Sanderson Farms, Inc.

Establishment P34308 operates at 301 Aviation Parkway in Waco, McLennan County, Texas. The FSIS directory lists the establishment under Sanderson Farms, Inc., with doing-business-as names including Covington Farms, Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Processing Div), Sanderson Farms, LLC, Wayne Farms LLC, and Wayne-Sanderson Farms. FSIS records poultry slaughter and poultry processing activities under federal inspection, a size class of large, a slaughter volume category of 5.0, and a grant of inspection date on file of February 12, 2019. No custom-exempt activity is reported.

The company 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, with 23 processing and prepared-foods plants, more than 26,000 employees, and about 2,000 family farmers across a footprint reaching from North Carolina to Texas. The site lists retail brands including Sanderson Farms, Naked Truth, and Covington Farms, and foodservice brands including Wayne Farms, Platinum Harvest, Chef's Craft, Harrison, Kosmic Krunch, Buffaloos, Fly'n Saucers, and Crispy Fliers. These brand descriptions cover the company as a whole and are not broken out by plant.

This is a corporate-scale poultry operation serving retail and foodservice customers rather than a local locker plant. The website does not describe a retail store, custom slaughter, or direct sales at the Waco address. Details beyond the federal record and the corporate website are not yet on file.

The Waco plant reports no custom-exempt activity to FSIS, and neither the federal record nor the website describes custom slaughter, cut and wrap, or booking for individual livestock owners at this address. The company website instead describes a contract poultry growing model: Wayne-Sanderson Farms states it partners with 1,986 farms across broilers, breeders, and pullets, that about a third of its farmers are in Alabama followed by Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arkansas, that 48 percent have farmed with the company for 10 or more years, and that 24 percent are second generation or older. Contracted growers are described as receiving a flock advisor, veterinarians, a technical services department, and training. Farmers with poultry beyond that program should contact the plant directly, as terms for the Waco facility specifically are not stated.

Sanderson Farms, Inc. 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.

The sources do not describe a retail counter, halves or quarters, bundles, delivery, shipping, or online ordering at the Waco plant. Products from Wayne-Sanderson Farms reach households through grocery retail under brands the website names, including Sanderson Farms, Naked Truth, and Covington Farms. Anyone seeking direct purchase should contact the establishment, since direct-to-consumer sales are not stated in the sources.

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.