Thompson Farms

Thompson Farms operates a federally inspected slaughter and processing facility at 2538 Dixie Road in Dixie, Brooks County, Georgia, under establishment number M31999A. The plant reports both Meat Slaughter and Meat Processing activities to FSIS, with cattle and hogs listed as species slaughtered under inspection. FSIS classes the establishment as small, with a slaughter volume category of 2.0 and a grant of inspection date on file of March 25, 2021. No custom-exempt activity is reported to FSIS.

The business describes itself as the farmer, butcher, processor and retailer in one family operation. According to its website, hogs are raised farrow to finish on pasture on the family farms, never confined to crates or cages, under a rotational grazing system with rye grass and millet forage plus NonGMO grain. Breeds named include the heritage Duroc and Berkshire, and more recently Iberico. The site states the pork is certified NonGMO by the NonGMO Project and Animal Welfare certified by Global Animal Partnership, and that the pork is raised with no antibiotics or steroids and an all vegetarian NonGMO diet. The onsite butchery produces fresh, smoked and fully cooked items.

Products reach buyers through an on farm shop in Dixie, an online store that ships to a list of eastern and southern states, a family run retail shop called Herd and Passel at the Thomasville Farmers' Market in Thomasville, Georgia, and Whole Foods Market stores in the Florida, South and Mid Atlantic regions, where availability varies by store. The website's contact page invites calls about processing, online orders, special cuts, whole hogs and retail pickup in Dixie, but no booking terms, minimums or cut and wrap fees for outside livestock are stated in the sources on file.

The federal record lists both slaughter and processing activity for cattle and hogs, and no custom-exempt activity is reported to FSIS. The website presents the plant as an onsite facility used to harvest and process pork raised on the family's own farms rather than as a service plant for outside livestock. The contact page does say to call (229) 263-9074 with questions pertaining to processing, special cuts and whole hogs. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimums, hanging weight terms and cut and wrap fees for customer animals are not stated in the sources on file.

Thompson Farms operates under a federal grant of inspection, so product from this plant can be sold anywhere in the United States, which matters if you sell online or across a state line. FSIS does not list a custom-exempt activity for this plant.

Households can buy directly from the small shop on the farm at 2538 Dixie Road in Dixie, Georgia, or order online for shipping to GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, OH and PA. The site states that orders placed after Thursday at 4:00pm ship out the following Tuesday, and some items are listed as backordered and shipping when back in stock. Pork is also sold at Herd and Passel, a family run shop at the Thomasville Farmers' Market, 502 Smith Avenue, Thomasville, Georgia, which the website says also carries its own beef, local chicken and more. Selected products are sold through Whole Foods Market in the Florida, South and Mid Atlantic regions, with availability varying by store. Halves, quarters or freezer bundles are not mentioned in the sources on file.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.