Executive summaryyetter locker INC. Is a family-owned, very-small slaughter and meat processing facility in the rural community of auburn, iowa

Yetter Locker Inc. received a $200,000 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants – Supplemental Funding program (CFDA 10.180). The funding will support improvements to enable the very small, family-owned slaughter and meat processing facility in Auburn, IA to expand its market into four nearby states through the Cooperative Interstate Shipment program. Specifically, the grant funds will go towards installing a slurry tank to replace the current septic system and ensure compliance with sewer regulations, constructing a new humane animal holding pen meeting FSIS standards, and completing HACCP training and planning to obtain federal inspection approval. These upgrades aim to increase annual sales by $260,000 by enabling interstate shipment while saving 2,190 pounds of meat waste and creating three new jobs over the grant period ending September 2024.

Our custom exempt facility processes animals for more than 500 unique farmers each year. Our retail store on-site is the only source of fresh food within 30 miles. We make our own value-added products and offer every traditional fresh cut for custom or retail buyers. We are looking to grow our market in four nearby states through the cooperative interstate shipment program but currently lack the appropriate environmental waste management, holding pen, and haccp training resources to be accepted into the program. To address this and grow our capacity, we first propose installing a slurry tank to replace our septic system that is currently jeopardizing our sewer license. Next, we propose adding a new holding pen that is fsis compliant and can ensure humane handling while we simultaneously increase our throughput. Finally, we propose completing required haccp training and planning with this project to ensure fsis compliance as we transition into the CIS program. Altogether, we expect these projects will increase our annual sales by $260,000. We also project that this program will let US create 3 new jobs and save 2,190 pounds of meat waste during the grant period. With environmental clearance from the slurry tank and modern equipment, we will also expand our processing capacity by 1,058,400 pounds more than we could without these efforts.