Meat Lab Allows Student Savings

The Lambert-Powell Meat Lab is a place for Auburn residents to purchase locally grown and sometimes discounted meat.

Amanda Harbison, senior in animal science and employee at the meat lab, said several students visit the meat lab weekly.

"Most are looking for steaks for grilling out," Harbison said.

Other products, including specialty items, are also available at the lab. Different sausages such as chorizo, which is sausage with chili powder added into the meat, are popular products, Harbison said.

Specials featuring a 20 percent discount on different products are offered weekly to all customers. Frozen meat is always 20 percent off regular price.

Harbison said most of the meat and other products at the lab are locally grown.

Typically, the meat lab's pork comes from the Auburn Swine Unit. Some of the lab's beef comes from the Beef Teaching Unit, and the lab's eggs are produced at the Poultry Unit.

Many college students go to the meat lab to purchase meats of all kinds.

Shelby Million, senior in animal science, and Alex Jost, junior in animal science, both said they shop at the meat lab regularly.

Million said she purchases beef, pork and bacon.

Jost said she prefers the beef and eggs.

Both students said they were made aware of the locally grown products in the meat lab in an Introduction to Animal Science class they had.

Million said she is not aware of many students who shop at the lab outside of the College of Agriculture, but she does see several older Auburn residents while shopping.

Social fraternity president Andy Ramsey said his fraternity has purchased bulk amounts of poultry from the meat lab.

Ramsey said he knew the lab served locally grown products, and he was impressed with the variety of meat products available.

"We trusted the quality because it's local, and we believed in the strength of our ag program," Ramsey said. "Our expectations were certainly exceeded."

For further questions, contact Barney Wilborn, the manager of the lab.