Member Spotlight: The Local Butcher

Originally published in the Autumn 2025 edition of the OEFFA newsletter.

Agriculture is an integral part of the Meeks Family. Jenna Meeks has always aspired to educate others about agricultural practices and now teaches on the subject in Meigs County in Southeast Ohio. Her younger brother, Chase, “was born showing animals” and grew up participating in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H, contributing to his dream of one day owning a butcher shop. Rhonda comes from a family of farmers, and after her husband, Kenny, was encouraged to raise cattle himself, the parents were in a position to help turn Chase’s dreams of a butcher shop into reality.

In 2020, The Local Butcher opened its doors in Gallipolis, 45 minutes from home.  The following year, a long-abandoned butcher shop just south of Athens, Ohio, was purchased.  Photos of the current retail shop show the building in its former state, with overgrown weeds and trees that threatened its structure.  After a year, the building was transformed, giving the butcher shop a second life.  The Local Butcher then opened its doors for a second time, but this time, closer to home.

We at OEFFA often hear whispers from the agricultural communities we serve—what farms are expanding, what communities are exemplifying strong local food systems, and what acute needs are being felt. What we’ve heard about The Local Butcher over the past year has felt more like exclamations. Several producers in the OEFFA community have been singing their praises—not just because they’re the only butcher in Athens and Meigs Counties—but because they put ethics at the heart of what they do, much like the producers who turn to them for their services. 

It’s common to hear within organic and regenerative agriculture spaces a desire to ensure that animals have “just one bad day” before ending up on our plates. The small, dedicated team at The Local Butcher attempts to turn that “bad day” into mere minutes for the animals they process. 

They, like many producers who turn to them, come from families that view farm animals as others may view pets. These are FFA, county fair, and 4-H families, who get to know animals by spending time showing, and often spoiling, them as children. 

“They lived the life,” shared Rhonda as we walked through a freezer filled with beef, pork, and a bison that had been processed earlier in the day. “We don’t always have fair animals, but still, that is instilled in those who produce—to be kind to their animals, to take care of them. They’re well taken care of, all the animals we use here at the butcher shop.”

The Local Butcher’s operations are inspired by the work of Dr. Temple Grandin, one of the most well-respected voices when it comes to the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter. Dr. Grandin has authored countless books, spoken at events across the country, and contributed to the design of abattoirs for both small- and large-scale processors alike. Using insights from her own experiences with autism, Dr. Grandin has developed processes and practices to minimize pain, fear, and stress on animals during transport, handling, and butchering. 

Mimicking some of Dr. Grandin’s work, The Local Butcher’s approach to humane butchering features thoughtful drop-offs, a carefully designed holding area, and a chute-like system to quickly direct livestock through the process. On average, The Local Butcher processes four hogs or two beef in an hour. Their animals go through three streams: USDA-inspected for producers, retail for their own small shop, and custom for individual customers’ use. The latter is what enables The Local Butcher to stand apart from other, larger meat processors in the state. They can cut and season to suit a wide variety of custom preferences and evolving community tastes. 

That’s something The Local Butcher is most excited about in the coming year: satisfying some of these new community tastes. They’ve seen the college town of Athens embrace new cultures and cuisines, which are beginning to expand into the rest of the region. Harnessing some of this energy, The Local Butcher currently sells to Mauvette’s, a Caribbean restaurant in Athens, as well as Shade Winery, Doug’s Vault, Canal Carryout, Poston Carryout, and several food truck vendors—and they hope to continue expanding into new markets.

Though they’re still relatively new in the game and “learning to be business people,” the Meeks family has some plans in place to continue educating and appreciating their community, another focus for the future. They regularly host tours for FFA groups and local 4-H clubs and welcome the opportunity for any organization to come out and see their process firsthand. Each year, they have shown their appreciation of the community by hosting a Customer Appreciation Day, along with Ace Hardware. 

Beyond that, The Local Butcher will continue to navigate the challenges faced by many small-scale meat producers, something Rhonda wrote about in a blog for OEFFA’s Policy team earlier this year. Kenny is currently doing smoked meat for “custom” processing. He, however, cannot do retail or inspected smoked meat, which requires a more sophisticated computerized smoker, which the Meeks family cannot afford at this time. Unlike large-scale processors, The Local Butcher doesn’t have the capital and is challenged to compete with larger facilities, which have grant writers on-site. 

So, take a moment to consider what’s at the center of your table and where it came from. Does each bite support the continued success of businesses like The Local Butcher and contribute to the humane slaughter of animals, or does it consolidate power in the companies that trade ethics for profit?

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Learn more about the Meeks family and The Local Butcher by checking them out on Facebook (@thelocalbutcher2020) or paying them and their retail store a visit in Athens.

Are you an OEFFA member with a food or farm story to share? Contact newsletter@oeffa.org for a chance to be featured!