Pioneer Meats, Inc.

Pioneer Meats, Inc. operates at 31 Pioneer Trail in Big Timber, Sweet Grass County, Montana, and also does business as Beef of Montana and Meats of Montana. The plant holds establishment numbers M46336, P46336 and V46336 and is listed with FSIS for meat processing, meat slaughter, poultry processing, and voluntary meat processing and slaughter. FSIS classifies it as very small, with a grant of inspection date on file of January 20, 2022, and a slaughter volume category of 2.0. Species reported slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, goats and bison. The establishment also reports custom-exempt slaughter, where animals owned by the customer are returned in packages marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The company website describes custom domestic processing and wild game processing, along with a line of house-made products including snacksticks, bratwurst, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, sauces and spices. According to the site, Brian Engle began cutting deer and elk and ran a first meat cutting business from 1993 to 1997, then studied Animal Sciences at Montana State University before he and his wife Kary bought 20 acres outside Big Timber and opened Pioneer Meats at its current location. The site cites more than 20 years of experience and lists awards from the Montana Meat Processors Association, the North West Meat Processors Association convention and national competitions, in categories including bacon, jerky, summer sausage and smoked brats. Memberships listed are MMPA, NWPA and AAMP.

One point of difference is worth noting for buyers and producers. The plant is listed in the federal FSIS directory with federal establishment numbers, while the website's domestic processing page refers to customers entrusting "our State Inspected plant" and elsewhere calls the facility USDA inspected. Producers who need federally inspected product for resale should confirm directly which inspection applies to their specific lot.

The website states that Pioneer Meats custom processes animals to the customer's specifications and posts processing fees: beef harvest and disposal $155, bulls over one year and oversized carcasses over 1,000 pounds $200, pork harvest and disposal $80, sow harvest $95, lamb harvest and disposal $80, and bison harvest and/or skinning plus disposal $180. Cut and wrap is listed at $1.10 per pound, with a $70 minimum on lamb. Vacuum packaging is $0.20 per pound for beef and pork, $15 per head for lamb and $0.15 per pound for bison. A pork smoking fee of $80 and an approximate inspection fee of $75 per head are listed. Cooling fees apply only to animals removed from the plant as carcass: $50 per head for beef and bison, $20 per head for pork and $10 for lamb. Custom domestic processing forms can be downloaded from the site and emailed, faxed to 406-932-4555, dropped at the store or mailed to P.O. Box 100, Big Timber, MT 59011. Harvest scheduling is by phone at 406-932-4555. FSIS lists cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, goats and bison as species slaughtered under inspection. Booking lead times and minimums are not stated in the sources.

Pioneer 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 invites customers to call 406-932-4555 to order an animal for the freezer, and mentions a new retail store. Wild game receiving is handled at the Meats of Montana location at 209 E 1st Ave. in Big Timber. Pioneer Meats products, including bacon, brats, hot dogs, jerky and snacksticks, are listed as carried by retail grocers and markets in Big Timber, Billings, Bozeman, Belgrade, Livingston, Helena, Great Falls, Missoula, Butte, Anaconda, Dillon, Hamilton, Lewistown, Columbus, Cascade and Red Lodge. A $20 handling fee per box is listed for shipped items on the wild game page. Prices for retail cuts, halves or quarters, and online ordering for household customers, are not stated 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.