beef producers plan to build new processing plant

[OldDog/NewTricks]

N.Y. beef producers plan to build new processing plant

By Tom Johnston on 10/18/2010


A group of farmers in New York plan to build a $2 million beef processing plant in Madison County in order to keep profits at home, according to a report by the Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.).

The New York Beef Farmers Cooperative initially plans to build a plant that can handle 5,000 head of cattle per year. That effort recently got a boost with a $750,000 loan from USDA.

If all goes well, the group would expand to a $20 million plant capable of processing 50,000 head of cattle per year, the Post reported.

Due to a lack of processing facilities in New York, most local beef producers send their animals to Pennsylvania slaughterhouses, but transportation costs eat into profits.

New York Beef Farmers Cooperative members plan to brand and sell their beef in local supermarkets, and they would own their products from processing through retail sales, according to the Post.

"Why not do it in New York and keep the money here?" Paul O'Mara, head of the cooperative, was quoted as saying.

 

[BlackCattleRancher]

Good luck. Very few producer led organizations succeed when competing against the monopolies. There is nothing new with producers trying to start their own meat processing business and there are many in the past who have proved it is next to impossible to do on this kind of a scale. More power to them if they can make it go. Too many hands in the pot and greed or desperation put an end to most of them.

 

[PATB]

What are they planning on slaughtering dairy beef? If they could tap into NY city and several other large markets in the state they would stand a chance.

 

[RobertMac]

Trick is to do what the big packers can't...with their market potential, being "local" may be enough!

 

[andybob]

Trick is to do what the big packers can't...with their market potential, being "local" may be enough!

"Local" has become big business here in the UK, traceability and "carbon footprint" being the target for marketing to local towns and cities.

 

[Hay Feeder]

HOPE IT WORKS.
the USDA with be at our county seat for a photo opp the award a United State Depatrment of Agriculture loan for a 18 million dollar addition for our county 100 bed hospital.
Beef producers here were asking for such a loan to build a cow kill plant in this county with a town that has the proper water treatment plant for it and location. However some how it was overlooked for another hosptial addition right after one was just completed two years ago. Thanks to our US Senator. USDA Rural development money for a hospital ????

 

[andybob]

Here is a link to the farm abattoir at Laverstoke, where I work.