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Mobile slaughter and processing units are now in operation around the country. Here is some basic info about them. (Note that as more and more poultry MPUs come on line around the country, not all will be listed here.)

If you operate a unit and would like to see it listed here, please contact us.

 

• Poultry Units
  • Sierra Foothills (CA)
  • Kentucky Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (KY)
  • Island Grown Martha’s Vineyard (MA)
  • Massachusetts Mobile Poultry Processing Units (MA)
  • Montana Poultry Growers Cooperative (MT)
  • Oregon Mobile Poultry Processing (OR)
  • Parmelee Farm Mobile Unit (VT)
  • Vermont Mobile Processing Unit/Tangletown Farm (VT)
  • Community Agricultural Development Center (WA)
  • Pine Stump Farms/Slow Food Okanogan (WA)
• Red Meat Units
  • ​Alaska Meat Company (AK)
  • University of Alaska (AK)
  • Central Coast Grown (CA)
  • Nebraska Prairie Harvest Project (NE/CO)
  • The Modular Harvest System (NY)
  • Wild Idea Buffalo (SD)
  • Broken Arrow Ranch (TX)
  • Community Agricultural Development Center (WA)
  • Island Grown Farmers Cooperative (WA)
  • Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative (WA)

 

 

Poultry Units

(Listed alphabetically by state and business name)

Sierra Foothills (CA)

• Auburn, California
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: Each producer operates under Producer/Grower 20,000 or 1,000 Bird Exemption
• Capacity per day: 100-125 birds
• Owned by the High Sierra Resource Conservation and Development Council
• Details and photos in NMPAN webinar: Mobile Poultry Processing Units in California, Montana, and Vermont
• Contact: Roger Ingram, University of California Cooperative Extension, (530) 889-7385, rsingram[at]ucdavis.edu
• KEY CHALLENGE: County health departments have not yet recognized the unit as an “approved source” (per Food Code), so marketing options remain extremely limited. Yet this may change soon, because the health departments are becoming more comfortable with local food (last update: August 2012).

Kentucky Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (KY)

• Frankfort, Kentucky
• Species: poultry (e.g. chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail), aquaculture (e.g. caviar, paddle fish, prawns), and rabbits
• Inspection: State-approved, but uninspected
• Capacity per day: 200-250 birds (depending on # of workers)
• Owned by the Kentucky State University Research Farm
• Detailed case study, with photos: Kentucky Mobile Poultry Processing Unit
• Contact: Angela Caporelli, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, (502) 330-5808, angela.caporelli[at]ky.gov 

Island Grown Martha’s Vineyard (MA)

• Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: Each producer operates under Producer/Grower 20,000 Bird Exemption
• Island Grown Poultry Program website
• You Tube Video (7:16)
• Contact: Jefferson Munroe, jefferson[at]islandgrown.org
• Watch Jefferson’s April 2012 presentation about the mobile trailer on this NMPAN webinar: Mobile Poultry Processing Units: Reports from the Field

Massachusetts Mobile Poultry Processing Units (MA)

Two units: one in Western Massachusetts at the New England Small Farm Institute and one in Eastern Massachusetts at the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project.

• Western Massachusetts – New England Small Farm Institute
• Belchertown, Massachusetts
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: State-approved, open-air but uninspected; producers are required to have state slaughter license (Massachusetts Department of Public Health) and local board of health approvals prior to use; a licensed-user mobile service-for-hire may be available
• Capacity per day: up to 300 birds
• Owned by New England Small Farm Institute
• Info on MPPU, producer training, and other resources, available on the New England Small Farm Institute website
• “As Built” guide to the MPPU: http://www.smallfarm.org/main/special_projects/mobile_poultry_processing_unit/as_built_guide/
• YouTube Video (3:17)
• Contact:  Judith Gillan, New England Small Farm Institute, 413-323-4531, info[at]smallfarm.org

 

• Eastern Massachusetts – New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
• Lowell, Massachusetts
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: State-approved, enclosed but uninspected; producers are required to have state slaughter license (Massachusetts Department of Public Health) and local board of health approvals prior to use;  this unit is a DIY for licensed users only; there is no mobile “slaughter service” that can be hired to come to the farm to process birds; each producer/user must receive training and become state licensed to be eligible to rent the unit to process birds on the farm.
• Capacity per day: up to 400 birds
• Owned by New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
• Info on MPPU, producer training, and other resources, available at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project website under “Livestock and Poultry Training Resources”
• Guide to Building an On-Farm Poultry Processing Unit (Mobile or Stationary):  http://www.nesfp.org/resources/building-farm-poultry-processing-facility-0
• Handbook for Small-Scale Producer-Processors:  http://www.nesfp.org/resources/handbook-small-scale-poultry-producer-processors
• Mobile Poultry Processing Unit Food Safety Management Guide:  http://www.nesfp.org/resources/mobile-poultry-processing-unit-farm-food-safety-management-guide
• Poultry Profit Calculator:  http://www.nesfp.org/farmer-training/livestock-poultry/poultry-resources/poultry-profit-calculator
• Contact: Jennifer Hashley, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, (978) 654-6745, jennifer.hashley[at]tufts.edu
• Watch Jennifer’s April 2012 presentation about the MPPU on this NMPAN webinar: Mobile Poultry Processing Units: Reports from the Field

