Welcome to Creston Valley Meats
Creston Valley Meats provides federally inspected harvest and processing services under our USDA Grant of Inspection. Our facility operates under approved HACCP programs and follows applicable USDA-FSIS, humane-handling, sanitation, traceability, California, and county requirements.
Meeting these requirements helps us protect food safety, animal welfare, our customers, our employees, and our ability to continue offering USDA-inspected services.
Please review this guide before scheduling or delivering animals.
BEFORE SCHEDULING
Please be prepared to provide:
• Customer or business name
• Primary contact information
• Species and number of animals
• Approximate animal sizes
• Requested harvest and processing services
• Preferred harvest date
• Label selection
• Finished-product pickup or delivery plans
Your appointment is confirmed only after you receive confirmation from Creston Valley Meats.
CANCELLATIONS AND NO-SHOWS
Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule.
Customers who miss a confirmed appointment without sufficient notice may be charged 50% of the harvest fee for each scheduled animal.
REQUIRED CUSTOMER AGREEMENT
Every USDA harvest and processing customer must have a signed USDA Harvest & Processing Customer Compliance Agreement on file.
This agreement explains:
• Customer documentation responsibilities
• Communication requirements
• Insurance requirements
• Animal-health and humane-handling expectations
• USDA and regulatory obligations
• Possible fees, delays, or refusal of service resulting from noncompliance
REQUIRED INSURANCE
USDA harvest and processing customers must provide a current certificate of insurance listing:
Creston Valley Meats
3280 Calf Canyon Highway
Creston, CA 93432
as additionally insured.
Please have your insurance provider send the certificate to Creston Valley Meats or email it to:
Animals may not be left in the catch pen unless the required agreement, insurance, and animal documentation are on file.
REQUIRED ANIMAL DOCUMENTATION
Bring all documents required for your animals and transportation circumstances, including:
• Brand inspection paperwork, when applicable
• Transportation slip
• Completed cutting instructions
• Customer or business name
• Primary contact name
• Daytime telephone number
• Email address
• Label selection
• Custom-label information, when applicable
• Finished-product pickup or delivery instructions
MISSING DOCUMENT FEES
• Missing brand inspection paperwork: $50
• Missing transportation slip: $25
• Incomplete or late cutting form: $150
Paying a fee does not replace the requirement to provide the missing documentation.
COMPLETING YOUR CUTTING FORM
Complete every applicable section of your cutting form. Clearly identify:
• Customer or business name
• Daytime telephone number
• Animal identification
• Requested cuts
• Steak and roast selections
• Cut thicknesses
• Package sizes
• Ground, stew, sausage, curing, organ, fat, bone, or pet-food instructions
• Label selection
• Approved special instructions
Electronic cutting forms contain dropdown selections. Blank selections may default to ground product—or stew when specified on the form.
Save your completed form in its original Excel or Google Sheets-compatible format. Please do not convert it to PDF.
Email the completed form to our office or print it and bring it on delivery day. Cutting forms received after delivery day may be subject to a $150 fee.
Cutting forms provide estimated quantities only. Final yields and charges are determined after harvest and processing.
CUSTOM PRODUCT LABELS
All federally inspected products must carry compliant labeling.
Customers who want custom labels must work with our USDA-approved label provider:
Best Forms
800-350-0618
Before your labels are printed or shipped to Creston Valley Meats, email the agreed and signed label proof to:
Custom claims may require supporting records or USDA approval. This can include claims related to production methods, animal raising, breed, location, organic status, grass-fed production, or special diets.
PREPARING ANIMALS FOR TRANSPORT
Customers are responsible for transporting animals legally, safely, and humanely.
Animals must:
• Be in suitable physical condition for transportation
• Be free from avoidable injury or distress
• Be handled humanely before and during transportation
• Arrive with the required identification and documents
• Be contained in safe, appropriate transportation equipment
• Not create an avoidable safety, welfare, food-safety, or regulatory concern
Please contact us before traveling if you have concerns about an animal’s condition.
Creston Valley Meats and USDA inspection personnel will determine whether an animal can be accepted for federally inspected harvest.
ARRIVAL TIME
Animals must arrive on or before 7:30 a.m. on the scheduled harvest date unless another arrival time has been approved by our office.
A $150 late-arrival fee may apply when a customer arrives at or after 8:00 a.m. without prior notice.
If you experience an animal or transportation emergency, contact us immediately.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
- Check in with Creston Valley Meats personnel.
- Do not unload until directed by a staff member.
- Provide all required documentation.
- Confirm the number and identity of the animals.
- Review your customer and contact information.
- Confirm your cutting and labeling instructions.
- Follow all staff directions during unloading.
- Do not leave until a staff member confirms that receiving is complete.
Animals may not be unloaded, left unattended, or placed in the catch pen without authorization.
