HURON – A Feb. 24 announcement by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) could allow a project to move forward in the Huron region that offers local beef processing on the grounds of Huron Continental Marketing (HCM).
Kim Ulmer, who previously ran a similar project with US Beef Producers in Fort Pierre, is the owner of HCM and will have information available Tuesday during regular sales time at HCM at 39763 US Hwy 14 West.
In recent years, the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development has offered low-interest loans to people interested in opening small processing facilities in the state. The USDA announcement last Thursday made $215 million available to expand meat and poultry processing options across the country.
Specifically, $150 million from the program is earmarked for a program called the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, with grants of up to $25 million to expand processing in the country through construction of new facilities, expansion of existing facilities or acquisition of equipment.
Ulmer has assessed the land at HCM and believes the space is suitable for a 100 head per day slaughter capacity facility, and he would like to work with area producers to develop plans for such a facility.
