Appalachian Producers Cooperative

Appalachian Producers Cooperative is a farmer-owned meat processing facility at 2782 Highway 11 E in Telford, Washington County, Tennessee. It operates under USDA FSIS establishment number M2950 with a grant of inspection dated October 29, 2025, and is classified by FSIS as a very small establishment carrying out both meat slaughter and meat processing. The plant reports slaughtering cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection, and its FSIS slaughter volume category is 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 the packages are marked Not for Sale.

The cooperative's website states it opened in 2025 in response to demand for local processing among Northeast Tennessee livestock farmers, in a facility constructed in 2024. The site describes the operation as the first 100 percent farmer-owned cooperative established in Tennessee in more than 50 years, with members eligible to vote on decisions, serve on the board, and receive patronage dividends based on annual use. The website says the facility is sized to process 100 to 125 head per week at peak production. That figure is a stated design capacity and differs from the under 1,000 head per year slaughter volume category on file with FSIS, which reflects reported volume.

Services described on the website include USDA-inspected and custom, not for sale, processing for cattle, hogs, lambs, and goats. Note that the FSIS record lists cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb as species slaughtered under inspection; goats are named on the website but not in the federal species list. The site emphasizes humane handling, cutting, wrapping, vacuum sealing, and labeling, and offers cut sheets for beef, pork, lamb, and goat.

The website states the cooperative offers both USDA-inspected and custom, not for sale, processing for cattle, hogs, lambs, and goats, with simplified cut sheets for beef, pork, and lamb and a cut sheet page for goat. Pricing and cut sheets are published on the site. The site says specialty cut requests can be accommodated, that value-added options include patties and several sausage styles with custom seasoning blends, and that farm-branded packaging and custom labeling with logos, pricing, and barcodes are available. It states the operation serves both farmers processing one head a year for their own table and producers needing multiple weekly appointments for wholesale customers, and that producers may schedule a tour. The site also says the cooperative will purchase cattle finished to specification from local farmers for co-op branded and private label wholesale sales. Membership gives producers a vote in decisions, board eligibility, and patronage dividends based on annual use. Appointments are requested by phone or through a form on the site. Minimums and fees beyond the published cut sheets are not stated.

Appalachian Producers Cooperative 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 sources do not describe a retail counter, halves or quarters, meat bundles, online ordering, delivery, or shipping to households. The website is directed at farmers and retail outlets, and describes custom processing of animals owned by the customer, which is packaged Not for Sale. Households interested in buying meat should contact the cooperative directly, since no retail offering is 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.