New from Southwest Missouri

[Mike_in_Missouri]

Hi, folks. I am a retired military guy who has been working a federal 9 to 5 for a number of years since retirement. Disabled due to military service and the civil service has become downright hostile recently as far as reasonable accommodations for telework go...so no rehab is getting done, no potential improvement to health, just so I can go to a central office and do the same job I did for 4 years throughout COVID and all that crazy stuff.

There are better uses of my time. I finally have a (young) family and it seems to me I should quit selling time for money at a 9 to 5 (or 5:30 to 3, as it is). This is not tenable for me long term given that life is too short to spend doing stupid stuff in an office.

I am here to learn about butchering and to ask for help figuring out whether it might be a piece of my small farm business. I raise chickens, sheep, and cattle and would like to be able to butcher and sell from my property direct to consumers. It's a lifestyle I want my young kids to learn and maybe grow up not having to be a slave to someone else (I want them to learn the value of running their own businesses).

How can I become a butcher given disability and time limitations (chiefly, won't travel and don't want to work a traditional job with inflexible hours)? What kind of equipment is needed to run a modest butcher operation from home, legally, in Missouri?

Thanks in advance for helpful replies. I am eager to look through the forums and learn.

 

[sandyut]

Welcome from Colorado

 

[voyager 663rd]

Welcome from Canada

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

Welcome from sw MO too. Cant answer your question but pretty sure the health dept or something is involved. My fam back in IL used to butcher when I was a kid but stopped due to govt requirements. Seems like a lot of work for little $ based in what i paid for butchering my last beef. Where at in sw mo you at?

 

[Compulsive Smoker]

Welcome from PA!

 

[normanaj]

Hello from RI.

 

[912smoker]

Welcome to SMF from SE GA and I agree with @ifitsdeadsmokeit .
I'd start the the local health dept for rules and regs. Good luck!

Keith

 

[Mike_in_Missouri]

Welcome from sw MO too. Cant answer your question but pretty sure the health dept or something is involved. My fam back in IL used to butcher when I was a kid but stopped due to govt requirements. Seems like a lot of work for little $ based in what i paid for butchering my last beef. Where at in sw mo you at?

Mansfield area. Thank you for your reply...my hope is Missouri would be more helpful than Illinois may have been.

 

[ajbert]

I had a butcher that was willing to cut up elk for me when I lived in MS. I think, to begin with, you will need a separate building/shack/etc to use as a stand alone area that contains your work area plus a cold storage area, preferably attached. A/C would be highly recommended. The tools you would need are pretty simple but can be costly. A very good knowledge of butchering various critters. If you plan on doing wild game on the side make sure you check health regs in you area. Some places will say you cannot do both live stock and wild game in the same place. Others will allow it providing everything is completely cleaned when changing. Pretty sure no one will allow live stock and wild game to hang in the meat cooler at the same time.

I'm no expert by any means but I did learn a bit just by chatting with the butcher in MS. As mentioned above get a hold of your local health department first and for most. Pretty sure they will do an inspection before you open your doors for business, and inspections once you start up until you shut down.

Since moving to CO I have been butchering up the elk and deer we get. They charge a fortune for doing them here for some silly reason.

 

[JLinza]

Welcome from Colorado