Morning Star Poultry

Morning Star Poultry operates at 188 Tanners Rd in Fort Plain, Montgomery County, New York, under FSIS establishment numbers M46324A, P46324A and V46324A. The federal record lists meat processing, poultry processing, poultry slaughter and voluntary poultry slaughter, with a grant of inspection date on file of July 30, 2021. FSIS classifies the plant as Very Small, lists poultry as the species slaughtered under inspection, and places it in slaughter volume category 4.0. The plant reports halal slaughter to FSIS. No custom-exempt activity is reported to FSIS, though the website advertises custom slaughtering and processing services performed under USDA inspection.

According to the company website, the business grew out of a family farm that moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to the Mohawk Valley in 2008 and milked a jersey herd before shifting to baking and then to chicken pot pies in 2015. The family began USDA inspection in 2018, sold the last of the dairy herd that year, converted part of the dairy barn into a USDA slaughtering facility in 2020, and built a larger processing facility with upgraded equipment in 2021. The site states that the operation began taking work from small farmers and backyard flock owners once the facility was running, and that additional family farms were brought in to raise pastured chickens.

The website describes air chilling rather than water chilling for all processed birds, with birds butchered on the same day they are received and cooled in environmentally controlled chambers using purified cold air. It states no chlorine baths are used. Chicken is described as sourced from NY State Grown and Certified farms, antibiotic free, hormone free, cage free and humanely raised. The FSIS record lists the plant phone as (518) 993-2388; the website lists 518-777-7827 and sales@morningstarpoultry.com.

The website has a dedicated custom slaughtering and processing page directing farmers to call Reuben at 518-777-7827 extension 4 for slaughtering options. Processing options listed are whole chicken and cut-up, plus a range of chicken products, with custom packaging available and birds returned USDA labeled. The site addresses farmers market vendors directly and includes testimonials from growers who send meat birds and multiple flocks for processing. All processed birds are air chilled, and the site states poultry is butchered the same day it is received. Booking lead times, minimum bird counts, drop-off scheduling and per-bird fees are not stated in the sources. Note that FSIS reports no custom-exempt activity at this establishment, so work described as custom appears to be done under federal inspection.

Morning Star Poultry operates under a federal grant of inspection, so product from this plant can be sold anywhere in the United States, which matters if you sell online or across a state line. FSIS does not list a custom-exempt activity for this plant.

The website presents chicken sold from the family farm to the table, describing air-chilled whole and cut-up chicken along with pot pies, nuggets, bone broth and sausage. Birds are described as sourced from NY State Grown and Certified farms, antibiotic free, hormone free, cage free, humanely raised and pasture raised, and processed without chlorine baths. The site says the company sells to families, restaurants, catering companies and grocery outlets, and states that by the end of 2018 its pies were available in hundreds of stores across northeastern states. Whether there is an on-site retail counter, online ordering, or shipping to households is not stated in the sources; orders and inquiries are directed to 518-777-7827 or sales@morningstarpoultry.com.

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.