Rancher's Choice Processing

Rancher's Choice Processing is a very small USDA-inspected establishment at 219 E Miller Rd. in Bellville, Austin County, Texas, operating under establishment number M3541. The federal record lists both meat slaughter and meat processing activities, with a grant of inspection date on file of January 14, 2026. Species slaughtered under inspection, as reported to FSIS, are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale.

FSIS places the plant in slaughter volume category 1.0, which covers establishments harvesting under 1,000 head per year. A listing on the Bellville chamber of commerce business directory describes it as a new USDA-certified meat processing facility for cattle and swine with a harvest floor, private labeling capability, and traceability. A separate third party directory entry describes cattle, sheep, goat, and pig slaughter and processing; goat is not among the species reported to FSIS in the federal record.

The website on file is a Facebook page, and no website text was available for this profile. One Facebook snippet indicates the business will help connect buyers with a rancher. Hours, pricing, booking practice, cut and wrap options, and retail sales details are not yet on file beyond the federal record and these brief secondary listings.

The federal record lists slaughter of cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb under inspection, plus custom-exempt slaughter for animals owned by the customer, with those packages marked Not for Sale. This means a producer can generally choose between inspected harvest for meat intended for resale and custom work for personal or owner use, subject to the plant's own scheduling. A chamber of commerce listing describes a harvest floor, private labeling capability, and traceability for cattle and swine. FSIS classes the plant as very small with a slaughter volume under 1,000 head per year, so capacity is limited. Booking lead times, drop-off procedures, kill fees, cut and wrap charges, hanging weight terms, and minimums are not stated in any source on file. Call (504) 444-5202 to confirm current availability, as listed.

Rancher's Choice Processing 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.

No retail counter, halves and quarters program, bundle pricing, shipping, or online ordering is described in the sources on file. One Facebook snippet suggests the business will help connect buyers with a rancher to source meat, but no details are given. Households interested in buying should contact the plant directly at (504) 444-5202 or through its Facebook page.

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.