Montana Poultry Growers Cooperative (MT)

• Ronan, Montana
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: Each producer operates under Producer/Grower 20,000 Bird Exemption
• Capacity per day: 50-300 (depends on how much experience the user has)
• Trailer designed and built by Mark Rehder, Farms for Families
• Montana Poultry Growers Cooperative website
• Details and photos in NMPAN webinar: Mobile Poultry Processing Units in California, Montana, and Vermont
• Contact: Jan Tusick, Lake County Community Development, (406) 676-5901, jt[at]ronan.net
• Watch Jan’s April 2012 presentation about the Montana MPPU on this NMPAN webinar: Mobile Poultry Processing Units: Reports from the Field

Oregon Mobile Poultry Processing (OR)

• Philomath, Oregon
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: state-licensed, operating under the federal 20,000 bird exemption
• Capacity per day: 50-500 birds
• Ownership: OMPP is a Limited Liability Partnership between Brian Shack and Rachel Prickett, two Oregon farmers. (The farms are independent of the partnership.)
• Contact: (541) 250 0102; info[at]mobilepoultryprocessing.com
• Website: mobilepoultryprocessing.com 

Parmelee Farm Mobile Unit (VT)

• Randolph Center, Vermont
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: custom
• Capacity: 20 birds per worker per hour
• Owned and operated by Clark Parmelee
• Contact: Clark Parmelee, (802) 249-3373, parmelee.clark[at]gmail.com
• http://www.parmeleefarm.com/

Vermont Mobile Processing Unit/Tangletown Farm (VT)

• Middlesex, Vermont
• Species: poultry
• Inspection: State-inspected
• Capacity per day: 250 birds
• Owned by Tangletown Farm (who purchased it from State of VT in 2012)
• Trailer built by Brothers Body and Equipment (Crestline, Ohio); equipment supplied by Cornerstone Farm Ventures
• Contact: Lila Bennett or David Robb, Tangletown Farm, ttownfarm[at]gmail.com
• Farm website: http://tangletownfarm.com/
• Details and photos in NMPAN webinar: Mobile Poultry Processing Units: Reports from the Field

Community Agricultural Development Center (WA)

• Colville, Washington
• Species: poultry and rabbit
• Inspection: Each producer operates under Producer/Grower 20,000 Bird Exemption
• Capacity per day: 150 to 200 birds (with a three-person crew)
• Owned by the Community Ag Development Center (website)
• Basic information about how the unit works: Community Agricultural Development Center
• Contact: Pete Thompson at 509-935-8141 or pete[at]burntvalleyfarm.com.
• “As a local producer you can haul our WSDA-approved mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU) to your farm to process and package your poultry or rabbits for your own use or for sale. Washington State law requires WSDA-approved processing in order to sell whole or cut up processed poultry or rabbits. Sale of live animals does not require WSDA approval. Training is required prior to use of the mobile unit for personal or commercial use.”

Pine Stump Farms/Slow Food Okanogan (WA)

• Omak, Washington
• Species: poultry and rabbit
• Inspection: State-inspected
• Capacity per day: approx. 150 birds 
• Slow Food Okanogan and Pine Stump Farms have co-sponsored this unit.  It is WSDA (Wasington State Department of Agriculture) inspected and approved for commercial sale of chickens, turkeys and rabbits within the state of Washington, including to restaurants and retailers. The unit is available for rent at a fee of $150/day plus a damage deposit of $200. Buy-in membership of $100/yr. gets you prioritized scheduling dates, and discount usage and damage deposit fees. You can also rent unit with crew at central location for $5/bird/chickens, dates subject to scheduling sufficient numbers and grouping.
• Contact: Carey Hunter at Pine Stump Farm, (509)826-9492 or pinestmp[at]hotmail.com or visit slowfoodokanogan.org. 

Red Meat Units

(Listed alphabetically by state and business name)

Alaska Meat Company, AK

• Kodiak, Sitkinak Island, Alaska
• “Multi-Location Abattoir”
• Species: cattle
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: 5 cattle
• Website: http://www.alaskameat.com/Services_Available.php
• Other: at this time, the unit only handles cattle for Alaska Meat Company
• Contact: Bob or Nathan Mudd, Kodiak, AK: bobmuddjr[at]gmail.com, (907) 486-3905; nathanmudd[at]gmail.com, (907) 654-7422

University of Alaska

• Northwest Campus, Nome, Alaska
• Species: reindeer
• Inspection: currently seeking state inspection
• Capacity per day: 50 reindeer
• Reindeer Research Program Website
• Other: Access to the unit will be for Alaska Native Reindeer Herders (the only people who can own reindeer in the state) and specifically those living within the Bering Strait Region/Seward Peninsula. The project is designed as an economic development effort to provide stability to an otherwise unmanaged and a currently non-profitable industry. Anyone can enroll in credited meat sciences/slaughter & cutting courses when they are offered.
• Contact: Greg Finstad, University of Alaska Reindeer Research Program, (907) 474-6055, glfinstad[at]alaska.edu

