Frequently Asked Questions

Send the species, expected count, approximate size, intended use of the meat and preferred dates. Call 931-330-6328 or email scheduling@undergroundprocessing.com. An inquiry isn't a confirmed appointment.

Hogs, lambs, sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry. We don't process deer or any wild game. Tell us what you're bringing and whether the meat is for your own freezer or for sale, so we set the order up the right way.

The deposit is $55 per hog, lamb, sheep or goat, and $2 per bird or rabbit.

Give at least 28 days' notice to have the deposit refunded or credited toward another booking. Cancellations inside that period and no-shows forfeit the deposit. Contact us promptly if your plans change.

Bring livestock and poultry between 6:30 and 7:00 AM. Bring rabbits at 6:45 AM. Use the date we confirmed for your order.

Yes. Customers are responsible for loading the animals. Contact us about availability and the arrangements for your load before planning around the service.

Submit your completed cut sheet before processing day or at drop-off. Email it to scheduling@undergroundprocessing.com or bring it to the plant.

Yes. Contact us before drop-off day to arrange help. Tell us how many people you feed and what you like to cook. Drop-off staff aren't available to fill out the sheet with you that morning.

Contact us before drop-off day if you’re unsure what to choose, so you can finish the sheet before you bring it in.

Yes. Each owner can fill out a separate cut sheet and receive a separate invoice. Set up the shared order before slaughter and ask us for the charges.

Yes. Tell us how many chops or links you cook at a time, or how big a roast you want. Keep in mind that pieces per package, thickness and package weight are three different things on the cut sheet — tell us which one matters to you.

Yes, for all species. Request freezing when you place the order and ask about the charge and pickup time. Freezing can add up to two calendar days for any species.

From slaughter to pickup, allow 2–3 calendar days for poultry. Pork, lamb, sheep and goats take about a week and a half without smoked items, or up to two weeks with them. Rabbits can take up to one week. These are calendar-time estimates. Freezing can add up to two calendar days for any species; confirm pickup when you request it.

Pick up at the time we agreed on for your order. Storage charges start after three calendar days from the invoice date. If something comes up, call us before your pickup time.

We accept cash, credit cards, ACH and checks. Checks are deposited electronically.

Yes. Submit the logo at least two weeks before processing. It must be black and white; grayscale isn't accepted. Payment is due before the label is created, and custom labels are nonrefundable.

No. Printing your logo is separate from claims such as pasture-raised or grass-fed. We don’t prepare those claim applications or supporting records for you. Confirm the requirements for the exact claim before ordering labels.

Yes, and there's no charge for it. We can provide a letter confirming your account and requested processing. Tell us which species it needs to cover and allow up to a week. You'll still need the permits or approvals required to sell the meat.

Only if your order is processed for sale and you meet the rules for selling that product. Custom-exempt meat cannot be sold. Tell us before booking which species you’re bringing and where you plan to sell, so we can discuss the processing and labeling you need.

Yes, for private household use. You, members of your household, your nonpaying guests and your employees can eat custom-exempt meat. It cannot be sold or handed out to the public.

Take feed away at 7:00 PM Central Time the evening before processing. Keep water available until you load. The not-off-feed charge is $15 per hog.

Yes, if your hog weighs no more than 250 lb live. Hogs are normally prepared skinned and head-off. Request scald-and-scrape before processing if you want skin-on pork; the service is $100.

Yes. Recording live hog weight is an optional $4-per-hog service. Live weight is separate from the carcass weight used for hanging-weight processing charges.

For red meat, we use hot carcass weight, measured before chilling. It isn't the live weight or the final weight of the packages you take home.

No. We don’t render lard or make cracklins. Request raw fat separately if you want to render it yourself. Skin can be returned only from scalded hogs; a skinned hog has no skin to return.

Start with the meals you cook. If large roasts sit in your freezer, ask about smaller roasts, chops, steaks or ground meat. Tell us how many people you feed and which cuts you’ll use most. Choices from the same part of the animal use the same meat, so more loin chops means fewer loin roasts.

No. Mark the organs and soup bones you want on the lamb, sheep and goat cut sheet. Organs aren’t saved unless you request them.

Take feed away at 9:00 PM Central Time the evening before processing. Keep water available until you crate the birds. The full-crop charge is $0.75 per bird.

Not always. Some ducks and geese don't pluck cleanly, and when that happens skinning is the only option. Check with us before you promise anyone a skin-on bird or plan a skin-on roast.

No, we don’t air-chill poultry. Our poultry label states ‘up to 3% retained water.’ That is the label declaration, not a claim that every bird retains exactly 3%.

Yes. When you place the order, tell us how many birds you want whole, how you want the rest cut, and how many pieces you want per package. The cut-up options cover chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese.

Yes, if you arrange it ahead of time. USDA charges by the hour for voluntary inspection, so it isn't part of the standard rabbit fee — ask us for the cost when you book, and tell us whether you plan to sell the meat.

Yes — guinea fowl, squab (young pigeon), quail, doves and pheasants. Guinea fowl and squab fall under FSIS poultry-inspection rules. Quail, doves and pheasants are not subject to mandatory FSIS poultry inspection; we process them as FDA-regulated products. We don't process wild game or take ratites (ostrich, emu, rhea). Tell us the species and whether the meat is for sale when you book.

Each sausage flavor is made in a batch. Pork and accepted USDA-inspected beef use 25-pound batches, or 30 pounds for Garlic Pepper. Other species use 30-pound batches, or 35 pounds for Garlic Pepper. Before choosing flavors, confirm the total meat required for your species and order.

No. Put your flavors, in order of preference, and how much meat goes to sausage on the cut sheet before we start. With hogs, sausage is made as the first hog is cut, so we can't stop and call partway through.

Meat left over after your planned sausage batches comes back as raw, unseasoned ground meat.

Yes. We take USDA-inspected beef trim for sausage, and whole USDA-inspected roasts for further processing, as long as they're still within their shelf life. Call before you bring it so we can check what you have and plan the product. Reprocessing doesn't give the meat a new shelf life.

We’re still reviewing which fully cooked products we can offer for custom-exempt orders. Check with us before planning your order.

Yes. Curing and smoking are value-added options for every species we process. Tell us what you want when you place the order and we'll go over what we can make. Cured or smoked doesn't mean fully cooked — check the package and cook it as directed.

Yes. We mainly slice red meat and can cut chicken breast into strips on request. We don't offer deli-thin slicing. Tell us the product and how you plan to use it.

Yes. Tell us what meat you want marinated and what you're after, and we'll go over the options when you place the order.

Ask us about the exact product before you finalize the order. Seasonings, cheese, casings and other additions all count. Don't go by the flavor name alone — it won't tell you what's in it.