Slaughterhouse Rules
How a Local Meat Processing Plant Could Serve Ranchers & Strengthen Our Food Security
by Holly Madrigal
The concept of a local slaughterhouse—the idea that we would be able to purchase humanely raised and slaughtered livestock from our neighbors, avoiding the usual additional travel and expense associated with it—has been around for years. While not everyone eats meat, most can agree that a transition from horrific factory farms to locally controlled, transparent, smaller slaughter facilities would be a welcome change. Given that grocery store shelves and butcher counter freezers have been lean due to stressed supply chains during this pandemic, the idea of locally available meat only increases in popularity.
The Economic Development and Finance Corporation (EDFC) is a non profit organization tasked with supporting economic health in Mendocino County. They received grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2013 and worked closely with the UC Agricultural Cooperative Extension and Mendocino County’s Ag Department to develop a feasibility study for a meat processing plant. This followed a 2009 report that specifically explored the idea of a New Zealand style, small-scale abattoir. The projected potential financial benefits were hopeful.
The 2009 estimates found that a local slaughterhouse could increase the gross value of livestock in the region from $15 million to $29 million annually. The study also found that such a project could create 682 jobs (44 directly attributed to the facility). These estimates were calculated with a baseline service area of Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Marin, and Napa Counties, with possible expansion into additional counties in the future. Total estimated value added to the regional economy would be $23 million.
Prior to joining the staff at EDFC, Diann Simmons had collaborated extensively with the Round Valley Indian Authority. Fresh off her work helping to create the Round Valley Community Library and Commons, she joined other like-minded individuals to discuss the feasibility of opening a slaughterhouse in that community. “The idea was to improve the viability of local food systems,” says Diann. “We received a grant from the California Endowment to pursue that idea, since we knew it would increase the value to local ranchers, allowing them to make more from each head of cattle, buffalo, sheep, or goats. Working in partnership with the tribal community, it seemed like it could serve an economic benefit to the area.”
Diann continues, “After a full analysis, it turned out that Round Valley was too far for ranchers to come from outside the valley, and it would be too cost prohibitive to survive just on the local supply.” She adds, “It is a shame, because there are herds of buffalo in Covelo that are currently sold cheap to a third party for processing. If we could do our own meat processing, ranchers could charge more and receive more of the benefit.”
Multiple ideas for local slaughtering options have been percolating around Mendocino County for years. Perhaps a small rig could travel to individual ranches, eliminating the stress on animals of long-distance travel. The carcasses could then be taken to a cut-and-wrap facility for further processing. In order to resell that meat to the public, a USDA inspector would be required, and this has proven to be a barrier due to expense and availability. The 2013 EDFC study estimated that a set up like this would cost approximately $430,500. If a modular slaughter unit and additional holding pens were set up on a leased site, with farmers transporting their livestock to the site, the cost would increase to $821,100.
Tyler Yadon, of Willits-area company Meat Box, was one of the people who operated with a similar travelling business model for many years. Demand was great. He would arrive at a ranch to kill the animal(s), which would then be taken to the cut-and-wrap butcher of choice. “We ran out of places that could take those carcasses. Bob Bennett in the Willits Valley, a retired butcher from Safeway, used to take them, but he is really trying to retire now,” says Yadon. “Larry Poss in Lake County and Geiger’s Market in Laytonville still do this work, but they get busy. If ranchers could bring animals to a small clean place with a good sized walk-in to hang and age the carcasses, and a top notch butchering area, you would never have an off day,” says Tyler.
The 2013 study also explored the option of a 24,000 square foot built-in-place facility that could slaughter and process up to 1,500 animals annually. At a cost of approximately $1.4 million, this plan had the greatest potential to create jobs, add value for ranchers, and boost economic development. Many local ranchers currently truck their herds to this type of setup, so providing a local facility would save them time and money, and reduce stress on their animals.
John and Charline Ford have been ranching in Mendocino and Humboldt counties for generations. “With the coronavirus problem, along with the old Rancho plant only slaughtering their own animals, this has made the need even more worthy than it was five or six years ago,” says John Ford. Currently, Ford takes his cattle to Redwood Meat Co. in Eureka, where the wait times have not been excessive. But they also have cattle coming from ranches within Humboldt County, so that involves coordinating the slaughter schedule. “I would definitely use a local facility if it could satisfy my needs and produce a similar end product, which Redwood does provide at this time. If the plant is built and operated properly, I do not believe the financing is a problem. The location is still the biggest problem,” John concludes.
