Mayor Patrick Collins has advised citizens that the proposed beef packing plant to be located in a designated business park was infeasible due to space limitations.
According to the promoters of the project, the plant would have cost $1.1 billion and employed 2,500.
During the past year a number of plants have been either proposed or are in an advanced stage of design including:
- Sustainable Beef, in cooperation with Walmart in North Platte, NE.
- Wholestone Pork plant for Sioux Falls, SD.
- Tyson expansion in Amarillo, TX.
- Western Legacy Development Corp., location to be determined
- Producer Owned Beef, Amarillo, TX.
It is questioned whether all of the proposed projects will reach completion. If ground is broken on any plant during the fourth quarter of 2022, the facility should come on line during 2024 at a time when availability of slaughter stock will be limited due to current drought-related herd depletion.
Apart from the Walmart-Sustainable Beef project, any new plant will have to compete for available customers against the established “Big Four” packers.