Rode's Meats, LLC

Rode's Meats, LLC operates at 1000 Coletta's Way in Delphos, Allen County, Ohio, under USDA establishment numbers M2600, P2600, and V2600. 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 23, 2024. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant falls in FSIS slaughter volume category 1.0, meaning under 1,000 head per year, and reports both custom-exempt slaughter, where packages are marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

The website describes the business as owned by Jim and Andrea Rode, natives of Delphos, who have raised cattle, hogs, and row crops for over two decades and describe a legacy of five generations of farming. The site states they expanded the farming operation to include a meat processing facility, and that they serve customers in Allen, Van Wert, and surrounding counties. The facility is described as located in the Delphos Industrial Park, directly behind the Mercy Health Delphos Ambulatory Care on Fifth Street.

Contact numbers differ between sources. The plant reports (419) 303-6069 to FSIS, while the website lists 419-695-6122 throughout. Pricing on the site is also inconsistent in one place: the order page lists freezer beef at $3.10 per pound while the processing page lists beef cost at $4 per pound. Prices on the site are noted as subject to change without notice.

The site states custom butchering and processing are offered to farmers in Delphos and surrounding communities. Custom processing is priced at $1.10 per pound on hot carcass weight with no kill or disposal fees stated in that line, while kill and chill is listed separately at $250 for cattle and $150 for hogs. Minimum charges are $650 for cattle, $175 for hogs, and $100 for goats, sheep, and similar. Add-on charges include patties at $0.50 per pound, links at $1 per pound, smoked side items at $15 per side, and smoked ham at $20 per ham. Average hot carcass weight cited is 200 pounds for a quarter beef yielding 120 to 130 pounds, and 100 pounds for a half hog yielding 60 to 70 pounds. Deer processing is listed at $100 skin and bone with the hide kept by the plant, $125 skin for mount, and $130 already skinned, with per-pound pricing for jerky, snack sticks, summer sausage, bologna, and fresh cuts. Prices are noted as subject to change. Scheduling terms, lead times, and drop-off procedures are not stated in the sources. FSIS records the plant in the smallest slaughter volume category, under 1,000 head per year.

Rode's Meats, LLC 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 invites customers to visit the store in person for help selecting cuts, or to call ahead so an order can be prepared. Beef is sold by the whole, half, or half of a half, and pork by the whole or half, with online beef and pork order forms that walk through cut, thickness, and packaging choices, including a producer or farmer name field for animals bought from a local farmer. Freezer beef and freezer pork are offered; the order page lists beef at $3.10 per pound plus $1.10 per pound processing on hot carcass weight, while the processing page lists beef at $4 per pound with an approximate quarter beef cost of $1,020. Freezer pork is listed at $1.25 per pound plus processing, with an approximate half hog cost of $250 to $300 depending on smoked items. The retail case is described as carrying deli meats, cheeses, salads, snack sticks, jerky, summer sausage, seafood, and poultry. Delivery and shipping are not mentioned 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.