At the Oct. 22 Willow Springs Board of Aldermen meeting, Mayor Adam Webb said he had "heard a lot of conversations around wishing we had" a beef processing facility. Howell County News reported his comment. He was answering Rob Verrall, a Pomona-area landowner who had just pitched one on Davis Drive, near Davis Bridge outside town.
Plenty of Howell County families already get beef processed. They haul a steer to a butcher and bring home a freezer full. What the Verralls proposed is a different kind of plant, one that works under USDA inspection. That inspection decides whether the beef can be sold. Right now no active federally inspected establishment in the federal directory has a Howell County address, and two federal plants in nearby counties were listed as inactive in 2026.
What Landed on the Aldermen's Table
Rob and Crystal Verrall have lived in the Pomona area for more than three years. They own parcels of land near Davis Bridge. Rob Verrall called the Oct. 22 presentation "an ice breaker to trying to bring another business into the Willow Springs community." The couple's plan is a USDA-certified plant to address what Verrall called "a shortage of these services in the area."
The parts of the presentation that would matter most to near neighbors were about smell and traffic:
- Wastewater treated on site
- Refrigerated storage for waste
- Garbage pickup several times a week to prevent odors
- Low-stress animal handling, with animals processed the same day they arrive
- About 200 vehicles a week, by the presentation's own estimate
Alderman Andy Roberts called the odor plans "top notch," and Alderwoman Jennifer Owens welcomed Verrall with "Bring your overalls," according to Howell County News. The West Plains Daily Quill reported that aldermen Mike Tooley, Andy Roberts, Jennifer Owens and Bryan Hogan were present. The board voiced general support but did not vote.
Webb asked about timing. Verrall said it depends on USDA certification. He expects to sell product within a year and to be fully certified within 24 months. Those are the owner's projections, not approvals.
The Stamp That Decides Where the Beef Can Go
Getting beef processed around here has usually meant custom-exempt processing. The Missouri Department of Agriculture describes this as processing someone else's livestock for that owner's exclusive use. Custom-exempt meat may not be sold or donated. The department's custom-exempt operations packet requires a "Not For Sale" stamp. It also says custom product must be clearly marked and kept separate from any product meant for sale.
S&M Butcher Shop in Mountain Grove is a familiar example of that model. The shop says it has done custom processing for more than 10 years and lists West Plains, Willow Springs, Mountain View, Houston, Cabool and Ava among the towns it serves. It describes itself plainly: "As a custom-only shop, we don't sell meat." One customer review on its site mentions a "farm kill" option. Another comes from a family on its second steer, planning to come back the next year.
That setup works well for a family filling its own freezer. It does not let the same family sell steaks to a neighbor, a store or a restaurant. The state's inspection page says Missouri or USDA inspection is required when meat is wholesaled. The inspection stamp at the plant decides whether a Howell County cow can become retail beef.
This is general information about how Missouri classifies processing, not legal advice. Anyone planning to sell beef should confirm the rules for their situation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture or another qualified professional.
The Federal Map Got Thinner in 2026
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service publishes a directory of inspected establishments and updates it weekly. The Nov. 2, 2026 edition shows two southern Missouri plants that changed status this year, The table also lists a selection of active Missouri plants that list meat slaughter, starting with the closest to Howell County. Several more active plants farther west, in towns like Carthage, Golden City, Neosho and Verona, are not in the table.
| Establishment | Town, County | Status in Nov. 2, 2026 federal directory |
|---|---|---|
| Texas County Meat Processing, LLC | Cabool, Texas County | Inactive, effective Sept. 22, 2026 |
| Neal Meats LLC | Seymour, Webster County | Inactive, effective March 18, 2026 |
| Zimmerman Meats LLC | Summersville, Texas County | Active, lists meat slaughter |
| Missouri Prime Beef Packers, LLC, doing business as Best Beef Missouri | Pleasant Hope, Polk County | Active, lists meat slaughter, granted April 10, 2026 |
| Tom's Slaughter House | Montreal, Camden County | Active, lists meat slaughter |
| College of the Ozarks Processing Plant | Point Lookout, Taney County | Active, lists meat slaughter |
| 2 Creek Butchery, LLC | Monett, Barry County | Active, lists meat slaughter |
The Cabool plant at 90 Industrial Park Road is the closer of the two to Howell County. As of the Nov. 2 edition, the federal directory lists it as inactive. Among the active Missouri plants in the directory that list cattle slaughter, the closest to Howell County is Zimmerman Meats at 4534 Highway 17 in Summersville. The others are spread out toward Springfield, Branson, the Lake of the Ozarks area and the southwest corner of the state.
Willow Springs sits at the junction of U.S. 60 and U.S. 63. A plant on Davis Drive would put federal inspection within a short drive of cattle operations across Howell County and the neighboring counties.
The Steps Between a Pitch and a Plant
City Administrator Beverly Hicks laid out the path at the meeting. Howell County News reported it this way:
- Verrall files a petition with the city for voluntary annexation.
- The city has 60 days from that petition to hold a public hearing, with notice published in a newspaper.
- If more than 5 percent of the city's registered voters object in writing, annexation can only go forward by election.
- Without those objections, the city may annex the property by ordinance.
- The parcel would then need rezoning by the Planning & Zoning Committee to allow a beef processing facility.
USDA certification runs on its own timeline after that. Verrall's own estimate puts full certification within 24 months.
City residents get a formal say in step 3. Everyone else gets the published hearing in step 2. The city posts aldermen agendas in its Agenda Center. The most recent posting there, on Nov. 3, was a Nov. 2 special budget work session.
The Nov. 19 Meeting and the Rest of the Agenda
The Willow Springs Board of Aldermen next meets in regular session at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in the council chambers at city hall. Other business carried over from October may be on that agenda too. That includes the ordinance for the Highway 137 resurfacing cost-share. Under that agreement, Willow Springs would pay an estimated $29,465 for shoulder paving from the city limits to the four-way stop, with MoDOT construction projected for mid to late 2027. Fiscal 2027 budget planning is also underway.
After the Oct. 22 meeting, the beef facility had general support from the board and was still at the proposal stage. By the owner's estimate, a USDA inspection stamp on Davis Drive is up to 24 months away.
Land with working pasture is worth more when there is somewhere close by to take the cattle. If you own acreage near Willow Springs or anywhere in Howell County and want to know how a project like this could affect what your property is worth, Wild Hills Realty is happy to sit down and talk it through, with no pressure. Get a Free Home Valuation and we'll start with your land as it stands today.
