Circle S Meats

Circle S Meats is a federally inspected meat establishment at 1201 McEntire Road in Rutherfordton, Rutherford County, North Carolina, operating under establishment number M1916. The plant reports both Meat Slaughter and Meat Processing activities to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, with a grant of inspection date on file of July 30, 2024. FSIS classifies the establishment as very small, and its reported slaughter volume falls in the lowest category, under 1,000 head per year.

Species slaughtered under inspection, as reported to FSIS, are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The establishment also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales. The listed phone number in the federal record is (828) 129-3047, which appears incomplete or mistyped; a business directory listing for the same street address gives a number beginning 828-429 and a ZIP of 28139 rather than 28138.

A website, circlesfarm.net, appears on file for this record, but the text at that address belongs to Circle S Farm, a produce and pasture-raised meat operation run by Letty and Curtis Smith in Menlo, Georgia, that sells beef quarters processed by an outside USDA processor. That material describes a different business in a different state and is not used here to describe the Rutherfordton plant. Details beyond the federal record, including hours, pricing, cut and wrap options, ownership, and whether a retail counter is open to walk-in customers, are not yet on file.

The federal record lists cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb as species slaughtered under inspection, and the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter of animals owned by the customer, with resulting packages marked Not for Sale. FSIS places the establishment in the very small size class with a slaughter volume category of under 1,000 head per year, so scheduling capacity is likely limited. Booking procedures, lead times, minimums, kill fees, cut and wrap charges, hanging weight terms, and drop-off instructions are not stated in any source on file. Producers should contact the plant directly to confirm what work it is taking, as listed.

Circle S 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.

The establishment reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS, which allows direct sales of meat to household customers. No source on file names specific cuts, bundles, halves or quarters, delivery, shipping, or online ordering for this plant, and no retail hours are documented. Buyers should contact the establishment directly to confirm what is available.

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.