[AT] value added meat processing?? (OT)

[Cecil Bearden]

I just thought I would let you all be amused, irritated, bemused, or
whatever word or emotion you would like to use to describe the treatment
I had from the processor I used for my lambs.

I went through the process of getting labels approved and everything so
that I could sell processed lamb through the OK food Coop  
www.oklahomafood.coop  I had to select a processor also.  I selected
Market 54 in Weatherford OK.  It was a 65 mile haul.  The other was
Ralph's in Perkins, and as I had received a royal you know what with the
last lambs I took to the sale barn at Perkins, I just did not want to go
to Perkins again..

The difference in distance was 6 miles, so what the heck.  Also the
owner of the plant in Weatherford lives here in Piedmont.  So 2 months
ahead of time, I scheduled them to be processed the Thursday before
Thanksgiving week.  I was supposed to pick up the meat on Friday after
Thanksgiving.

I was also supposed to pick up the heads, hides, and offal.  I was told
this was a problem as the other processor did not want to pick up sheep
parts due to the scrape and mad cow crap...  I agreed as I thought I
could sell the hides and use the horns for something.  Knife handles
perhaps.

Wednesday before I was to haul them, I was told an electrical problem
occurred and they could not take them until the following Tuesday when
the state inspector was was available for inspection.  And to wait until
later in the morning because he had to process Buffalo that morning. 
That was fine, as I am not one to get gone early due to a stomach
problem I have had for over 30 years.  I was willing to do whatever it
took to get this done as I had scheduled the meats for sale over the
Holidays with the food cooperative.  I also wanted to build a
relationship with a processor.  That is the way I have done business
with vendors for over 40 years.  We both have to stay in business, so I
find someone to work with for both our benefits.

I showed up at 10:00 am on Tuesday morning before Thanksgiving.  The
owner unloaded the 4 barrels I had brought for the heads and hides and
offal and carried them about 50 yards!!!  He then proceeded to berate me
for bringing 19 head instead of the scheduled 11.  (I had 18 rams, when
I counted them 2 months prior I only counted 11 with horns, go figure! 
I also had one fence crawler that I was going to process for myself to
decide on the difference in taste with age.)  He also chewed on my butt
for about 10  minutes because 25 hunters had showed up with deer for
processing that morning.  ( Was that my fault?)

I was told that he could not process all of them that day.  I did not
like the spaces in his pens, but agreed to let them stay.  I went into
town and got some 55 gal liners for the barrels and brought them back
and talked to him again about how I wanted it done.
$10 ea. on Wednesday and called him and asked that since he came home to
piedmont at night anyway, would he bring the hides so I could salt
them.  He said he did not know he was to save the hides.....  I told him
that I discussed that several times and he agreed to save the hides as I
had them sold for $15 ea.  (figured I better use a good offense as this
guy was going to cost me).  e said he would look through his hide
barrels and see if he could find them.  I got a call at 4:45 pm that he
had found 11 hides and the rest were gone.  He would bring them when he
got back about 9pm.  He then started to tell me how crazy everything was
because of deer season.  I asked why that was my fault, and he began to
berate me for bringing 8 more head than scheduled, and he just wanted to
get through this without getting p----d off!!!!!    Hmmm!!   I just said
OK and hung up.  I had just got my diesel truck out of the dealership
about 30 minutes earlier and had to pay $700 for repairs when I thought
it would have been about $250...  I was not going to get into a fight
even though I could have fought a grizzly bear about then.  I had to go
to another town about 20 miles away and get some salt for the hides and
some fuel conditioner for my truck as I was leaving for Cape Giradeau MO
in the morning and would have to salt the hides that evening.

I got the hides about 8:30pm in 2 tubs.  When I got them home and
started salting them, the heads and the lower joints of the back legs
were still attached.  That blackbelly hide is the softest hide you  can
find, but also the toughest to cut.  I finally found that sharp tin
snips will cut it..  I also found a chines web site that states that
hair sheep produce the finest glove leather available.
About 10:30 I got the hides salted and went inside.

I got a call on Monday morning about 7:00 am about how I wanted the meat
cut.  I had left labels in a file box with them when I delivered the
live animals.  We discussed how it was to be cut with the labels we had
since I had more animals, and we decided to use as large of cuts as
possible.  The is made the leg an entire hindquarter. The rib roast is
the entire ribcage with the loin attached.  We also had rib chops,
ground lamb, spareribs, shoulder roast, and fries.   I was told the meat
would be ready for pickup on Tuesday morning.  I might note that the
state inspector is only there on Tuesday and Thursday and has to be
present when the meat is processed.

I took off work another day on Tuesday and I had bought a freezer, put
it on a wheeled platform, so that I could move it with my little
forklift.  I had a generator on my truck to run the freezer while in
transport, and had a couple of ice chests just in case.  I got to the
processor about 10:00 am after getting everything hooked up for the
first time. and we loaded all the meat into the freezer with a few cuts
in one chest and the ewe I had processed in another chest.  I returned
home to count my packages.

When I got home the first thing I notices was that there was no weight
on the packages.  The OK ag dept was very specific as the labels had to
have a net weight line on them.  I now have a scale thanks to E-bay.... 
I also had only 33 legs of lamb..  18 X 2 was 36 back in 3rd grade,  I
did not think It had changed....  I also noted there were no Fries, I
had labels for them.  I also had left my file box with the labels with
them.  I called and was told that I had not told the girl in the front
that I wanted the Fries saved, and that during deer season things are
just too crazy around there...  I also was told that don't deal with the
owner, make sure that I deal with the girl in the front office.....
I said thanks and Merry Christmas.   I told my Dad that the fries were
saved, I just did not get them.

So...  I had the hides sold for $10 ea and he lost 8 that is $80
I now have the heads sold to an artist for $10 ea and that is another $80
There was probably 18lbs of fries at $5 and that is another $90

I was charged $35 per head for processing for a total of $665

My wife said if I go back there again I am crazy....

Cecil in Piedmont, OK


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