News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The push for more farm to table beef is getting a boost in Tennessee.
A 6,000 square foot custom meat and processing plant will be built in Van Buren County by June, 2021. A&H Custom Meat and Processing Co-Owner Barry Austin, said he expects to pour concrete in the next two to three months
“Local raised beef stays in our area, so really you’ll know what you get, every beef we get I’ll be able to tell you exactly where it came from and all our beef will be raised and grown in the state of Tennessee,” Austin said.
The plant will be built in the Spencer Industrial Park. Austin said ten employees will work in the facility.
Austin said the local plant should solve one problem for local farmers. Currently, farmers must send their beef off before it can be sold.
“Most of the cattle raised now, when their approximately 600 or 700 pounds, they’re shipped out west and sent into feed lots and raised up and then they’re shipped back her in the form of meat,” Austin said.
Meat that’s raised locally can be brought to A&H to be processed and resold at the facility in Van Buren County. Austin said he cannot give specifics yet, but that local restaurants are looking into buying the local beef. Once A&H has their USDA certification, Austin said they can sell to local groceries as well. People who raise cattle locally can get their beef processed as well.
A&H Custom Meat and Processing will receive a grant from the Agriculture Enterprise Fund for the plant project. These state grants go to businesses who show they can have an impact on local farms and access to markets.
