Hi Guys.

Next year we want to start raising some animals for market, not a lot of them at first, and we are hoping to get into selling the processed meat directly to area consumers on a small scale.

Question is, anybody have experience with butchering for hire? i.e. I have no expertise (and no desire) to butcher pigs, lambs and possibly cows and turkeys myself, so I would need to find someone to do it for me.

Any idea on how these arrangements work and where you'd go to find someone to do this? i.e. can anyone setup shop to do this or is there public-health/licensicing issues I need to be aware of? How about cost? any estimates? would it be typical to allow a butcher to keep a certain amount of the meat as payment?

Any and all info appreciated.