FLYING W FARMS, LLC

Flying W Farms, LLC operates a very small USDA-inspected meat plant in Burlington, Mineral County, West Virginia, under establishment number M44829. The federal record lists both Meat Slaughter and Meat Processing activities, with cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb reported as species slaughtered under inspection. The grant of inspection on file dates to July 20, 2021. FSIS places annual slaughter volume in the lowest category, under 1,000 head per year, and the establishment also reports custom-exempt processing and retail-exempt sales.

The website describes Flying W Farms as a sixth generation family farm owned and operated by the Woodworth families in the Patterson Creek Valley, with the family's presence in Burlington dating to R. B. Woodworth's move from Pittsburgh in 1920 and vegetable direct marketing since 1987. The operation combines the on-farm meat plant with a farm store, restaurant, catering, crafts, and a farm market selling sweet corn, melons, other produce, brown eggs, spring flowers, and fall mums. The site says the farm direct markets Natural Angus beef from a herd of 200 Angus brood cows and also features local pork.

Addresses differ between sources. The FSIS directory lists 1721 Northwestern Turnpike, Burlington, WV 26710, while the website gives a physical location of 2939 Northwestern Tpke., Burlington, WV, and a mailing address of 11253 Upper Patterson Creek Rd., Burlington, WV 26710. Both the federal record and the website list the phone number (304) 289-3005. Buyers and farmers should confirm the correct location and current availability directly, since nothing in these sources states that the plant is currently accepting work.

The federal record shows slaughter under inspection for cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb, and the establishment also reports custom-exempt processing, so customer-owned animals can be handled outside the federal-inspection-for-sale channel. The website has a cutsheet section labeled for customers having Flying W process their own animal, with separate downloadable custom beef, custom pork, and custom lamb cutsheets, plus a further processing sheet. Lamb is described as seasonal. Booking lead times, minimums, drop-off scheduling, kill fees, and per-pound cut and wrap charges are not stated in the sources on file. FSIS classifies the plant as very small with slaughter volume under 1,000 head per year, so capacity should be confirmed by phone at (304) 289-3005.

FLYING W FARMS, LLC reports custom-exempt processing 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 operation sells directly to households through a farm store, farm market, and restaurant, as listed on the website. Beef is offered as whole, half, front, or hind quarters, as 21 day dry aged beef, as 50 lb ground beef boxes, and in freezer filler and bundle boxes, with customizable personalized packages. Pork is offered as whole or half hogs, and lamb is listed as seasonal. Retail beef and pork product lists are posted as downloadable PDFs. The website lists store hours of Friday and Saturday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed Monday through Thursday. Online ordering, shipping, and delivery are not described 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.