Fairmount Lockers

Fairmount Lockers, also listed as Fairmount Locker Plant, operates at 102 Main Street in Fairmount, North Dakota, in Richland County. The plant holds federal establishment numbers M7615, P7615 and V7615, with a grant of inspection on file dated March 20, 2007. FSIS lists its activities as meat processing, meat slaughter, poultry processing, and voluntary meat processing and voluntary meat slaughter. FSIS classifies the establishment as very small.

Under inspection the plant reports slaughtering cattle and hogs, with a slaughter volume category of 1.0, meaning fewer than 1,000 head per year. It also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales. Directory listings describe the business as a meat market and butcher shop offering butchering and processing, and user-supplied tags on one listing mention game processing, hogs and beef.

The available web material is limited to third-party business directory listings rather than a plant-operated website. Details beyond the federal record and those listings, including hours, ownership, pricing, cut and wrap options, and booking practices, are not yet on file.

The plant reports cattle and hog slaughter under federal inspection to FSIS, along with custom-exempt slaughter in which the customer owns the animals and the resulting packages are marked Not for Sale. FSIS places annual slaughter under 1,000 head, so capacity is small and scheduling is likely limited. Booking procedures, lead times, minimums, kill day schedules, hanging and cut and wrap fees, and whether the plant is currently accepting animals are not stated in the sources on file. Farmers should contact the plant at (701) 474-5869 to confirm.

Fairmount Lockers 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.

Directory listings describe the business as a meat market and butcher shop, and the federal record shows retail-exempt sales, which indicates meat can be sold directly from the establishment. One secondary listing mentions sausage. Whether the plant sells halves and quarters, bundles, or offers delivery, shipping or online ordering is not stated in the sources on file.

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.