The Meat Science Laboratory is an unusual facility to be found in a university setting. It is a small-scale meat packing plant operating under federal meat inspection regulations with the capability to slaughter, cut and process all the major red meat species. The purpose of the laboratory is to provide the means for teaching and research in all aspects of meat science. The Meat Science Laboratory also provides a service facility for the various departments of the University needing to harvest tissue or organ samples from meat animals for their research programs.