This grant project will expand the falls meat service, INC facility and operations to increase capacity for butchering and processing under USDA federal inspection

Falls Meat Service, 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 grant will fund an expansion of the recipient's meat processing facility and operations to increase capacity for butchering and processing under USDA federal inspection. Specifically, the award will double freezer space, increase cooler space, and extend cutting, packaging and retail areas to allow for reorganization of the plant to meet USDA guidelines separating ready-to-eat and fresh products. This expansion is intended to gain efficiencies, strengthen safe handling, and increase production capacity. The modernization is also expected to directly benefit area farmers and consumers by doubling the recipient's weekly butchering and processing capacity to better meet local demand for locally processed meat.

This will gain efficiencies and safety as well as positive impacts for producers and consumers. To begin, this project will double our freezer space, increase coolers and extend cutting packaging and retail spaces. This will allow for reorganization within our plant to align with USDA federal inspection guidelines. We do not currently have the space and layout necessary to meet the USDA guideline of separating ready-to-eat and fresh products by time and space but can achieve this through this project. These changes will benefit our business in the long-run, ultimately increasing efficiency, strengthening safe handling and increasing production. Secondly, this expansion will grow our capacity in butchering/processing. Presently, we are limited by cooler/freezer space, processing the maximum number of animals we can. This expansion will allow US to add a day of butchering each week, doubling our butchering and processing capacity, having a direct impact on local producers and consumers. Area farmers struggle to find places to process and often end up shipping their livestock to auction houses this project will allow farmers to slaughter and process their meat locally. Connected, this will significantly improve the supply chain and access for our local consumers, addressing a large demand for locally processed meat currently going unmet. Likewise, IT keeps dollars in our local economy and community, additionally benefitting local consumers.