Survey of Iowa Locker Plants

Survey of Iowa Locker Plants to Assess Extent of Value Added Processing of Meat Products
In spring 2000, an informal telephone survey was conducted with 70 Iowa meat locker plants to determine which plants produce value added products for sale outside of their plants. The lockers who now process or are interested in starting to process smoked or cooked meats for sale outside the locker plant are listed in the following table. “Y” designates a positive response, and “N” indicates a negative response.

The intent of the survey was to provide a list of locker plants which might be utilized by beginning entrepreneurs who want to start producing a meat product from livestock raised on individual or groups of farms. If the entrepreneurs could use the existing expertise, facilities and labor in locker plants to produce value added meat products – at least at the start-up stage – that would free time and money, which might be better utilized in product development and marketing.

Of the locker plants in Iowa, about 102 plants are classified as “Custom” by the Iowa Meat and Poultry Inspection Bureau. These plants are state licensed to do custom slaughter and processing for livestock producers for their own use. Since these “Custom” plants are not licensed to produce meat products for resale, they were not contacted in this survey.

Lockers chosen for this survey are classified as 1ACB or 1B by the Iowa Meat and Poultry Inspection Bureau. Lockers with the 1ACB classification are state inspected for red meat slaughter and processing to be sold within Iowa’s borders. This designation is often referred to as “official slaughter and processing.” Nearly all lockers with 1ACB classification produce value added products (such as hams, bacon, sausage, wieners, pork patties, brats, bologna, roast beef or pork, dried beef, beef and pork jerky, beef sticks, etc.).

1B classified lockers are state inspected for processing only and are referred to as “official processing” lockers. Meat processed by a 1B locker plant for resale must have been slaughtered elsewhere in a state or federal inspected slaughter operation and may be sold within the State of Iowa.

Most of the locker plants surveyed are members of Iowa Meat Processors Association, 2422 Elm Drive, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. All locker plants who are members of IMPA with the classification of 1ACB or 1B were contacted in the survey.

Lockers who do not currently process value added products or have immediate interest in doing so were not listed. However, entrepreneurs are encouraged to contact their local lockers as capabilities at the lockers may vary with changes in ownership, licensing classification or economic conditions.

There has been a reduction in the number of locker plants in the past few years. For example, there were 138 members of Iowa Meat Processors Association in 1997, but by 1999 there were approximately 100. Reasons for locker closings include age of owners, fewer number of farms in Iowa and decreased size of farm families.

Entrepreneurs seeking assistance for slaughter and processing from locker plants should be aware that fall and winter seasons are especially busy months for lockers. In part, this is because fall and winter are traditional months for butchering domestic livestock; but also a large number of white-tailed deer are harvested during Iowa hunting seasons. Some lockers may process the meat of nearly a thousand deer during November, December, January and February.

Iowa Locker Plants   
Producing or Interested in Producing Value Added Ag Products for Resale
 (Spring 2000)

 Locker Plant

 Iowa
Community

Inspection
Classification 

Smoked
Products 

Cooked 
Products 

 Anita Meat Processing

 Anita

 1ACB

Y     

Y 

 Arlington Locker Service

 Arlington

 1ACB

 Y

Y 

 Atlantic Locker Service

 Atlantic

 1B

Y 

N 

 Babcock Locker

 Alton

1ACB 

Y 

Y 

 Charlotte Locker Service

 Charlotte

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Community Lockers

 Sully

 1ACB

 Y

 N

 Dan’s Earlville Locker

 Earlville

 1ACB

 Y

Y 

 Dayton Meat Products

 Malcom

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Durant Locker

 Durant

 1ACB

 Y

Y 

 Edgewood Locker

 Edgewood

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Farmington Locker Plant

 Farmington

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Henningsen’s Processing

 Atlantic

 1ACB

 Y

Y 

Humeston Meat Processing

 Humeston

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Iona Meat Processing

 Iona        

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Irwin Locker & Catering

 Irwin

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 J & D Locker

 Mt. Vernon

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Kramer Sausage Company

 La Porte City

 1B

 Y

 Y

 Lewright Meats

 Eagle Grove

 1ACB

 Y

 Y

 Lindley Locker

Center Junction

 1ACB

 Y

 N

Lyon County Locker

Rock Rapids

1ACB

Y

Y

Marks Locker

Rowley

1ACB

Y

Y

Minden Meat Market

Minden

1ACB

Y

Y

Mingo Locker

Mingo

1ACB

Y

Y

Moore’s Locker

Walker

1ACB

Y

Y

Nelson Locker

Hartley

1ACB

Y

Y

 Orly’s Meat Mkt. &Locker

Clarksville

1B

Y

Y

Osceola Locker

Osceola

1ACB

Y

Y

Packwood Locker and Meats

Packwood

1ACB

Y

N

Redfield Locker Service

Redfield

1ACB

Y

Y

Riceville Locker

Riceville

1ACB

Y

Y

Ruzicka’s Meat Processing

Solon

1ACB

Y

Y

S and S Locker

Osage

1ACB

Y

Y

Skoguland Meats and Locker

West Bend

1B

Y

Y

Spillville Locker

Spillville

1ACB

Y

Y

Stanhope Locker

Stanhope

1B

Y

Y

State Center Locker

State Center

1ACB

Y

Y

Steege’s Meat Mkt. & Locker

Readlyn

1B

Y

Y

Triple T County Meats

Wellsburg

1ACB

Y

Y

Z Meats & Farmer’s Process.

Centerville

1ACB

Y

Y