Downing Cattle Company, Inc.

Downing Cattle Company, Inc. operates a very small USDA-inspected meat plant at 405 Circle D Lane in Fountain Run, Monroe County, Kentucky. The establishment holds FSIS establishment number M40253 with a grant of inspection dated September 3, 2021, and is listed for both meat slaughter and meat processing. Cattle and hogs are the species reported slaughtered under inspection. FSIS places the plant in its lowest slaughter volume category, under 1,000 head per year.

In addition to federally inspected work, the plant reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer and returns the packages marked Not for Sale. It also reports retail-exempt sales, the category that covers direct sales of meat to household buyers at the establishment.

The website on file is a Facebook page, and no site text was available for this record. Secondary listings describe the business as offering locally grown, all natural beef and pork, vacuum sealed and freezer ready, with one directory referencing 40 years of experience. Some third-party directories give the street address as 405 Slaughter House Road rather than the 405 Circle D Lane address reported to FSIS. Hours, pricing, booking practice, and cut and wrap details are not yet on file.

The establishment is listed with FSIS for both slaughter and processing of cattle and hogs, and it reports custom-exempt slaughter, so a producer can have animals processed for their own use with packages marked Not for Sale. It is a very small plant in the lowest FSIS volume tier, under 1,000 head per year, so scheduling capacity is limited. Booking procedures, lead times, minimums, kill and cut fees, and hanging weight terms are not stated in the sources on file, and the sources do not indicate whether new work is being accepted.

Downing Cattle Company, Inc. reports custom-exempt slaughter to FSIS, which means it can process an animal a customer already owns (a whole, half, or share bought before slaughter) and return it in packages marked Not for Sale. Most small farms have one or two plants they book with, and the plant's calendar decides the delivery date.

The plant reports retail-exempt sales, and secondary directory listings describe locally grown, all natural beef and pork that is vacuum sealed and freezer ready. Whether sales are made from a counter at the plant, by the half or quarter, or in bundles is not stated, and no sources on file describe online ordering, shipping, or delivery. Buyers should confirm availability and hours directly with the establishment.

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.