Straka Meats inc.

Straka Meats Inc. operates at 915 Alma Ave in Plain, Sauk County, Wisconsin, under establishment numbers M3353, P3353, and V3353. The federal record lists meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry processing, meat and poultry identification, and voluntary meat slaughter and processing, with a grant of inspection date on file of 2025-08-13. FSIS classes the plant as very small and records slaughter of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb at under 1,000 head per year. The plant also reports custom exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and packages are marked Not for Sale, and reports retail exempt sales.

The company website describes the business as state inspected daily and animal welfare humane slaughter certified, and as HACCP certified. The federal directory lists the establishment under FSIS inspection activities, so buyers comparing the two records will see both descriptions. The site says all custom slaughter is done every Wednesday by appointment only and asks customers to call in advance for available dates and times.

According to the website, the business began as Plain Produce and Locker Plant on March 1, 1948, owned by Pete Goodman, uncle of Eileen Goodman-Straka. James and Eileen Straka came to Plain in 1951 and purchased the plant in 1952. In the early 1960s James shifted the plant to beef and pork processing and added hickory smoked sausages to the retail store, and in 1976 he added a slaughter floor, sausage room, processing room, and two coolers for dry aging beef. Sons John and Jim continued the business after his death in 1980, remodeled the retail store and updated equipment in 1999, and have since retired. The site states Straka Meats is a third generation business owned by John's son, Andy.

The website states that custom slaughter is done every Wednesday by appointment only and asks customers to call in advance for available dates and times. Lamb is processed by appointment only. Cut sheets for beef and pork can be submitted online, and the site says the same link can be used to book a slaughter appointment or check order status. The federal record shows slaughter of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb at under 1,000 head per year and reports custom exempt slaughter with packages marked Not for Sale. Posted beef processing fees on the cut sheet are $130 whole, $65 half, and $32.50 per quarter, with a $15 split side fee, a $20 per whole beef fee for boneless New York strip steaks, and pork options including $1.29 per pound to cure and smoke hams or bellies, $0.99 per pound to slice, and added charges for brats, links, breakfast sausage, and Italian sausage. Hauling instructions, drop off times, and kill floor scheduling beyond Wednesdays are not stated in the sources.

Straka Meats inc. 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 with fresh cuts every morning and says meat is cut daily. It states that all beef and pork sold there is raised locally, with Wisconsin corn fed livestock hand picked each week. Search snippets attributed to the company's contact page describe 25 different sausage products, in house made hickory smoked hams, bacon, BBQ pork, and shredded beef. Households can also buy through the processing program: beef is available as a half side with about a 400 pound hanging weight, a split side or quarter at 185 to 200 pounds hanging, and hogs as whole at 160 to 180 pounds hanging or half at 80 to 90 pounds, with roughly 35 percent cutting loss on beef. Retail hours, shipping, and delivery are not stated in the sources.

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.