Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
South Carolina, and New Mexico. It is illegal in Montana, Nevada, Louisiana, Iowa, Wiscon-
sin, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.
This interactive map can give you a look at the big picture regarding raw milk sales in the Un-
ited States, but — this cannot be stressed enough — you should contact your state department
of agriculture to be sure you know what laws you must follow.
How to Choose a Slaughterhouse
Another big issue for beef farmers is finding a place to have their animals slaughtered. There
are not that many facilities, and many of them cater to large producers. The challenges for
beef farmers are finding a facility within a reasonable distance from their farm that can do all
the necessary work. Being loaded into cattle trailers and hauled many miles down the road is
stressful to animals. The shorter the trip, the better, but some farmers have no choice but to
truck their animals hundreds of miles away. Once you find a facility to harvest your animals,
you usually need an appointment because even small- and medium-size facilities often have
waiting lists. These appointments may need to be made many weeks in advance.
Some slaughterhouses also have a meat cutter on site, but some only kill. If you find a facility
that only kills, your cattle may have to be taken by refrigerated truck to a place where they
can be cut and packaged. You can find these facilities through your state Department of Agri-
culture, which keeps a list of processors, including whether they only kill, only cut, or both.
Be sure to visit slaughterhouses when you are choosing the facility you want to sell your
cattle to. When you visit, call ahead and let them know you are coming because they may be
more accommodating if they were expecting you than if you drop in unannounced. When you
visit, talk to people, and see what kind of feeling you get from the employees. You want to
work with people who respect the animals and take pride in the job they do. Slaughterhouses
are noisy places, but watch the way people work — they should seem calm and in control.
Look for facilities that adhere to the same principles as you did when designing your handling
facilities — rounded walkways aimed at working with the animals' natural instincts.
Organic slaughter and butchering
Producers who want the organic label also must be careful in choosing processors. Organic-
labeled products must be processed and handled by organic-certified operators — that means
slaughterers, milk processors, and packers. These facilities also often produce conventionally
raised beef, so they must take extra precautions to ensure that organically raised beef is kept
