Island Grown Farmer's Cooperative

Island Grown Farmers Cooperative (establishment M21700B) operates a slaughter and processing plant at 11719 Westar Lane in Burlington, Skagit County, Washington. The plant reports Meat Slaughter and Meat Processing activities to FSIS, is classed Very Small, and lists cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb among species slaughtered under inspection. Its slaughter volume category is 1, meaning under 1,000 head per year. The grant of inspection date on file is September 12, 2022. The establishment also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail-exempt sales.

According to the cooperative's website, IGFC was founded in 2002 by small, independent livestock producers, initially to support farming in the San Juan Islands by providing local slaughter, butchering, and packaging, and it now serves farmers across western Washington. The site describes a slaughter, processing, and cut and wrap facility in the Skagit Valley, referred to as a USDA-approved Livestock Processing Center, with humane on-site harvesting. The website states the operation works under USDA and WSDA custom exempt inspection programs and lists beef, pork, lamb, goat, and veal. Goat and veal appear on the website but are not among the species listed in the federal record.

An onsite retail outlet, NW Local Meats, is described as a full-service butcher shop selling pasture-raised beef, pork, lamb, and goat from small family farms in San Juan, Island, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties. Cut sheets for beef and for pork, lamb, and goat are posted on the website. Scheduling is by phone or email, as listed.

The cooperative describes itself as farmer-owned and farmer-focused, founded in 2002 by small independent livestock producers, and states it is open to all. Scheduling starts with a phone call or email; the site notes it was actively booking June through September harvest dates with some in-fill dates in June, and says experienced customers are scheduled quickly while first-time customers are guided through the process and cut selection. Services listed include easy scheduling and drop-off, start-to-finish USDA and WSDA custom exempt inspected work, harvesting and butchering of beef, pork, lamb, goat, and veal, value-added products, vacuum-sealed retail-ready packaging, and fast turnaround. Beef and pork, lamb, goat cut sheets are posted online. Federal records list cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb as species slaughtered under inspection, and the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter with Not for Sale packaging. Minimums, fees, and per-pound rates are not stated in the sources on file.

Island Grown Farmer's 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 onsite retail outlet, NW Local Meats, is described as a full-service butcher shop offering locally pastured beef, pork, lamb, and goat from small family farms in San Juan, Island, Skagit, and Whatcom Counties, with grass or grain finished options. Listed offerings include individual steaks, chops, roasts, patties, links, ground, quarter or half bulk beef, and customized bulk packages. Online ordering, delivery, and shipping are not mentioned 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.