Leona Meat Plant Inc

Leona Meat Plant Inc operates at 1961 Leona Road in Troy, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, under USDA FSIS establishment numbers M9784, P9784 and V9784. The federal record lists meat processing, meat slaughter, poultry processing, poultry slaughter, and voluntary meat processing and slaughter, with a grant of inspection date on file of April 26, 2022. FSIS classifies the plant as very small, and its reported slaughter volume category is under 1,000 head per year. Species slaughtered under inspection as reported to FSIS are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales.

The company website states the business was started in the autumn of 1963 by Charles "Charlie" Debach in the village of Leona outside Troy, beginning as a one-room, two-employee facility that butchered, cut and freezer wrapped cull cows for local dairy farmers. A wholesale business supplying beef and pork to area grocery stores and restaurants followed, and a storefront was added in 1973. The site describes the business as family owned and operated, with sons Charles II "Chick" and Mike Debach managing cutting and administration respectively, and Chick's wife Leslie providing office support.

The website describes the plant as a certified organic and animal-welfare-certified custom processor for small farmers, and states it is certified by NOFA-NY as an organic processor and handler. The retail store sells fresh cut meat, specialty items, and freezer goods. A secondary listing on farmshare.co states the plant processes beef, hog, lamb and goat and offers online harvest slot booking; goat is not among the species reported to FSIS in the federal record, and online booking is not mentioned on the plant's own site, which directs orders to the phone.

The federal record shows the plant slaughters cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection, and also reports custom-exempt slaughter for animals owned by the customer, with packages marked Not for Sale. FSIS lists poultry slaughter and processing as well. The website publishes cut sheets with custom cutting pricing and cut charts, and states that orders are placed by phone at (570) 297-3574 or toll free (800) 416-3968. For certified organic processing, the plant states it is certified by NOFA-NY as an organic processor and handler and requires two documents before processing: the farm's current organic certificate from its certifying agency, and a completed Slaughter Affirmation Form with the "Slaughter Eligible" column checked. The site also describes the plant as an animal-welfare-certified custom processor for small farmers. Scheduling lead times, minimums, kill fees and per-pound cut and wrap rates are not stated in the text on file; a third-party listing at farmshare.co advertises online harvest slot booking and lists goat, neither of which appears on the plant's own site or in the FSIS species record.

Leona Meat Plant Inc 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 retail store is located a few miles outside Troy on Leona Road and carries choice beef and pork cuts in a display case, with cuts made to customer specifications. The website states the shop sells both choice grain-fed beef, described as pasture and corn raised black Angus purchased from Creekstone Farms, and grass-fed beef from its own Angus herd and a network of local beef farmers, plus pastured pork sourced from Leidy's near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, described as hormone-free and raised on a soybean and corn-based diet. Whole sides of grass-fed beef and pastured pork can be purchased by the half or whole, and the shop carries sides and quarters of USDA choice steers. Frozen bundles are listed with prices, including an Economy Bundle at 21 lbs for $90.00, a Budget Bundle at 21 lbs for $75.00, a Pork Bundle at 30 lbs for $100.00, a Steak Bundle at 10 lbs for $140.00, a BBQ Bundle for $95.00, a Breakfast Bundle for $60.00, a Beef Bundle at 22 lbs for $210.00, a Freezer Filler Bundle at 54 lbs for $220.00, a Mini Deluxe at 36.5 lbs for $230.00, and a Super Deluxe at 51.25 lbs for $290.00. The site states bundle orders must be placed in person or over the phone and to allow up to one week for bundle orders to be ready. Shipping and online ordering are not mentioned.

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.