Where to Buy Local Beef in North Dakota
In partnership with: North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Looking for local beef? It’s easy to find in North Dakota, where beef cattle are raised in every county. In fact, with 1.83 million beef cattle and calves throughout the state, there are more than two cattle for every person.
So, where do you find local beef? North Dakota has different types of processing plants:
Custom Exempt Slaughter and Processing
This type of plant sources a live animal, slaughters it and processes it to the customer’s request, and they receive all the meats, specialty products and raw cuts for personal use. For example, a customer may raise beef and bring it in to be slaughtered and processed for personal use. However, the majority of these plants have a retail exempt processing license, which allows them to process any previously inspected and passed carcasses or meat and make specialty products or raw cuts and then sell direct to the end consumer through their retail site.
See more: From Pasture to Plate: North Dakota Meat Producers’ Successes
State and Federal Slaughter and Processing
This type of plant sources local animals slaughtered under the direct oversight of a state or federal meat inspector to ensure the wholesomeness of each animal. The resulting carcasses can be custom processed into specialty products or raw cuts to the customer’s order for their personal use, or the carcass can be further processed under state or federal inspection into specialty products or raw cuts, which may be sold through a customer’s retail business. The majority of these plants also have a retail exempt processing license and may sell direct to the end consumer through their retail site.
Broker/Agent
Plants may act as a broker or agent and source a quarter or half beef on behalf of a customer and slaughter/process it for the new owner. Find a listing of all types of North Dakota meat processing plants at nd.gov/ndda/ndmeatprocessors.
Where to Find Local Beef in North Dakota
Looking for local beef? We’ve rounded up a list of butcher shops and meat processors across the state:
6 In 1 Meats
Products offered: Provides custom and quality processing services for North Dakota beef and other locally raised livestock. The company’s six owners also sell meat raised on their own farms and processed here in New Salem.
Where to purchase: 6in1meats.com, (701) 843-8723
Barton Meats Inc.
Products offered: Slaughter beef and resale, custom orders; total state inspect plant; buy and resale half, whole, quarters; steaks, roasts, burgers, sausage, jerky, summer sausage, pepper sticks
Where to purchase: Storefront at 1020 N. 11th St., Carrington
Specialty: Seasoned steaks and seasoned roasts
Bowdon Meat Processing
Products offered: Custom butcher, state inspected. Expanding to include retail products soon but currently only offer custom processing. Also offer beef snack sticks and beef jerky.
Where to purchase: The beef sticks and jerky can be found at the plant in Bowden.
(701) 962-3539, bowdonnd.com
Custom Kut Meat Inc.
Custom Kut Meat Inc. is exactly what you think of when you think butcher shop. They do it all from bringing in live animals in the back to making sandwiches up front.
Products offered: They offer all species of animals to be processed and several different cuts. Whole beefs, roasts, steaks and hams can be purchased daily. Steaks and burgers are sold fresh daily and a large variety of meats are carried in the freezers. Local favorites include deli meats, cheeses, snack sticks and head cheese.
Where to purchase: Storefront at 271 66th Ave NE, Carrington.
Great Frontier Meats
Products offered: Basically everything beef – steaks, roast, burger, all beef hotdogs, beef sticks, jerky; custom orders; butchering; can order quarter, half, whole
Where to purchase: 421 3rd St. S., Oakes
facebook.com/greatfrontiermeats2, frohlingmeats.com
Select products under the Badlands label can be found at local gas stations and grocery stores.
J & J Hazen Meats
Products offered: Mainly a processing facility. They welcome beef and other livestock farmers to bring animals to be humanely processed for custom or USDA inspected meats. Fresh and frozen beef, including steaks, roasts, sausage, cheeses and roasts.
Where to purchase: Storefront at 904 3rd St. NW in Hazen.
Langdon Lockers
Products offered: Custom beef and pork; 30-40% is custom beef and pork. They have contract growers contracted useling cattle by the quarter, half and whole; specialty pork; jerky pepper sticks; summer sausage, regular sausage, smoked and the bestselling smoked garlic known as Langdon Lockers sausage; deer trimmings with summer sausage, jerky.
Where to purchase: Storefront at 324 Sixth St. in Langdon.
Langdon Locker Facebook page, (701) 256-2496
Mema’s Meats
Mema’s Meats is a butcher shop and meat processing facility offering custom slaughter of beef, swine and sheep.
Products offered: A variety of meat cuts from steaks to roasts, summer sausages made from locally raised beef, beef snack sticks, and specialty items like heart, tongue and liver, as well as custom orders of beef, sheep and swine.
Where to purchase: Butcher shop at 28525 86th Ave. NW, Berthold.
Mema’s Meat on Facebook, (701) 453-3401
North American Bison
Products offered: A variety of local bison products, including burgers, steaks, filet mignon, chops, ground bison and more.
Where to purchase: Based in New Rockford, they offer direct-to-consumer online sales at tenderbison.com. Products are also available at shops and restaurants across the state, including:
Bismarck: Bisman Community Food Co-op, Dan’s Supermarket, Pirogue Grille, The Wood House Restaurant
Fargo: 701 Eateries, Jasper Hotel, Maxwells Restaurant, Prime Cut Meats
Grand Forks: L&M Meats Inc.
Harvey: Warehouse Grocery
Jamestown: Sabir’s Buffalo Grill
Mandan: Dan’s Supermarket Mandan
Medora: Little Missouri Saloon and Dining
St. Michael: Spirit Lake Grocery
Williston: Eleven Restaurant, Sagas Restaurant, Walt’s Meat Market
NDSU Animal Science Department
Products offered: Beef, pork and lamb steaks and roasts as well as a variety of sausages, brats, ring sausage, jerky, snack sticks, ham, bacon and more.
Where to purchase: Retail store at Shepperd Arena on the NDSU campus in Fargo is open Thursdays and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also available locally at Blackbird Pizza, Herds and Horns, and Wurst Beer Hall.
ndsu.edu/agriculture/academics/academic-units/animal-sciences
Schweitzer’s Gourmet Meats
Products offered: Custom processing of North Dakota-raised beef in wholes, halves and quarters as well as assorted local beef cuts from the local ranchers in the area and many sausage products.
Where to purchase: Country store at 23881 Moffit Rd. in Moffit.
Valley Meat Supply
Products offered: Local beef, pork and lamb; pretty much do all cuts; make sausage, hams, summer sausage, ring sausage, bacons, turkeys, chicken, dried beef, sandwich meat, cheeses, jerky; luncheon meat. Gift boxes during the holidays as well as gift cards.
Where to purchase: 1269 W. Main, Valley City. (701) 845-4705
Specialty: Hams and bacons, jerky
Yellowstone River Beef
Products offered: Process prime beef, steaks, roast, burgers, brisket, flank steaks, variety; lots of custom beef; work with local farmers to do quarter, half, whole beef orders; everything they have is prime.
Where to purchase: 6 E. Dakota Pkwy., Williston
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Looking to find grass fed, grass finished local beef that will not be using MRNA vaccines on the herd. In Bismarck here and willing to travel to buy.