The Wyoming Business Council has engaged a consulting firm to study the prospect of opening a long-discussed second USDA-inspected meat processing plant in the state.
The group has hired Ady Advantage to research and report on the current Wyoming beef value chain, prepare a case study on workforce issues, and present several potential business models for such a plant. Work is expected to begin this month and a presentation is scheduled for late February on what it will take to build the second USDA-certified beef processing plant in Wyoming.
The state’s only USDA-approved, full processing facility opened in Cody last year, the result of efforts by Wyoming Legacy Meats and Frank Schmidt of Double Doc Ranch. The lack of in-state capacity has forced cattle produced in Wyoming to be shipped out of state, allowing the processing state to market the beef as a product of the state where it is processed. Wyoming lawmakers passed legislation allowing Wyoming Business Council to look into a new strategy last spring. The study will cost the group $220,000, according to the proposal.
