08/28/2026
Super curious what happens with this after all the uproar last week over the cheap beef imports. I have been a longtime proponent of the PRIME Act, which would give states more flexibility to allow locally raised meat processed at small, custom slaughter facilities to be sold within the state.
I’m not sure if this is related to the PRIME Act or something else entirely, but as a beef farmer, I know one thing: it would be nice to be able to sell a family a few pounds of beef—not require them to buy a whole or half beef—and use the same trusted local butchers we already rely on, like Schmidt’s in Nicollet or Brickhouse in Ga***rd.
Right now, if I want to sell that same family a pound of ground beef, I have to take my cattle over an hour away to a USDA-inspected facility and pay the additional processing and transportation costs. Meanwhile, that exact same pound of beef can be sold through a whole or half beef share and processed at a trusted local locker.
The beef doesn’t become safer because someone bought a whole steer instead of a pound.
It’s a frustrating example of how regulations can make it harder and more expensive for small farmers to sell locally—and ultimately, those costs either come out of the farmer’s pocket or get passed on to the consumer.
I’d love to see more common-sense options for farmers and consumers who want to buy and sell locally raised beef.