Central Coast Grown (CA)

• San Luis Obispo, California
• Species: beef, lamb, swine, goat
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: 5 beef or 10 hogs or 20 lambs and goats
• Owned and managed by the Central Coast Agriculture Cooperative; operated by J&R Meats, a USDA-inspected cut and wrap facility
• Central Coast Grown website
• Detailed case study, with photos: Coast Grown Mobile Harvest Unit
• Contact: J&R Meats,  805-237-8100

Nebraska Prairie Harvest Project / Ranch Foods Direct (NE/CO)

• Species: beef, bison, hogs, goats, sheep
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: 10 beef
• Built by Nebraska Environmental Action Coalition (NEAC), owned by Socially Responsible Agricultural Project’s Renewable Harvest
• Operated by Mike Callicrate, Ranch Foods Direct, Colorado Springs, CO
• Good Food Concepts Mobile Meat Processing website
• Cost: this mobile unit was built by the Nebraska Environmental Action Coalition for $120,000 (includes the whole trailer and equipment but not the truck to haul the trailer). The unit includes an ozone-based water filtration system. Renewable Harvest provides free consulting to farmers and communities interested in building and operating MSUs.
• Contact: Laura Krebsbach, Renewable Harvest, (402) 549-2365, info[at]renewableharvest.org
• Contact: Good Food Concepts, (866) 866 6328, info[at]GoodFoodConcepts.com

Taos County (NM) Economic Development Corporation Mobile Matanza

As of Fall 2015 this unit is currently not operating.  We will update this section if the unit resumes operations.  

• Taos, New Mexico
• Species: bison, beef, hogs, goats, sheep
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: 5-8 beef or bison, 15-15 goats, sheep or hogs
• Owned by the Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC)
• TCEDC website
• 2012 article about the Mobile Matanza, in “Taos Food News,” the TCEDC newsletter
• Contact: Terrie Bad Hand, TCEDC, (575) 758-8731, tcedc[at]tcedc.org

The Modular Harvest System (NY)

As of 2015 this unit is no longer operating. 

• Hudson Valley, New York
• Species: beef, hogs, sheep, and goats
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: approximately 10-12 beef, 24 hogs, 30-40 sheep or goats
• Built by the Glynwood Center
• Owned and operated by Local Infrastructure for Local Agriculture (LILA)
• MHS information on Glynwood Center website
• The MHS is the first USDA-inspected red meat MSU in the country designed to slaughter inside.
• Contact: Jess Hamilton, LILA, (800) 792-4014, (518) 821-0004, hamilton[at]lila-northeast.org

Wild Idea Buffalo (SD)

• Rapid City, South Dakota
• Species: bison
• Inspection: State-inspected
• Capacity per day: 6-11 bison, 8 on average
• Wild Idea Buffalo website
• Contact: (866) 658-6137, (605) 716-0572, info[at]wildideabuffalo.com

Broken Arrow Ranch (TX)

• Ingram, Texas
• Species: venison, elk, antelope and wild boar
• Inspection: State-inspected for deer, elk and antelope, USDA-inspected for wild boar
• Capacity per day: 40 venison, elk or antelope, 50 wild boar
• Broken Arrow Ranch website
• Services are for population control: ranchers can hire Broken Arrow to come out to their ranch and selectively thin out overpopulated species, then Broken Arrow buys the meat from the farmer.
• Contact: Chris Hughes, (800) 962-4263, wildgame[at]brokenarrowranch.com

Community Agricultural Development Center (WA)

• Colville, Washington
• Species: beef, hogs, sheep, and goats
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: 6-7 beef, 20-25 sheep or hogs
• Owned by the Community Agricultural Development Center; operated by S & K Processing, a USDA-inspected cut and wrap facility
• Community Agricultural Development Center website
• Contact: Al Kowitz, Community Agricultural Development Center, akowitz[at]communityagecenter.org

Island Grown Farmers Cooperative (WA)

• Bow, Washington
• Species: beef, hogs, goats, and sheep
• Inspection: USDA-inspected
• Capacity per day: 8-10 head beef (or 40 sheep or 20 pigs)
• Owned by Island Grown Farmers Cooperative (IGFC)
• IGFC website
• Detailed case study, with photos: Island Grown Farmers Cooperative
• Contact: Jim Wieringa, IGFC, (360) 766-4273, manager[at]igfcmeats.com

Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative (WA)

• Tacoma, Washington
• Species: beef, pork, sheep and goat
• Inspection: USDA-inspected, Certified Organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture
• Capacity per day: 10 animal units (AU);  1 beef = 1 AU, 1 hog = 0.6 AU, 1 sheep/goat = 0.44 AU
• Owned by the Pierce County Conservation District
• Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative website
• Contact: Perry Schermerhorn, PSMPC, (254) 225-2226, psmpc[at]pugetsoundmeat.org