News

Iowa beef plant says ARPA funds makes government have ‘real skin in the game’

The founder of a producer-owned beef processing plant headed to Western Iowa says he will apply for federal funding to help get the facility online.

CEO of Cattlemen’s Heritage Chad Tetinger tells Brownfield access to capital is the biggest barrier to entry. “It’s a huge, huge deal. $450 million all in to build is a big number.  Anytime the government is willing to put some real skin in the game to help us I think is a benefit to all of the family farms out here.  I think it’s a huge benefit.”

He says planning is about 75 percent complete and he’s on schedule to break ground late this spring south of Council Bluffs. Tettinger says the plant will process 400,000 head of cattle per year.

He says he hopes to receive partial funding through the American Rescue Plan Act in the forms of grants and loans that are designated to expand processing capacity for small and medium sized processors. “I think they’re great programs. These programs are exactly designed for what we’re doing out here today. And that is increasing capacity in the Midwest, which in my opinion all along has been our issue.  We need more capacity.  We’re right on the edge of how many cattle we can process a day.”

He says he’s also meeting with producers in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota who are showing interest in the project.