Texas Tech University, Gordon W. Davis Meat Science Laboratory

The Gordon W. Davis Meat Science Laboratory at Texas Tech University is a USDA-inspected establishment in Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas, listed with FSIS under establishment numbers M236 and P236. The federal record shows approved activities for meat slaughter, meat processing, poultry slaughter, and poultry processing, with a grant of inspection date on file of July 12, 2021. FSIS classifies the plant as very small.

Species reported slaughtered under federal inspection are cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb. The plant falls in the lowest FSIS slaughter volume category, under 1,000 head per year. The establishment also reports custom-exempt slaughter, meaning it processes animals owned by the customer with packages marked Not for Sale, and it reports retail-exempt sales.

No website is on file for this establishment, and no hours, pricing, booking practices, cut and wrap details, or product list have been verified. Details beyond the federal record are not yet on file. Prospective customers should call (806) 742-2804 to confirm what work the laboratory takes in, since a university teaching and research facility may handle animals differently from a commercial plant.

The federal record lists cattle, hogs, and sheep and lamb as species slaughtered under inspection, along with poultry slaughter and processing activity. The plant reports custom-exempt slaughter, so animals owned by the customer can be handled with packages marked Not for Sale. Reported slaughter volume is under 1,000 head per year, and FSIS classes the establishment as very small, so capacity is limited. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimums, kill and cut fees, hanging weight terms, and cut and wrap options are not stated in any source on file. Farmers should call (806) 742-2804 to ask whether the laboratory accepts outside animals and on what terms.

Texas Tech University, Gordon W. Davis Meat Science Laboratory 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 establishment reports retail-exempt sales to FSIS, which generally allows direct sales of meat to household customers at the plant. Whether a retail counter is open to the public, and whether halves, quarters, bundles, delivery, shipping, or online ordering are available, is not stated in any source on file. Contact the laboratory at (806) 742-2804 before visiting.

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.