To address the acute need for accessible, humane, and high-quality slaughterhouses in the Northeast, Glynwood has developed a unique and revolutionary modular, mobile slaughterhouse, which we call the Modular Harvest System (MHS).  The MHS is a real-world model that is demonstrating the solution to the shortage of slaughter infrastructure in the region.

The Need: Infrastructure for a Growing New Market

The climate, topography, and soils in much of the Hudson River Valley and the Northeast are well suited for pastured livestock production.  As New York State’s Commissioner of Agriculture likes to say, “We have a rain-based agriculture.” And as many farmers in the region put it, “We grow good grass.”

Yet, with the concentration of livestock farming into industrial-scale feedlots that began in the 1960s, small and mid-sized farms in the Northeast found themselves squeezed out of their traditional markets.  As production at these farms declined and industrial-scale slaughterhouses began to dominate the market, many local slaughterhouses in the region were driven out of business, making it increasingly difficult for remaining farmers to have their animals processed.

In recent years, a new market has emerged for locally grown, pasture-fed, organic and natural beef, pork, and lamb, creating new opportunities for the region’s farmers.  The growing understanding of the environmental and health benefits of meat from pasture-raised livestock has fostered a strong demand for meat produced this way.  But most small and mid-sized farmers cannot meet this demand because of the shortage of slaughter facilities. This shortage also functions as a disincentive to farmers who would otherwise increase the numbers of animals they raise on pasture.  Studies of the need for additional processing capacity in the Northeast indicate that a significant number of farmers would produce more animals if they were confident they would have efficient access to a high quality slaughter facility.

It is clear that more slaughterhouse infrastructure in the Northeast would result in more livestock production, more locally produced meat, and a more robust farm economy in the region.  Nevertheless, two primary obstacles have prevented the construction of new slaughter facilities to serve independent small and mid-size farmers.  First, they are expensive.  Depending on scale and design, a small slaughterhouse costs between $2 million and $4 million to site and build.  Investment is further discouraged because of the very low profit margins in the slaughter stage of meat processing and the considerable regulatory burdens involved.  The second obstacle is the unwillingness of many communities to be the site of a permanent slaughterhouse.  In addition, in a region like the Hudson Valley where there are many farms dispersed over great distances, the construction of one plant would improve efficiency for only the closest farmers – others would still have to transport their animals long distances.

Doing Due Diligence: The Regional Slaughterhouse Task Force

To understand and address the need, we began by convening a Regional Slaughterhouse Task Force composed of leaders whose expertise included farming, food distribution, the livestock industry, finance, and the law.  Beginning in 2008, under Glynwood’s leadership the Task Force did the due diligence of studying the problem and considering options for solving it.  As a result of this process, Glynwood developed a plan for a new, unique, and revolutionary modular mobile slaughterhouse — our Modular Harvest System (MHS).

View a short video that captures the comments of farmers, butchers, chefs, writers, and other experts who speak about the need for slaughter facilities in the Hudson Valley.

The Glynwood Solution: Mobile and Modular

A truly pioneering venture, Glynwood’s MHS is:

• The first and only modular mobile slaughterhouse in the U.S.
• The first and only mobile facility in the U.S. with capacity for in-unit slaughter of large animals, enabling the entire process to be conducted indoors, which allows for safer, more sanitary processing.
• The first and only mobile unit licensed by the USDA east of New Mexico.

The MHS is a meticulously engineered miniaturization of a full-scale processing plant, consisting of four modules:

1. A 53-foot trailer that provides for inside-unit slaughter, carcass preparation, and chilling.
2. A refrigeration truck where quartered sides or whole carcasses can be railed after chilling and then delivered to a “cut & wrap” facility or as per instruction by each farmer – in essence this module becomes a delivery truck, while the primary trailer remains in place or travels to its next docking site.
3. An “inedible parts” trailer that provides for hygienic disposal of offal, manure, and other waste – this is key because disposal requirements and options may vary at each docking site.
4. A small office trailer with amenities required by the USDA for its inspector, as well as MHS staff.

The modular design is highly efficient with a daily processing capacity of 20 cattle (more for smaller animals).  It can currently process cattle, sheep, and goats.  In the future we hope to add a separate module for the processing of pigs.  Animals are held in sheltered pens and handled during the process in compliance with USDA standards for humane treatment. The MHS has also been certified for kosher processing and will soon be certified for halal and organic processing.

The first docking site for the MHS is in New York State’s Delaware County.  We are working with agricultural stakeholders and communities throughout the Hudson Valley, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to identify and develop additional docking locations, with a goal of having five sites in operation within two years.  We are proposing that communities wishing to support their farmers consider developing docking sites that would also function as “nodes” where a number of “community food enterprises” (CFEs) could be clustered, facilitating ease of marketing and distribution.  The CFEs may include meat aging and butchering facilities, cold storage for fruits and vegetables, and community kitchens for value added products.

The MHS and LILA: A Public/Private Model

To own and oversee operations of the MHS, Glynwood has created a non-profit affiliate, Local Infrastructure for Local Agriculture (LILA).  LILA will also provide education and training to farmers and communities to enhance the quality and viability of livestock and other local agricultural operations in the Northeast.

Glynwood has transferred ownership of the MHS to LILA, which is working with us to identify and encourage development of other community docking sites.  Basic attributes required for a docking site can be reviewed at www.lila-northeast.org.

The price for MHS services will be equivalent to current market prices in the region.  Farmers can schedule an appointment for processing by calling 1-800-792-4014.

*     *     *

Replicating the MHS Model

Glynwood’s intention in creating the MHS is for it to serve as a model and catalyst for many more modular mobile slaughter facilities throughout the Northeast or similar agricultural regions, providing livestock farmers the infrastructure they need for their farms to be environmentally sustainable and economically viable.  The cost to replicate the MHS would be approximately $750,000 – about a quarter of the cost of a fixed-site slaughterhouse.  We welcome inquiries from, and would be glad to share our knowledge with anyone interested in developing an MHS.  Please send your inquiry via e-mail to info@glynwood.org.

To learn more about Glynwood’s MHS, go to the MHS Fact Sheet.

Top of the page

“Slaughterhouses are the single most important thing that farmers in the region need. This initiative is the most important thing Glynwood can do”

—Dan Barber, Executive Chef Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns