Blueridge processing Corp

Blueridge Processing Corp operates at 135 AG Services Drive in Marion, North Carolina, in McDowell County. The plant holds establishment numbers M2225, P2225, and V2225, with a grant of inspection on file dated March 21, 2024. FSIS lists the establishment for meat processing, meat slaughter, poultry processing, and voluntary slaughter of both meat and poultry species, and classifies it as very small. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, sheep and lamb, and bison. The plant reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it also reports retail-exempt sales. Its FSIS slaughter volume category is 1, under 1,000 head per year.

The website describes a family-owned, USDA-inspected facility serving farmers in Western North Carolina, run by a husband and wife team who identify as first-generation farmers with three children. Listed processing covers beef, pork, lamb, bison, and farm raised elk and deer. The plant advertises custom labeling with a farm name or logo, help with claims such as Pasture Raised, Grass Fed, Non-GMO, or specific breeds, a range of sausages including custom formulation, and USDA smoked and cured products such as bacon, jowls, and hams. Curing is described as using naturally occurring nitrates from celery juice powder. All meat is described as vacuum sealed.

As listed on the website, the plant states that it is not accepting new customers at this time, that prior customers may reach out to schedule, and that new inquiries can be emailed to join a waiting list. A separate retail page describes locally sourced, pasture-raised meats available online and at a farm store at 133 Ag Services Drive, Marion, NC 28752. Farm raised elk and deer processing appears on the website but is not itemized in the federal activity list, which covers meat and poultry species.

The website presents the plant as tailored to local farmers in Western North Carolina, with scheduling worked out with clients. Posted beef rates are a $165 kill fee, USDA processing at $1.50 per pound, and a $15 per head disposal fee; farmers wanting to keep the head or hide must pick them up the day of slaughter. Posted pork rates are an $85 kill fee for hogs 400 pounds and under, a $150 kill fee for hogs over 400 pounds, and USDA inspected processing at $1.50 per pound and up. Sausage add-ons are priced per pound with 25 pound minimums: bulk sausage flavors at $0.65 per pound, breakfast links and bratwurst, kielbasa, chorizo, Italian, and Cajun links at $2.15 per pound, and cheddarwurst, jalapeno cheddar, and specialty links at $2.95 per pound, cased in all natural beef collagen or hog casings. The plant states it does not accept or process intact male pigs, and that dropping off an intact pig without disclosure adds a $225 fee. As listed, the plant is not accepting new customers and directs new farmers to email to be added to a waiting list.

Blueridge processing Corp 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 website's retail page describes locally sourced, pasture-raised meats that can be ordered online or bought in person at a farm store at 133 Ag Services Drive in Marion, listed as open Monday through Saturday. Smoked and cured items named include bacon, jowls, and hams, along with a range of sausages and links. The federal record notes the establishment reports retail-exempt sales. Halves, quarters, bundle pricing, delivery, and shipping are not described in the sources.

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.