High Country Meats

High Country Meats operates at 340 Colfax Ave in Raton, Colfax County, New Mexico, under FSIS establishment numbers M47126, P47126 and V47126. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry processing, and voluntary meat slaughter and processing, with a grant of inspection date on file of July 26, 2021. FSIS classes the plant as very small, and its reported slaughter volume category is 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, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

The business describes itself as family owned and operated for more than 29 years and as a USDA certified establishment. According to its own history page, High Country Meats was started in 1994 by Lee and Alexis Dixon in Estancia, New Mexico, doing custom processing of beef, pork and lamb. In 1999 the family purchased a meat packing plant in Raton, a building originally built in 1960 by Joe Dennis as Joe's Packing Company. Dustin and Emily Dixon moved to Raton in April 2018 to help run the business. The site states that the plant now processes for customers in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado.

A small retail shop opened in the front room in April 2019, and in April 2022 the business opened an expanded 2,650 square foot retail space with a new freezer and office. The site says it sells a variety of specialty sausages and beef products and puts Hatch green chile in as many items as possible. The contact page directs callers to phone for information on custom processing, USDA slaughter and processing, USDA products, and retail exempt products. Hours are not reproduced in the text on file, so specific days and times are not yet on file here.

The plant reports both USDA-inspected slaughter and custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, so animals can be processed either for sale under inspection or for the owner's own use with packages marked Not for Sale. Species slaughtered under inspection are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, and the site describes custom processing of beef, pork and lamb cut and packaged to the customer's liking. The business states it serves customers across New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado, and that some customers have been returning for 25 plus years. A dated note on the history page said the plant was booked for the rest of 2022 and 2023, which indicates booking is required but says nothing about current availability. Fees, minimums, drop-off procedures and cut sheet details are not stated in the sources; the contact page asks prospective customers to call.

High Country 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.

A retail butcher shop operates at the front of the Raton building, expanded in April 2022 with 2,650 additional square feet including retail space and a new freezer. The site says it sells a variety of specialty sausages and beef products and uses Hatch green chile in as many products as it can. The plant reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS in addition to inspected products. The sources do not state whether halves and quarters, bundles, online ordering, delivery or shipping are offered.

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.