Sylvester Quality Meats

Sylvester Quality Meats operates at 1793 California Road in Westfield, Pennsylvania, in Tioga County, under FSIS establishment numbers M40157 and V40157. The federal record lists meat processing, meat slaughter, and voluntary processing and slaughter for both meat and poultry, with a grant of inspection dated September 5, 2019. The plant is classed by FSIS as very small, reports slaughtering cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection, and falls in slaughter volume category 1.0, meaning under 1,000 head per year. It also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and retail-exempt sales.

The business describes itself as rooted in 2007 to fill a local need for custom butchered meat that can be tracked to its source, with butchers holding a combined 61 years of experience. It is a sister company to Sweet Water Farm, a family farm in Brookfield township owned by Rick and Veronica Mead, previously owned by Richard and Margaret Mead and before them Wilford and Rena Mead. The site states that customers always get their own meat back and that grind batches, from roughly 8 pounds to 200 pounds, are made separately rather than mixed.

Services described on the website include custom beef, hog, and lamb cutting, venison processing for whole or half deer, smoking, and a retail store. Reviews quoted on the site mention a new smokehouse. Hours listed on the contact page are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Contact is by phone at (814) 367-5803 or email at sylvesterqualitymeats@yahoo.com.

The plant reports both federally inspected slaughter and custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb slaughtered under inspection and an annual volume under 1,000 head. The website posts custom butchering fees based on hanging weight. Beef at 499 pounds hanging weight or less is a flat $575 with no kill fee for a regular cut; 500 to 599 pounds is $1.11 per pound; 600 to 699 pounds is $1.03; 700 to 799 pounds is $0.98; 800 to 899 pounds is $0.95; and 900 pounds and up is $0.92, all with no kill fee. Hogs 199 pounds and below are a flat $220 with no kill fee, and hogs 200 pounds and up are $1.10 per pound hanging weight. Lamb is a flat $100. Disposal fees are $20 per beef, $10 per hog, and $5 per lamb or goat. Add-on charges include smoke meat at $0.95 per pound, sausage seasoning at $0.65 per pound, maple sausage seasoning at $0.50 per pound, link and patties at $1.00 per pound, snack sticks at $4.00 per pound with a 15 pound minimum, jerky at $5.00 per pound with an 8 pound minimum, and ground beef patties at $1.00 per pound with a 20 pound minimum. The shop states fees offset the cost of aging, that all meat is frozen, boxed, and ready for pickup, and that customers always receive their own animal back. Booking procedures and lead times are not stated in the sources.

Sylvester Quality 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 website describes a retail store selling meat, with a prices page referenced on the site, and the establishment reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS. Listed hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Households buying a whole or half beef, hog, or deer from a farmer can have the animal broken down to a provided cut list, or use the shop's standard cut. Delivery, shipping, and online ordering are not mentioned in the sources, and specific retail prices are not included in the fetched text.

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.