Manas Ranch Old-Style Custom Meat Market, located in Esparto, Calif., will be the only USDA inspected meat processor within 100 miles when it opens in June. The facility, owned by Fred Manas, will process Angus-Hereford cattle raised on his ranch, as well as pig, lamb and goat raised by farmers in the region. It will also process wild game killed by local hunters.

"We will be able to ship our meat anywhere in the U.S.," said Manas in the Sacramento Bee. "We will be able to sell our meat directly to customers."

"Here's clear community infrastructure that serves a particular demand because of the growing awareness of the side effects of the concentrated meat industry," said Thomas Nelson, president of the Capay Valley Farm Shop, which delivers boxes of locally produced food to about 450 families, and produce to corporate cafeterias. "There's strong demand for natural local meat, where the livestock has been cared for."

The processing facility, formerly a fertilizer and supply store, is awaiting final inspections before it opens.

Source: Sacramento Bee