HARVEST AND PROCESSING
Available services may include:
• USDA-inspected harvest
• Carcass chilling and aging
• Standard cutting and wrapping
• Primal cutting
• Grinding
• Patties
• Organ, bone, and fat packaging
• Bacon and other approved further processing
• Pet-food processing, when applicable
• Approved labeling
• Finished-product inventory preparation
Actual yields vary based on species, live weight, carcass weight, animal condition, fat, bone, trim, aging, and your processing instructions.
AGING POLICY
Requested aging periods are not guaranteed.
Creston Valley Meats may shorten or discontinue aging when carcass health, microbial risk, structural integrity, advanced animal age, or another condition indicates that additional hanging time could compromise food safety, product quality, or regulatory compliance.
Food safety and USDA compliance must take priority over a requested aging period.
WHOLE CARCASSES AND PRIMAL CUTS
Whole carcasses may not be removed from the Creston Valley Meats facility.
Primal cuts may be available as an alternative. Primals are bagged, weighed, and labeled in packages weighing up to 30 pounds.
Record all primal-cut requests on your cutting form before processing begins.
FINAL INVOICE
Cutting sheets and preliminary estimates are not final invoices.
Your final invoice is prepared after processing and may include:
• Harvest charges
• Processing charges
• Actual carcass or product weights
• Further-processing services
• Packaging and labeling
• Disposal fees
• Delivery charges
• Storage charges
• Other approved services
Please respond promptly if we contact you with questions about your animals, cutting instructions, labels, invoice, or finished-product arrangements.
PICKUP, DELIVERY, AND STORAGE
Finished products must be picked up or received promptly.
Storage fees of $20 per animal, per day may apply after three days without communication following the invoice date.
Current delivery fees per animal are:
• Beef: $100
• Pig: $90
• Lamb, sheep, or goat: $35
• Chicken: Contact the office
• Turkey: Contact the office
Delivery times are estimates and may change because of traffic, weather, staffing, vehicle conditions, or route delays.
For delivery updates, text Carlos at 805-286-0128.
CURRENT HARVEST FEES
• Beef: $160
• Beef carcasses exceeding 975 pounds: $220
• Pig: $90
• Lamb, sheep, or goat: $80
• Chicken: $8 per bird
• Turkey under 15 pounds: $16
• Turkey over 15 pounds: $26
• Rabbit: $8.50
CURRENT MEAT-PROCESSING FEES
• Standard processing: $2.20 per pound of hanging carcass weight
• Primal cuts: $1.75 per pound
• Organs: $2.20 per pound
• Bones: $2.20 per pound
• Patties: $1.75 per pound
• Fat: $2.20 per pound
• Bacon: $7.50 per pound
• Pet-food processing: $2.20 per pound
ADDITIONAL FEES
• Beef disposal: $25
• Pig disposal: $15
• Lamb or goat disposal: $10
• Beef over 30 months—specified risk material fee: $40
• Split fee, when applicable: $50
POULTRY-PROCESSING FEES
Effective May 1, 2026:
Chicken—whole bird, organs not included:
• 1–200 birds: $8 per bird
• 201–500 birds: $9.76 per bird
• Carcass weight of 3–7 pounds: no additional charge
• Carcass weight of 7.01 pounds or more: additional $2.50 per bird
• Optional organ processing: $2.20 per pound
Turkey—whole bird, organs not included:
• Up to 15 pounds: $15.50 per bird
• 15.01–25 pounds: $25.50 per bird
• Over 25 pounds: additional $5 per bird
• Optional organ processing: $2.20 per pound
Prices and policies are subject to change. Please confirm current pricing when scheduling.
SERVICE MAY BE REFUSED
Creston Valley Meats may refuse or discontinue service when a customer:
• Does not provide required documentation or insurance
• Does not meet applicable regulatory requirements
• Delivers animals that do not meet health or humane-handling requirements
• Creates a safety or regulatory risk
• Provides incomplete or inaccurate information
• Fails to maintain necessary communication
• Engages in conduct that could jeopardize our USDA Grant of Inspection
FINAL CUSTOMER CHECKLIST
Before leaving for Creston Valley Meats, make sure you have:
□ Confirmed harvest appointment
□ Signed customer agreement on file
□ Current insurance certificate on file
□ Brand inspection paperwork, when required
□ Transportation slip
□ Completed cutting form
□ Label selection
□ Approved custom-label proof, when applicable
□ Customer and business contact information
□ Confirmed animal count and identification
□ Planned arrival on or before 7:30 a.m.
□ Confirmed pickup or delivery arrangements
CONTACT US
Creston Valley Meats
3280 Calf Canyon Highway
Creston, CA 93432
Office email: [email protected]
Melanie: 805-286-5651
Delivery updates—Carlos: 805-286-0128
Thank you for helping us maintain safe, humane, traceable, and fully compliant USDA harvest and processing services.