What the rules say, what it costs, and how to get there.
Written for producers, not lawyers. Every guide is sourced to the regulation or the agency, dated, and ends on one thing you can do today.
- Inspection9 min read
Custom exempt vs USDA inspected: what you are allowed to sell
The four kinds of meat inspection, what each lets you sell and to whom, and the one move that takes a ranch from "not for sale" to a labeled package on a shelf.
Reviewed September 6, 2026Read the guide - Funding8 min read
MPPEP and the $500M SPUR program: how to apply
What SPUR pays and to whom, what MPPEP Phase 4 funded and required, why a plant that has not opened yet cannot claim either one today, and how to spend the first year so the next round is yours.
Reviewed September 11, 2026Read the guide - Herd rebuilding8 min read
Heifer retention math: rebuilding a herd at a 75-year low
The herd is the smallest since 1951 because keeping a heifer costs two years of cash. What retention really costs, what Ranchers First changes, and how selling beef instead of cattle lets a ranch keep more heifers home.
Reviewed October 1, 2026Read the guide - Compare9 min read
Modular pod vs mobile slaughter unit vs brick and mortar
Three ways to put an inspected slaughterhouse near the cattle, compared on capacity, inspection, time to first harvest, financing, staffing, and what still has to be built around each one.
Reviewed October 1, 2026Read the guide - Site7 min read
Wastewater and site prep for a small meat plant
The four ways small plants handle process water, what the slab and utilities really involve, and the five answers to have before you call the state, whichever plant you put on the ground.
Reviewed October 1, 2026Read the guide