*Gasp* "It's beautiful! I want it! It'd be the perfect birthday present, too... Just look at it: sleek, modern, well designed, it's got everything! Can I put it on my birthday wish list?"
Okay, three guesses as to what I was swooning over last night, using those words.
Three guesses.
A barn? A piece of farm equipment? A fancy little car? A swimming pool? (let's not note that that's actually four guesses right there...)
No, nope, no. And I'm most likely shooting down your guesses too. ;)
Dear friends, I was swooning over something I would love to have, but could never afford.
Believe it or not, it was a USDA certified mobile slaughtering unit. Click the link (highlighted words) to see that gorgeous beast!
Isn't she lovely? Okay, the price isn't so lovely, sitting at $205,000, but folks we're talking 3 tons of carcass capacity in the cooler!!!! Three tons!! The interior pictures are enough to make me drool; it's got everything in there. And it's USDA inspected! Which means anyone who owns that monster can butcher animals and the resulting meat will be state inspected and legal to sell off the farm. These days, if you want meat that's legal to sell, you have to haul your animal a long distance, to a stressful environment, and face a long day getting the job done. All for a sticker on your package that says the meat is USDA inspected.
With this baby though, the slaughterhouse comes to you. Your animal never has to leave its home. Doesn't have to experience the stress of transportation.
So yeah... Last night at 9pm I was swooning over a semi truck and trailer that's been outfitted for butchers.
An acquaintance on facebook thought my excitement was comical and said to me, "Only a farm girl would swoon over a mobile slaughter truck with 3 ton fridge capacity..."
Yep, that's me. :)
Never say never :) Maybe you could buy one with a group and share? That's a good way to save major $$$$
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to own it- that's the great part about it being 'mobile'. In my area, there are people who own them but they travel from farm to farm so that small farmers can use the unit. You just pay for the rental for the day, and then either hire them to run the machinery or supply your own people to do it. Kind of like renting a bouncy castle, except with more bloody :D
ReplyDelete^Anon, I do know some awesome mobile butchers. :) But in this case, I would want to own one so that *I* could be the traveling butcher who goes from farm to farm! ;) It's a bit of a dream job that I've long had... If I were stronger, I might would consider the career more seriously. But standing at 5'7" and barely 120 lbs. I don't have the physical strength to do the steers and hogs. And I doubt I could ever find a partner who just *wanted* to also do such a thing, and thus take on the larger animals. LOL.
ReplyDeleteBut there was still that long sigh at that mobile unit... I'm a snob when it comes to quality ('tis true, 'tis pity!), and that unit had everything a slaughterer/butcher could want. ;)