735 Pinkerton Road
Mount Joy, PA 17552

Call Us Today
717-653-0303

How We Operate

You need a processor and you’ve found us. Great! But what is the next step? Here we will break portions of the process down into steps and explain what we need from you and what you can expect from us.


Scheduling

Please call our office to schedule any slaughter dates. If the schedule is full and we cannot accommodate a particular date that you would like, we will put your requested date on our cancelation list.

The cancellation list is reviewed weekly as the schedule is confirmed.

You will receive an email to confirm the slaughter schedule. If you have not received a confirmation email from us one week prior to your planned scheduled date, please call before bringing livestock so that we can resolve any scheduling conflicts. Please do not bring livestock for slaughter without prior scheduling.

For more information click here


Pickup

You will receive notification when your product is finished and ready for pickup.

For Customer Service hours Click here

If you are unable to pick up your order during business hours, please contact us for alternative solutions.


Receiving

Livestock receiving information can be found in your email confirmation.

We can accommodate receiving livestock at other times if unforeseen circumstances dictate, but it is important that you call and receive authorization from us before you do so. Our livestock pens are locked at all times and require plant personnel assistance to unload.

For safety and insurance reasons, please do not unload livestock without assistance from plant personnel.

In event of livestock related emergency or for more information, click here


Slaughter

The slaughter process is fairly routine regarding each individual species and which enables us to be consistent in our slaughter fees, but there are times when certain breeds or requests mean additional labor and cost to handle. Please see for our policy regarding slaughter surcharges.

In addition to the dressed carcass, the only edible products that are saved at slaughter are, Heart, Tongue, Liver, Tail, Sweetbreads(when available). If you want any or all of these items saved from your carcass/s we will need to know that when slaughter is scheduled. Inedible products are generally not saved due to the additional regulatory requirements necessary to do so. Organs are identified with the originating carcass and are packaged the day after slaughter so that they remain as fresh as possible. Organs are not dry-aged with the carcass.


Cutting Instructions

It is imperative that you call or visit our website to submit your cutting instructions. Please verify that we have your current contact information on file. Having the instructions at or immediately following slaughter helps us plan our weeks better and complete orders in a timely manner. Upon submitting your instructions, you will receive an order confirmation via email for your review. Standard instructions will be assigned for whole, sides, or mixed quarters if we do not receive your instructions within 3 business days, following your slaughter date.


Selling Freezer Meat?

If you are selling portions of a carcass please see our guidelines for cutting options depending on how a carcass is cut. View our hog cutting order guidelines and our beef bison custom cutting instructions memo. Farmers who are selling portions of a carcass can also bill for the carcass in a variety of ways. Please see our billing policy for a breakdown and description of the different options available.

Rush Orders

We understand that, at certain times, you may require a rush order and we are willing to work with you under these circumstances. We will consider rush orders on an individual basis and in accordance with our scheduled work load. At our discretion, rush orders may incur additional charges. Proper planning and communication will usually avoid rush orders and resulting additional charges.


Packaging

All of the products that we process are vacuum packaged prior to shipment and placed in cardboard boxes. You do not need to bring boxes or coolers in order to pick up your order. We offer both Fresh and Frozen options for your order if you request it. Frozen products encompass the majority of the processing that we do but there are certain markets where fresh product is beneficial and as such we can keep an order fresh and unfrozen.


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Further Processing

We make a diverse line of further processed products so that farmers are able to add value and serve a wide variety of market opportunities. Products offered are:

Sausage Products including but not limited to:


For the majority of the products listed there are 2 processing options available and they are:

Regular Processing

Regular processing encompasses a wide variety of products that are made with cure or at least use standard and economical ingredients. These products may be cured with modern cure or they may contain ingredients that are widely available and used in the industry.

No Nitrate Processing (uncured)

No Nitrate Processing produces products that do not contain ingredients such as cure and the product formulations use as many “clean ingredients” that we can source. These products do not use regular sugars or salts but rather minimally processed cane juice and sea salt. Ingredient formulations that use long and unfamiliar names for ingredients are eliminated or minimized. Our goal with No Nitrate processing is not necessarily to imitate regular processed products in visual appearance but to deliver products that are very clearly produced without standard ingredients.


label

Labels

Plant Generic

Use of our in-house plant generic label is included with your packaging. The label will include all the USDA required elements for an inspected label.

Logo Branded

Most Farmer Meat Handlers prefer to use their logo/ farm name on our generic label to help differentiate their branded product in the marketplace and provide the consumer with contact information. There is no charge for this service but you will need to provide us with a logo or graphic that will render well as black & white. This labeling option is available in black and white only. This option does not require you to purchase the labels and keep them in inventory since the labeling machine prints them on demand.

Custom Color

Some farmers prefer a custom designed, full color label. These labels have to be designed, printed and ordered from a separate company with relatively high minimum orders, at expense to the farmer. This option is considerably more expensive for the farmer and requires additional time because of the design process. We do not handle any of the design or ordering of these labels as it is the responsibility of the farmer to design and order any color labels from a label design/printing company. If you need a recommendation for a design/printing company, let us know and we will offer suggestions based on what you want to do. The only requirement that we have for custom color labels is that they be of the size and material that will fit and print on our existing printers. The best way to ensure this is to send us a final proof of the label design before printing, and we will approve it for printing or suggest any changes necessary.

Special Labeling Claims

Some farmers wish to use “Special Labeling Claims” such as “grass-fed”, “pasture-raised”, “no added hormones or antibiotics”, etc. These claims must be approved by USDA/FSIS. Smucker’s Meats offers this application service at a charge of $100 per application (up to 2 different labels per application). This process also takes time so please let us know well in advance.


Payment

Payment for services is preferred at pickup. Preferred payment options include cash, personal check, or business check. Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards are accepted for an additional fee. Customers with returned checks will have an additional return check fee applied.

For specific information click here


Holiday

For holiday hours and closures, click here


Storage

For Storage information, please click here