Gentle Harvest

Gentle Harvest, listed with FSIS under establishment numbers M34103, P34103 and V34103, operates at 468 White Hall Road in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia. The federal record lists meat processing, meat slaughter, voluntary processing of meat, voluntary slaughter of meat and voluntary slaughter of rabbit. FSIS classifies the plant as Very Small, with a grant of inspection date on file of July 22, 2021.

Species slaughtered under inspection, as reported to FSIS, are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals already owned by the customer and returns packages marked Not for Sale. Its FSIS slaughter volume category is 1.0, meaning fewer than 1,000 head per year.

The website on file is a Facebook page under the name Gentle Harvest Custom Processing, and no page text was available for this record. Secondary directory listings describe custom slaughter of beef, hog and lamb, and one directory entry mentions cattle, sheep, goat and pig processing serving the wider Shenandoah Valley. Details beyond the federal record, including hours, pricing, booking practices and retail sales, are not yet on file.

The plant is listed with FSIS for both meat slaughter and meat processing, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb reported as species slaughtered under inspection, plus voluntary slaughter of rabbit. It also reports custom-exempt slaughter, so a producer can have animals they own processed and returned in packages marked Not for Sale. Secondary directory listings describe custom slaughter of beef, hog and lamb, and one lists cattle, sheep, goat and pig. Slaughter volume is in the smallest FSIS category, under 1,000 head per year, so capacity is limited. Booking procedures, lead times, minimums, kill fees and cut and wrap charges are not stated in the sources on file. Producers should call (540) 837-4411 to confirm current scheduling and species accepted.

Gentle Harvest 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.