Friesla Blog

Interested in starting a meat processing business? Explore our blog for industry info and stories of great Americans who are getting it done.

A Friesla Modular Meat Processing System setup for MTXBeef in Texas.

MTXBeef started over a COVID-era cocktail and a campfire. It was spring 2020. The pandemic had hit. Nestled in the rolling Texas Hill Country—west of…

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Butchers transfer quartered beef carcasses from a Friesla Mobile Harvest Unit into The Meating Place Butcher Shop.

Client Story: The Meating Place

Craft butcher shops used to be a staple in communities across America. Consumers had access to fresh, locally-produced meat, hand cut by butchers they knew…

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Why Meat Processors Need A Robust Humane Handling Program

Animal welfare is a hot topic in today’s agricultural economy—and for good reason. Humane animal handling is a moral venture and carries high cultural expectations:…

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USDA Announces $123 Million to Expand Meat & Poultry Processing

USDA Rural Development announced the availability of $123 million in grant funding for meat processors through Phase 2 of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion…

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Side view of a tan Friesla Modular Meat Processing System setup for The Producer Partnership in Montana.

Client Story: The Producer Partnership

Think that opening a meat processing plant during a pandemic might be tough? Try starting the first nonprofit, federally-inspected meat processing plant in the United…

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Butchers cleaning beef cow with water after bleeding outside Friesla Mobile Meat Harvest Trailer.

Mobile Harvest Units: An Alternative to the Traditional Slaughter Floor

Designing, engineering, permitting, and constructing a new building can be costly and time-consuming. A meat processing plant is no exception. Meat producers may consider building…

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Beef half carcass tagged with lot and traceability number hanging in a Friesla modular harvest unit drip cooler.

Explained: 4 Types of Inspection for Meat Processors

There are many steps to moving a finished animal from pasture or feedlot to steak on a plate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates…

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Friesla Mobile Harvest Unit on a farm used for slaughtering beef in the winter.

Q&A Session: USDA Grants & Mobile/Modular Meat Processing Equipment

Two meat processing grant programs are in the spotlight in summer 2023: USDA’s Local Meat Capacity Grant Program (Local MCap) and Indigenous Animals Harvesting and…

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Friesla’s Founder & President interacting with a meat processing client in the Cut & Wrap Module of their Friesla Meat Processing System.

HACCP 101: Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance For Meat Processors

When U.S. consumers purchase steaks, ground beef, or a Thanksgiving turkey, they expect it to be safe to eat. Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture…

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Friesla clients Brian and Mary Heffernan from Five Marys Farms on their ranch in Northern California.

Client Story: Five Marys

Brian and Mary Heffernan knew that starting a meat processing business would be challenging. “Nothing is easy,” Brian quips. “If it were, everyone would do…

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