TIP #1: The type of processor you use, depends on what you are doing with your beef. Are you processing the Dexter for your own family consumption? Are you selling the Dexter live and transporting? You have a bit more flexibility with a custom exempt facility, as the animal is seen as yours from the moment you drop it off. State inspected facilities are good if you are needing that inspection stamp on the labels. They are also required for some breeders selling packaged beef directly to the public.
TIP #2: Find locations in your area and call them for advice on what they can do for you. Building a relationship with your processor is very important. Once you find a good one, do what you can to stay with that location. Don't be afraid to ask questions and documentation. Our processors have been kind enough to allow us to walk our animals into the facility, to lessen the stress on them. Some have allowed us to simply watch to make sure all went well and quick. It is peace of mine and assurance that we did the best we could to ensure the beef product went to the cooler in the best way it could.
TIP #3 If you are told to drop off your animal first thing in the morning for their processing date, and they only process say 2-3 beef cows a day, then arrive FIRST. This may mean that you need to arrive 20-30 min early. This allows your Dexter to go in first, rather than have to wait for the cows before them to finish. It can take an hour or more per cow before they call the next one in. It is stressful on an animal if they have to wait by themselves in a pen. This stress is not good for the end beef product. So get there early and get your Dexter the first spot in line.
TIP #4 If you are able to wait until your Dexter is processed, especially at a state inspected facility, that is a good idea. If there is a problem with the animal or carcass the inspector has the opportunity to talk with you and show you any issues the find. They will not send you pictures of their findings, but they may let you take your own pictures. This is of course if you are still present on the property. We always tell them that we will wait to make sure all is good. We did have one problem, where the carcass was kept and tagged for veterinarian review. We were able to see the issue they were concerned about. Ultimately this entire carcass was retained by the state and not allowed to be returned to us. Since this was the 14th carcass retained by this facility, for the same reason, in one week, Texas A&M got involved and could not find anything wrong with any of those retained carcasses. We were glad that we were there because we witnessed some questionable practices when restraining the animals that may have caused the lesions of concern. If we had not been present during the process, we would not have had that information for A&M to include in their investigation.
TEXAS Meat Processing Locations
Texas Department of Health and Human Services
Find a Texas Meat Establishment
Texas Meat Processing Facilities- PDF view
Texas Meat Processing Facilities- EXCEL view
LOUISIANA Meat Processing Locations
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
All Louisiana State Plants- PDF View
Louisiana State Inspected Plants- PDF View
Louisiana Red Meat Slaughter Plants- PDF view
Image above: Grass Fed/finished steer that was aged for 45 days in the processor's cooler. Turned out great! Only lost a little in finished product weight due to trimmings and evaporation. This extra extra long hang time was due to Covid, when they didn't have enough employees! Normally we hang for 21 days.
