Ranchers' Best Meats

Ranchers' Best Meats operates at 55 Wyttenhove Lane in Miles City, Custer County, Montana, under FSIS establishment numbers M7679, P7679 and V7679. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry processing, and voluntary meat slaughter and processing activities, with a grant of inspection date on file of May 4, 2022. FSIS classifies the plant as Very Small, and its reported slaughter volume falls in the lowest category, under 1,000 head per year.

Species slaughtered under inspection, as reported to FSIS, are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales. The listed phone number is (406) 234-1961.

The website address carried in the federal listing, mfbn.org, resolves to the Montana Food Bank Network rather than to a site operated by the plant. A Montana Food Bank Network resource page lists Rancher's Best Meats at the same address and phone under the resource type Hunters Against Hunger. Beyond that, details such as hours, pricing, cut and wrap options, ownership, and founding are not yet on file.

The federal record shows cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb slaughtered under inspection, plus custom-exempt slaughter for animals owned by the customer, which produces packages marked Not for Sale for the owner's own use. This is a Very Small establishment in the lowest FSIS slaughter volume category, under 1,000 head per year, so scheduling capacity is likely limited. Booking procedures, lead times, minimums, kill fees, hanging weight rates, and cut and wrap terms are not stated in any source on file. Producers should call (406) 234-1961 to confirm whether dates are available and what species are being taken.

Ranchers' Best Meats 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 plant reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS, which means some direct sales to consumers may occur at the establishment. No source on file describes a retail counter, halves or quarters, bundles, shipping, delivery, or online ordering, and no product list, price list, or hours are available. A Montana Food Bank Network listing identifies the plant as a Hunters Against Hunger resource, indicating it handles donated game for that program. Households should call ahead to ask what is available.

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.