This brings us to the primary stumbling block for a local slaughterhouse: location, location, location. The requirement to both be near our city centers and out of sight is a significant barrier. The EDFC feasibility study found that any facility would need to have access to a municipal water supply and sewer system. This is often in conflict with neighbors that either have a perception of a slaughterhouse as being smelly and awful, or who have ethical concerns about eating meat. In fact, if run properly there should be no detectable odors or outdoor feedlots.
One possible location is just north of Willits at the old Apache Mill site, perfectly situated on Highway 101, but lacking the municipal hook-up requirements. John Ford is aware of another potential property near Ukiah. “I believe it is still on the market, but we heard that there are neighbors in that area that have threatened a lawsuit if slaughterhouse plans move forward. They apparently do not believe in the slaughtering of any animals. Too bad, as this particular property has a municipal water hookup already. So the big drawback is an acceptable location that will satisfy not only the slaughter house’s needs, but also the acceptance by the public.”
Kyle Farmer of Magruder Ranch is pragmatic in his assessment of the issue. “One of the problems with the concept is that, while we don’t have slaughter as local as I would like it to be, we are pretty well off considering what most of the country is like.” Mac Magruder, Kyle’s father-in-law, has been selling his high quality pork and beef locally and throughout northern California for many years. They also take their animals to Redwood Meats. Kyle muses, “This is all for USDA. For state-inspected, there are much more interesting options. Recently, a law passed legalizing what people had already been doing, pre-selling an animal, having it slaughtered on farm, and processing it at a state-inspected facility. We can do five animals per month that way.”
Kyle continues, “The problem is that the only person who does on-farm slaughter recently partnered in purchasing a state-inspected cut-and-wrap facility, and now only kills for that facility. For on-farm slaughter, all you need is a tricked out pickup truck, some sort of boom hoist, preferably some refrigeration capacity. I think that the focus in Mendocino County should be helping someone who is raising animals on a small scale and is looking for diversified cash flow to acquire a tricked out slaughter truck to do on-farm slaughter, five animals per month, for as many ranches as possible.“
Additional progress is happening at the federal level. As recently as this past July, the California State Grange sent out an email encouraging members to support Senate Bill S1620 and House Bill H.R. 2859, the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act (or PRIME Act—humor!). The act would allow small, privately owned slaughterhouses to process meat for sale to the public without requiring a full-time inspector to be on site. As the email states, “Custom slaughterhouses are regulated and inspected, but are not referred to as ‘inspected facilities’ because they do not have an inspector on-site during processing. The Federal law [that this act would negate] is not about safety. There have been zero recalls from these custom slaughterhouses.”
The CA State Grange closed by encouraging its members to contact their representatives to urge them to pass the bills. “Passage of the PRIME Act would support small farmers who currently lack reasonable access to processing facilities, thus helping to re-localize food systems, build more resilient supply chains, and improve consumer access to locally raised meat.” Decentralizing meat processing improves efficiency while providing better conditions for the animals, and therefore better product for the ranchers and omnivores involved.
When this health crisis first began, it was difficult to find flour at the grocery store. And yet, our local Mendocino Grain Project was able to step up to mill flour for our residents. A local slaughterhouse could serve a similar function, providing a smaller, more nimble food source closer to home. Much work has already been done to make this a reality. The findings of the 2009 and 2013 EDFC studies still have relevance, but as time moves on, they will quickly become outdated. Kyle Farmer reflects, “It is a great idea if there is a brilliant, committed person willing to lose sleep over the thing. The entrepreneur should be the starting point, not a fuzzy detail to figure out at the end. In this case, we aren’t looking so much for an entrepreneur as a mid-career professional who has experience in managing a slaughterhouse. Without that person, we’re just talking.” To turn that talk into action will take funding, commitment, and drive, and would make meat raised in Mendocino County more widely available to a supportive public that’s hungry for it.
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work as the director of the Leadership Mendocino program and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
