Wayne Farms, LLC

Establishment P445 operates at 802 E. Atkins Street in Dobson, North Carolina, in Surry County. The federal record lists the establishment under Wayne Farms, LLC, with associated names including Covington Farms, Sanderson Farms, Inc., Sanderson Farms, LLC, Wayne Farms LLC, and Wayne-Sanderson Farms. FSIS lists the plant for Poultry Slaughter and Poultry Processing, classifies it as a large establishment, and shows a grant of inspection date on file of December 30, 2021. Poultry is the only species reported slaughtered under inspection. No custom-exempt activity is reported, and the FSIS slaughter volume category is 5.0, the highest tier in the reported scale.

The corporate website describes Wayne-Sanderson Farms as the nation's third-largest poultry producer, formed from two poultry companies with roots in farm supply and feed manufacturing. The company reports 23 processing and prepared-foods plants, more than 26,000 employees, nearly 2,000 contract family farmers, and nine fresh and prepared poultry brands, with farms and facilities from North Carolina to Texas. Retail brands named include Sanderson Farms, Naked Truth, and Covington Farms. Foodservice brands named include Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Wayne Farms, Harrison, Kosmic Krunch, Buffaloos, Fly'n Saucers, Crispy Fliers, Platinum Harvest, and Chef's Craft.

The company website is corporate and does not describe operations, hours, or product handling specific to the Dobson plant. Details beyond the federal record and the corporate materials, including plant-level hours, retail sales, or fee schedules, are not yet on file.

This establishment reports no custom-exempt activity to FSIS, and neither the federal record nor the website describes custom slaughter or cut-and-wrap service for individual farmers bringing their own animals. The corporate website instead describes a contract growing model: the company states it partners with nearly 2,000 family farmers across broiler, breeder, and pullet farms, that about one third of its farmers are in Alabama followed by Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arkansas, and that 48 percent have grown with the company for 10 or more years. Contract growers are described as receiving a flock advisor, dedicated veterinarians, a technical services department, and ongoing research and training, and as being responsible for bird care, health tracking, biosecurity, and housing equipment. The site says land and equipment are required and that there is no single defined partnership structure. Booking, minimums, and fees are not stated.

Wayne Farms, LLC 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.

No retail counter, farm store, halves and quarters, bundles, delivery, shipping, or online ordering is described for the Dobson plant. The corporate website presents retail and foodservice brands sold through customers rather than direct consumer sales, and directs questions to a company representative through its contact page. Household buyers should treat the Dobson site as a wholesale production facility unless the company states otherwise.

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.