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The Midwest Cattleman · October 5, 2023 · P36
PACKER the cattle they supply and a environmental impact of the definitely. A source familiar
continued from page 35 share of the profits from the project. with the operation told Drov-
plant. ers rising construction costs
in early 2025. A timeline of Missouri Prime Beef and the declining availabili-
the project underscores the American Food Group Polk County, Mo. | 500 ty of cattle prompted parent
complexity of such a venture. Warren County, company National Beef to
Sustainable Beef CEO David Mo.|2,400 Missouri Prime Beef pause the project.
Briggs told Nebraska Public began operating in 2021 and
Media earlier this year that American Foods Group was recently acquired by POTENTIAL HEAD-
Nebraska ranchers and cat- (AFG) broke ground in Sep- STX Beef Co., (formerly Sam WINDS
tle feeders began organizing tember 2022 on an $800 mil- Kane Packing) Corpus Chris-
in 2020. From that point it lion facility, roughly 50 miles ti, Texas. Each of the eight new ven-
took 18 months, 18 public from downtown St. Louis. tures is unique in its own
hearings and seven different The facility will have a daily Cattlemen’s Heritage way, though all aim to pro-
public agencies for the proj- capacity of 2,400 head and Beef Co. duce high-quality beef in a
ect to gain government ap- will be capable of processing Mills County, Iowa | 1,500 sustainable manner. They
proval. cows and fed cattle. AFG is also aim to be more efficient
currently the nation’s largest Cattlemen’s Heritage Beef and more environmentally
Producer Owned Beef cow packer, processing about Company is a planned $520 friendly. Yet none can escape
Amarillo, Texas | 3,000 21% of U.S. beef and dairy million project on 132 acres. the glaring realities that all
cows with daily capacity of Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack vis- beef packers will face the
In Amarillo, dirt work has 5,550 head at four locations. ited in June to deliver a $25 next few years.
begun at an 1,108-acre site AFG has come under re- million grant from USDA as Chief among those chal-
east of the city by a group cent scrutiny from local res- part of an initiative to boost lenges is the shrinking cattle
of Texas ranchers and cat- idents voicing concerns to competition in the meatpack- herd in the U.S. and how well
tle feeders. Producer Owned the Missouri Department ing industry. startup packers can compete.
Beef is touted as a $670 mil- of Natural Resources about That fact becomes even more
lion state-of-the art beef pro- the meatpacker’s plan for Iowa Premium pronounced as cowherd pro-
cessing facility to “rebalance processing wastewater from Tama, Iowa |1,300 duction efficiency improves,
the scales for producers.” the slaughterhouse. The says John Nalivka, president,
The cattle producer owners comments are part of a pub- Construction on the 1,300 Sterling Marketing, Inc.,
will receive a percentage lic record being compiled by head per day expansion of Vale, Ore.
of wholesale beef prices for regulators as they assess the Iowa Premium is on hold in- “Production efficiency is a
