Black Earth Meats started with a simple mission: take a dying, small town locker plant and focus on organic, grass fed and heritage animals. To accomplish this, we obtained our organic certification, USDA-FSIS Inspection (a daunting task), and our Animal Welfare Approved certification for slaughter. We were one of the first processors in the country to achieve the trifecta, and our markets grew to include Minnesota, Illinois, and shipping across the country.
Along with the improved procedures and animal handling procedures, we trained our staff, providing a living wage and constant cross-training. We believed in our people, and in making the butcher part of the story of farm to table. The butcher is a unique profession, one which requires the taking of life. To focus our butchers on what this meant, we had a sign on the slaughter floor which stated: WE HONOR THESE ANIMALS, FOR BY THEIR DEATH, WE GAIN LIFE.” It was a constant reminder of the weight and responsibility the butchers had in how they treated the animals and went about their jobs.
We also had open access to our slaughter floor. Anyone could come and tour our plant at any time, and we had several video crews document our methods and approach. This is almost unheard of in the industry.
Transparency was, and is, our mandate.
Unfortunately, with our growth we incurred the wrath of several neighbors who did not like slaughter being near their homes. [The building has been engaged in slaughter since the 1950s]. Although many more of our neighbors, customers, farmers, and business people came to our defense, the Village of Black Earth Board mandated that we cease slaughter. We lost our financing and had to close the doors.
Our mission remains, however. We are focused on our retail operation The Conscious Carnivore in Madison, and hopefully soon in other locations. These are whole-animal butcher shops with highly trained butchers who can work with customers to utilize an animal’s offerings fully. Transparency remains the cornerstone of the operation, and yes, you can still see full animal carcasses and the breakdown at the shop.
We are having to outsource the slaughter, but Bartlett Durand personally visits the processors and works with them to ensure and improve their animal handling.
We continue to work with our core farmers, bringing you heritage, grass fed and “grandpa’s way” beef, pork, lamb and goat, processed locally in small plants.
Thank you for your interest. For more information about our history and struggles, please visit the links page. There is plenty of information out there.
WHERE WE ARE NOW
Thanks to our generous supporters, the donations we received are keeping the bank from foreclosing on us! This is giving us time to piece out equipment at better value and utilize the inventory.Those pieces of equipment that would be junked, but are otherwise valuable, we are transferring to a new company as needed.
Accent Graphix Design Studio
Katie Clark
Jennifer MacRostie
Elizabeth Lyon
Christine Grafft
Rosie Zimmer
Steven Young-Burns
Chris Mcdiarmid
Laura Smith
Robin Schirmer
Lynn Ketchum
Scott Schwartz
Ann Austin
Jim Sincock
Peter Schwieger
Elizabeth Macasaet
Daniel Olson
Juelaine Druckrey
Dana Darling
Christine Zimmerman
Laurie Ruck
Melissa Pluke
Sarah Eikhorn
Lauren Manes
Jeffery Zebrowski
Erica Colmenares
Jennifer Bruce
Christine Hill
Kaitlin Schott
Beth Junge
Brad Nelson
Corinne Bradley
Marcus Riedner
Mary Brewer
Martha Stephenson
Jason Konek
Lynda Beam
Donna Randall
Deborah Smith
Brianna Darnieder
Bonnie Tobey
Julie Sheldon
Mary Perry
Robert & Marcia Stockton
Brenda Gratton
Rea Solomon
Megan Veldkamp
Paige Mushinsku
Steve Moore
Jerrie Lee Wilmore
Thomas Brooks
Phoebe Young
Jodi Pathmann
Sarah Bianchi
Patricia McCormick
Odessa Piper
Sara Johnston
Michael Pieben
KJ Williams
Chris Klann
Wendy Chacon
Maggie Broadnax
Ellen Cook
Been Wokomir
Karen Tarjan
Ben Wolkomir
Jenny Carney
Carol Christensen
Lisa Knapp
Jennifer Conn
Tina Mallet-Grosse
Heather Smith-Wa
Kianna Soma
Luke VandenLangenberg
Laura Hansen
Kari Young
Joanne Wagner
Matt Bauer
Rebecca Lemke
Marissa Carter
Ben Brandt
Linda Pfister
Mara Helmke
Sarah Miller
Laruen Pett
Kemper Durand
Margie Schellpfeffer
Denise Mitchell
Tracy Kellner
Heather Squire
Theron Baumann
Melissa Kepner
Tami Otto
Brendan Baxter
Kate Spinillo
Matt Frank
Aaron & Laura Bock
Beth Rogers
Edwin Coley
Lauren Bloom
Aaron & Laura Bock
Scott Edwards
Don McBain
Jenifer Dorman
Bug Richardson