New England Wagyu, LLC

New England Wagyu, LLC, doing business as The Local Butcher, operates a very small USDA-inspected establishment at 536 South Barnstead Road in Center Barnstead, Belknap County, New Hampshire, under establishment numbers M45176 and V45176. The federal record lists meat slaughter and meat processing, plus voluntary slaughter and voluntary processing for both meat and poultry. Species slaughtered under inspection are reported as cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The grant of inspection on file dates to June 23, 2021, and FSIS places annual slaughter volume in the under 1,000 head category. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and returned in packages marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

The company website, newagyu.com, presents the business primarily as a Wagyu beef producer rather than a service processor. It states that the operation controls every step from breeding and calving through butchering and packaging, that it invested in its own USDA-inspected facility, and that it raises over 300 Wagyu cattle in New Hampshire. The site describes the herd as 99 to 100 percent DNA-verified Wagyu, pasture-raised on rotational grazing with no feedlots, and never treated with hormones or preventative antibiotics. It says cattle are born and raised in Peterborough, New Hampshire, with a flagship location in Mason and a farm store at 42 Valley Road, Mason. Beef is sold online, flash-frozen, vacuum-sealed in labeled BPA-free packaging, and shipped frozen with dry ice within the United States.

Readers should note the address difference between records. FSIS lists the inspected establishment in Center Barnstead with phone (603) 813-2054, while the website directs customers to the farm store in Mason with phone (603) 923-0265 and email sales@newagyu.com. A separate site, newenglandbutcher.com, carries The Local Butcher name at the Center Barnstead address. The website does not describe custom processing terms, booking procedures, kill dates, fees, or cut and wrap options for outside livestock owners, so those details beyond the federal record are not on file here.

The federal record shows meat slaughter and processing under inspection, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb reported as species slaughtered, and separately reports custom-exempt slaughter for animals owned by the customer, returned in packages marked Not for Sale. FSIS also lists voluntary slaughter and voluntary processing for poultry. Slaughter volume is in the smallest FSIS category, under 1,000 head per year. The company website is built around its own Wagyu herd and does not state whether outside livestock is accepted, nor does it publish booking lead times, minimums, kill day schedules, hanging fees, or cut and wrap charges. Producers should contact the plant directly at (603) 813-2054 to confirm what work is taken, as listed.

New England Wagyu, LLC 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.

Retail is described through the New England Wagyu brand. The website sells individual cuts and mix and match bundles, with listed regular prices including ground beef at $14.00 per pound, ground beef patties at $18.00, a New England strip at $8.00, a New Hampshire strip at $25.00, filet mignon at $45.00, New York strip at $65.00, and ribeye at $85.00. A promotion advertises a 6 ounce New England strip for $10, bundle savings up to 15 percent, and free ground Wagyu up to 3 pounds on orders over $175. Orders ship frozen within the United States with dry ice and insulated packaging, and subscription boxes are offered. In-person shopping is at the farm store, 42 Valley Road, Mason, New Hampshire, Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 pm, which is a different location from the inspected plant in Center Barnstead. The site says farm tours can be requested at the Mason farm. Halves and quarters are not mentioned.

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.