Cloud's Meats Inc.

Cloud's Meats Inc. operates at 2013 Paradise Ln. in Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri, under USDA FSIS establishment numbers M47186 and V47186. The federal record lists meat slaughter and meat processing, plus voluntary slaughter and voluntary processing of meat, with a grant of inspection date on file of August 16, 2021. FSIS classifies the plant as very small, and its reported slaughter volume category is 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 packages are marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales.

The business website states that Cloud's Meats has custom processed beef and pork for southwest Missouri since 1959, tracing back to Emmett and Pauline Hammond, who sold to Lloyd and Pat Cloud. The site says the third generation runs the business now, with a fourth generation helping after school and in summers, and lists Pat and Mike Cloud as owners. The site states the operation is inspected to sell wholesale and private label, makes a full range of smoked meats and sausages, and runs a retail area with local meats, smoked products and deli, along with catering.

Deer and wild game are described as a large part of the fall and winter workload. The website states the plant processes over 1,500 deer per year for hunters in the four state area and participates in the Missouri Department of Conservation's Share The Harvest program. The site also notes that Cloud's does not kill during most of November because of deer season.

The website states that Cloud's processes by appointment only and that customers should call to schedule an animal. It says the plant is generally booked two to three weeks out, and possibly longer during winter months, and that it does not kill during most of November because of deer season. Animals may be brought the evening before the scheduled slaughter day or by 8:00 AM the day of, unless special arrangements are made. Cutting instructions are to be called in within 24 hours of drop off, and a customer representative walks the owner through those instructions. The site says beef is looked over by the crew, double wrapped and quick frozen; all curing and smoking is done on site using brown sugar cure and hickory wood; lambs and goats are processed by appointment with a basic per head fee for butchering, cutting and wrapping; buffalo is butchered on site by appointment with cutting similar to beef; and elk and wild hogs are accepted skinned and quartered. Custom slaughter fees for livestock are not stated in the sources. The federal record shows both federally inspected and custom-exempt slaughter, so animals can be handled for resale or for the owner's own use, and the plant reports a slaughter volume of under 1,000 head per year.

Cloud's Meats Inc. 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 lists a retail shop with products available for purchase and pickup in store, and states that EBT-SNAP benefit cards are accepted for in-store purchases only. Retail listings include fresh beef, pork and chicken cuts, ground beef and patties, hickory smoked and cured bacon and hams, bratwurst, hot dogs, snack sticks, jerky, summer sausage, buffalo and elk items, and seafood. Four bundles are listed, Select, Choice, Prime and Mini, with the site directing buyers to call for pricing on bundles and most retail items; a few buffalo and elk items show posted prices. The About page describes a retail area with local meats, smoked products and deli, and the business also offers catering. Halves and quarters, delivery and shipping are not mentioned 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.