Down Home Processing, Inc.

Down Home Processing, Inc. operates at 375 Baldwin Road in Tazewell, Tennessee, in Claiborne County, under USDA FSIS establishment number M45741. The federal record lists the plant for both Meat Slaughter and Meat Processing, with cattle and hogs reported as species slaughtered under inspection, and places it in the Very Small size class with a slaughter volume category of 1, meaning under 1,000 head per year. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, in which animals owned by the customer are processed and the packages are marked Not for Sale. The grant of inspection date on file is February 29, 2016, while the company website states the business opened in 2015 and has been a USDA inspected facility since it opened.

The website describes the business as an outgrowth of a farm operation. Chris England purchased a 225-acre farm in Claiborne County in the 1990s and began raising animals for his family, with a goal of completing the field to food process without animals leaving the farm. Chris and his son Alex later built a processing facility on the farm, working with the United States Department of Agriculture during construction. The site states the business opened in 2015 processing beef, pork, and deer, and that it remains owned and operated by the England family. A related farm operation, Down Home Farms, and beef and pork price pages are referenced on the site.

Two service tracks are described. USDA inspected processing is for customers who plan to resell finished product by the pound to customers or restaurants. Custom processing appointments are for animals processed for the owner's own use, including situations where a whole animal or part of an animal is being bought or sold. As listed, the website states that due to an increase in demand for beef processing the plant is not offering pork processing at this time, though pork cut sheet resources remain posted. The website also states that following a review on May 1, 2026, Down Home Processing is recommended by Animal Welfare Approved for the slaughter of beef cattle from AWA farms.

The federal record lists this plant for cattle and hog slaughter under inspection, plus custom-exempt slaughter, at a scale under 1,000 head per year. The website describes both tracks: USDA inspected processing when the finished product will be resold by the pound to customers or restaurants, and custom processing appointments when the animal is for the owner's own use or is being sold as a whole or part animal. Scheduling is by appointment, and the site directs farmers to a current timeline page for beef processing scheduling. Once scheduled, a delivery date is assigned, and deliveries are accepted from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Animals are held overnight with access to food and water. Beef carcasses age 8 to 14 days in the cooler before being cut according to the customer's cut sheet in a low temperature processing room. Beef, pork, and deer cut sheets are posted, including a House Special cut sheet covering popular cuts. As listed, pork processing is not being offered at this time due to increased demand for beef processing. Prices are on a services and prices page on the site; specific fees and minimums are not reproduced here. The site states that following a May 1, 2026 review, the plant is recommended by AWA for slaughter of beef cattle from AWA farms.

Down Home Processing, 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 website states that local beef and pork products are offered and directs visitors to a beef and pork prices page and to Down Home Farms, the England family farm. Households buying a whole animal or a share of an animal from a farmer can use the custom processing track, in which the packages are marked Not for Sale under federal rules. All cuts are vacuum sealed, labeled, weighed, frozen, and boxed, and customers are asked to pick up within 7 days of being notified the meat is ready so freezer space stays available. Ground beef is packaged at a standard 85/15 fat content, adjustable on request, in 1, 1.5, or 2 pound packages. Delivery, shipping, online ordering, and retail counter hours are not stated 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.