Research draft. Not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures are dated to their sources; placeholder assumptions are flagged as such.
MSU Case Studies
National mobile units (all USDA-inspected)
| Unit | Where | Years | Ownership | Volume | Beef fee | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Grown Farmers Cooperative | San Juan Is., WA; cut plant in Bow | 2002– | Built by Lopez Community Land Trust; service co-op bought it; 30 founders paid $600 each | 9–10 beef/day, 3–4 days/wk; >300k lb in 2007; ~$500k/yr revenue | $105 + $0.82/lb (2008); $159 non-member (2022) | Operating as of 2018 page |
| Puget Sound Meat Producers Co-op | South Puget Sound, WA | 2009–2021 | Pierce Conservation District owns it and holds the loan; co-op leases for $1/yr | 516 animals (2010), 850 (2011) | $110 member / $140 non-member | Near-bankruptcy; closed by Jan 2021; Heritage Meats runs the unit parked ($216/hd, 2022) |
| Coast Grown / CCAC | Central Coast, CA | built 2002, inspected 2009 | Ranchers | 32 head in first 9 days | — | Parked 7 years |
| Taos Mobile Matanza (TCEDC) | Taos, NM | 2006, inspected May 2008 | County economic development corporation | — | — | Ran MSU plus 5,000 sf food center; status now unknown |
| Nevada (UNR study) | Silver Springs, NV | 2007 | Planned: 2 MSUs + fixed plant | 240 days/unit (assumed) | — | Never built |
| Rusted Gate Farm | Central Point, OR | 2022 plan | 501(c)(3) demonstration farm (Alumbra / Walton-funded) | 500–1,000 head planned | $175 planned; $240 needed | Decided not to buy |
Sources: IGFC · PSMPC · NMPAN manual · Nevada · Rusted Gate
Regional processors (competitors or partners)
| Name | Location | Model | Known facts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Meats | 2391 Guard Hill Rd, Middletown VA (Frederick Co.) | USDA-inspected + custom not-for-sale | Books 3–5 months ahead (2026); bills on hot weight; $50 no-show; $10/day per cart after 72 h; no kill fee published | Blue Ridge |
| T&E Meats | Harrisonburg VA | USDA-inspected red-meat slaughter, since 1940 | ~300 producers/yr; $25k AFID (2021) | AFID |
| Piedmont Processing | Orange VA | Processor serving 75–100 producers | Limited by cooler space for aging beef; $25k AFID (2022) | AFID |
| Firehouse Farms | Floyd VA | Custom-exempt startup, planned USDA in 2–3 yrs | $23,124 AFID (2021) | AFID |
| KC Farms Meats | Franklin Co. VA | Custom processor, 39 producers | $33,333 AFID (2022) | AFID |
| Mongs Custom Processing | Martinsburg WV (~25 mi N) | WV custom slaughter (CS-18) | Not listed as mobile; no prices | Operators |
| Highlands Homestead | Levels WV, Hampshire Co. (~35–40 mi NW) | WV custom slaughter (CS-37) | Not listed as mobile; no prices | Operators |
Round 2: the full federal plant list for the Valley (including Gentle Harvest, Winchester; Crabill’s; Gore’s) and prices are in Valley Processor Landscape. Virginia State University runs a federally inspected small-ruminant MSU (M46728). That is the only Virginia mobile-unit precedent found.
Gap: no Virginia mobile or on-farm custom slaughterer has been identified. Every search engine blocked the agents. The authoritative list is the VDACS OMPS custom-permit roster, which needs a phone call (804-786-4569) or a FOIA request.