkeys and Lee Family Farms, but it does not state how growers are contracted or whether the Carthage plant accepts outside birds. A grower interested in this plant would need to contact Butterball directly, since those arrangements are not on file.

Butterball, LLC operates under a federal grant of inspection, so product from this plant can be sold anywhere in the United States, which matters if you sell online or across a state line. FSIS does not list a custom-exempt activity for this plant.

No on-site retail counter, farm store, halves or quarters, bundles, local delivery, or direct shipping from the Carthage plant is described in the sources. The Butterball website directs shoppers to a where-to-buy product finder and states that its turkey products are available at major retailers nationwide. Consumer questions are handled by a corporate Consumer Affairs team at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372), Monday through Friday, 9 am to 6 pm EST, with text support at 844-877-3456 and live chat on the site. The seasonal Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, open in November and December, answers cooking questions.

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.