Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is USDA harvesting and how does it benefit me??

At harvesting the overall Health/Condition of your animal will be inspected by a USDA Meat Inspector. It will be inspected for any signs of sickness or disease. Upon completion, if it is found to be a wholesome food product, the USDA Inspected/Passed mark of inspection is stamped on the carcass. By having your animal harvested through the USDA Inspection process, you can be assured you’re providing your Family & Customers with a wholesome product…free of any sickness and disease. An animal that is not harvested through the USDA Meat Inspection must bear the term NOT FOR SALE, and therefore can only be used for the owners personal consumption, and is not legal for sale to other individuals.

2. Do my animals need the RFID tags to come to Rainbow Packing Inc??

No, the animal is going through USDA harvesting, so if any problems should arise, we already know who the animal owner is.

3. Why am I asked my animals age and what is the Over 30 months BSE Rule??

Upon harvesting, the animal’s age is verified via a dentition method. If an animal is found to be over 30 months of age, it is flagged as such. The spinal cord and backbone must be removed per Code Of Federal Regulations 310.22.

4. How Do I Know I’m Getting My Own Animal Back??

When your animal arrives at Rainbow Packing, Inc. if it does not have any identification from the farm (Numbered Ear Tag), then a numbered Backtag is affixed to the animal. This number follows the animal through the whole Harvesting/Processing process. All Qtrs/Halves are tagged with the animal owners Name & ID number during harvesting. This same information follows it through the processing steps. Before cutting, the Owners Name & ID# are matched & verified with the cut slip, to once again insure the right product is going to it’s rightful owner.

5. How Much Meat & What Type of Cuts Can I Expect From My Animal??

 *Click Following Links: “How Much Eating Meat Chart" "Beef Cuts" "Pork Cuts" Lamb Cuts"