Wolf Pack Meats

Wolf Pack Meats is a very small USDA-inspected plant at 5895 Clean Water Way in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada, operating under establishment numbers M6004, P6004, and V6004. FSIS lists the plant for meat slaughter and meat processing plus voluntary processing and voluntary slaughter of meat and poultry, with a grant of inspection date on file of February 28, 2022. The plant reports cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb slaughtered under inspection, and its FSIS slaughter volume category is 1, meaning under 1,000 head per year. It also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

The facility describes itself as part of the University of Nevada, Reno's Experiment Station. Its website states the plant opened in 1967 and harvests, processes, and produces fresh meat from cattle, pigs, lamb, and goats, including cattle raised by the University for its educational programs and production. The site says students receive hands-on training and see a commercial operation in action. Goats are named on the website and in the pricing schedule, while the species reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb.

Published price sheets cover harvest and processing for beef, pork, and lamb or goat, along with sausage making, smoking, offal service, carcass storage, and packaging options. A retail store at the same address sells individual beef and lamb cuts, pork sausage, and assembled meat packages, and whole, half, and quarter beef can be ordered online.

The plant reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, and its published price list gives harvest and processing rates: beef harvest $200 plus processing at $1.65 per pound hot carcass weight, harvest only $300, or all ground at $1.85 per pound hcw; pork harvest $150 with processing at $1.30 per pound hcw, harvest only $200, or all ground at $1.75 per pound hcw; lamb or goat harvest $130 with processing $130, harvest only $150, or all ground $175. Other listed fees include sausage at $1.50 per pound, smoked ham $48 per leg, smoked belly $45 per belly, smoked hock $5 per hock, offal service $2 per pound, vacuum seal grind and one steak per package at $0.10 per pound hcw each, packaging beef in quarters $15 per quarter, paper wrap or vacuum pack bones $20 per carcass, packaging lamb or goat in halves $40 per carcass, save head $10, and horned cattle $50 per head under the terms of service. Storage runs $10 per carcass per day for beef, $8 for pork, and $5 for lamb, beginning five days after the customer is notified. Heads of cattle over 30 months old, as determined by dentition, may not be retained. Harvest drop-off is scheduled online starting at $200, and beef, pork, and lamb or goat cut sheets are posted for download. Pricing is stated to be subject to change without notice.

Wolf Pack 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.

Whole, half, and quarter beef can be ordered through the website at a stated final price of $6.49 per pound based on hot carcass weight, with a non-refundable $100 deposit credited toward the final cost. The site notes a quarter is half of a half rather than a fore or hind quarter, that a typical carcass is 700 pounds yielding about 60 percent of that weight in meat with significant variation, and that the current wait is approximately six months. Whole and half orders can be fully customized, but for beef over 30 months old, typically October through December, the loin must be de-boned, so customers receive New York steaks and filet mignon instead of T-bones and porterhouse. Quarters cannot be customized, and offal such as tongue, ox tail, and organ meats is not included but may be purchased separately. All steaks and roasts are vacuum sealed. The store at 5895 Clean Water Way sells individual beef and lamb cuts and pork sausage, plus bundles ranging from $109 to $275, with the site directing customers to call for availability. Delivery and shipping are not mentioned in the sources on file.

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.