Sustainable Beef LLC Breaks Ground in North Platte
Sustainable Beef LLC, the rancher-driven beef processing facility proposed for North Platte, Neb., is one step closer to reality. An official ground-breaking ceremony with local dignitaries and Neb. Governor Pete Ricketts was held Tuesday, Oct. 4.
The 500,000 square-foot plant will have the capacity to process about 1,500 cattle per day and is expected to employ 875 workers and have a $1 billion dollar impact on North Platte’s economy. The plant is expected to be operational in late 2024.
Construction of the plant is estimated to cost $325 million and the state of Nebraska has contributed $20 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The city of North Platte contributed $1 million in forgivable loans to help fund the designs along with $21 million in tax increment financing.
The project also received a boost when Walmart announced Aug. 31 it would acquire a minority stake in Sustainable Beef and have representation on the board of directors. Walmart’s partnership offers the startup access to its large retail food outlets nationwide. Sustainable Beef also committed to following Walmart’s Position on Antibiotics in Animals, which requires suppliers to adopt and implement the American Veterinary Medical Association Judicious Use Principles of Antimicrobials.
“We set out on a journey two years ago to create a new beef processing plant to add some capacity to the industry and provide an opportunity for producers to integrate their business of raising quality cattle with the beef processing portion of the industry and do it in a sustainable manner,” said David Briggs, chief executive officer of Sustainable Beef. “During this journey we found that Sustainable Beef and Walmart aligned on continuing to improve how we care for our animals and crops and provide consumers the positive experience of enjoying quality beef.”
