South Marion Meats Inc

Sometimes when things do not add up I have to ask why...\r How long had the meat hung, was it picked up in the appropriate time, if not then what were the reasoning you hadn't requested to freeze it, was there proper transportation of the meat such as use of cooler or freezer? If so, what controlled temp was it kept at?\r \r To call it a ""sob story"" when they wouldn't reimberse the entire fee can ironicly be viewed in reverse. At what point do you become unresponsible for the part you play as a customer? No matter how long I have used Garys facility, not once have I left w/o viewing my meat and usually Gary is the one showing me! To pay for it & pick it up is basically saying your satisfied. It doesn't become South Marion Meats 100% responsibility once you deliver the animal; you are responsible for proper timely pickup & tempeture controlled environment during transportation.\r On a personal note, working at a processing facility is tough, not one many people are willing to do & do properly, so to Gary & Sue and all the South Marion Meats workers I extend my graditude; which without a doubt they deserve more of!\r Flies in Florida, unfortunately with our overly warm conditions flies(& many other pests) are unavoidable. If there are animals, there are flies. Gary is a USDA facility and if there were a massive fly problem, it would have been addressed in a proper manner for a processing facility.\r \r We are a AWA Certified/USDA Approved farm and our processor needed to be the same. Gary was recommended to us by a USDA inspector. We toured his facility & he never hesitated when asked if we could have AWA come audit him. (when other facilities wouldn't even allow a tour) Gary & Sue at South Marion Meats are the ""only"" USDA & AWA Audited Processing Facility in the state of Florida. That speaks volumes.\r My farm, restaurants and customers hold their committments high, thats why we only process using a USDA/AWA Audited facility, but as a farm owner with great love for what I do, I have committments I hold at a higher level than USDA or AWA regulations and those are my personal committments not only to my pigs that make my farm run, but the customers I sell to and them getting what they order.\r Being a local farmer & having the blessing of a USDA/AWA Audited Processing Facility avail locally means working together. That includes likes & differences you may have that will help make both better. With that being said: ""IF YOUR NOT PART OF THE CURE, THEN YOUR PART OF THE PROBLEM."" \r Please give it great thought before you post a ""Buyer Beware"" when the complaint is lacking the customers part of the responsibilities. more

So sorry (and shocked) to hear that someone is not pleased with South Marion Meats. As a small pork producer (40 pigs a year), I attest that my experience with Gary and his team at South Marion has been absolutely positive! We raise pigs for some of the best restaurants in the state, and our chef's are also pleased with the product they receive (and these folks know their stuff). Gary does his processing under the watchful eye of the USDA and is also approved to process animals from Animal Welfare Approved farms. Animals are treated with respect by Gary. The meat is beautiful, and his record keeping is impeccable (as is required by USDA and AWA). South Marion is a very clean facility; I walked the entire plant, freezers and all, before we brought our first animal there. Which makes me inclined to question the validity of the previous review. Had 4evercropn's statements been valid, the USDA would have shut these guys down. It's the USDA's job to close the doors of a plant if there is the slightest spec of grime under a table - let alone swarms of flies. This sounds like someone who had contrary expectations when they dropped off their animal and now has an axe to grind. Furthermore, Gary is one of the nicest butchers that I've had the pleasure to work with, and his customer service is above and beyond. Being a meat processor is a thankless job. Well, I want to say Thank You to Gary and Sue for everything that they do! You guys are great!!! So often, customers expect 1,000 pounds of meat out of a 1,000 pound steer (that dresses at 400 pounds if you're lucky). So, the poor processor is an instant adversary. Many customers just don't realize that their choices can have a drastic affect on the final product. The processor provides a service under the direction of the customer (like requiring beef to hang for more than 14 days, because the customer read about it in a magazine). Novice producers can also assume that a whole steer will fit in one cooler then opt to tote the rest of the meat home in cardboard boxes to save them a trip back. With gas as expensive as it is, I understand. But if you want to watch your meat being cut, you should plan on making an additional trip. Processors have specific procedures for freezing meat that can't be done in your freezer at home. Regardless of who you use to process your animals, assume that they know more about processing meat than you do, and try to follow their advice. Be kind to your processor. :) Gary and Sue provide a much needed service. Without them, niche meat producers can not sell their product retail. I'm very pleased with South Marion Meats, and I'm sure you'll be pleased as well. These are good people doing good work. more

I had a cow butchered there. I watched them cut the meat while flies swarmed the place and they took lunch with my meat on the counter and flies swarming. Got the meat home and quickly found out it was spoiled. I ended up filing with Better Business Bureau, returned the meat, received part of my money back, released my complaint with BBB, but have received only sob stories about how they can not afford to repay me for the spoiled beef. Buyer Beware! more