ROSEBURG, Ore. — The need for upgraded or new meat processors in Oregon was a major topic of discussion when Lauren Henderson spoke to ranchers at a recent Douglas County Livestock Association breakfast meeting.

“We have meat processing deserts in our state,” said Henderson, deputy director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “We want to find businesses that want to get into the meat business. State meat processing is an issue.”

Henderson explained the state is aware there is not a large meat processing facility in Oregon, resulting in commercial livestock producers having to truck their animals hundreds of miles to out-of-state facilities. He added many Oregon areas also don’t have facilities to deal with custom slaughtering, butchering and wrapping of meat for owners of a few head of livestock or for hunters with wild game.

“I’m focused on getting more meat processors in the state,” Henderson told the Douglas County livestock owners.

On the bucket list

In an ODA Aug. 1 news release, Henderson said, “Developing and implementing a state meat inspection program has been on my bucket list since the mid-’80s. Over the years, Oregon’s meat producers have been telling us about the few in-state options for processing, and the pandemic made it so much worse.

“Ranchers were facing 18-month wait times to process their livestock; we knew that was unacceptable. The industry and the legislature stepped up and helped us create a program that can grow with the needs of Oregon’s meat processors.”

In 2021, the Oregon legislature allocated $2 million to help upgrade meat facilities in the state. There were 44 applications from businesses requesting a portion of that money. Six of the applicants received funding to help their businesses.

Henderson said the number of applications was a strong indicator that the state’s meat processing industry needed assistance. Earlier this year, the Oregon legislature responded by appropriating another $9 million to ODA to support the state’s meat inspection program and to aid businesses that are working to process and sell meat products in Oregon.

Money available

In addition to the earlier applications, more requests for funding will be accepted through the end of this year, according to Henderson.

“That $9 million can help with building infrastructure for meat processing or it can be used to double the size of a facility or to expand freezer space,” Henderson said. “Most of it will be used to enhance existing facilities to meet USDA and state requirements.”

Colton Gow, a central Douglas County rancher, said meat processing has become more of an issue because people “are coming back to wanting to know where the meat comes from, how it’s raised, killed and processed.”

Long trip to processor

Gow trucks his market cattle on a six-hour drive from Roseburg, Ore., to a Boardman, Ore., feedlot to be finished and then it’s another two-hour drive to a meat processing facility in Toppenish, Wash.

Gow and Henderson admit there is not enough volume of livestock in Southern Oregon to financially support a major meat processing facility that would benefit a large livestock operation. The bigger need is having meat shops that will process a few animals annually from multiple owners and wild game from hunters.

“I don’t know all the underlying issues and I understand we’re not a mecca for finishing and processing cattle here, but I think there’s enough of a supply to have some facility here, to have it process animals two to three days a week,” Gow said.

“We’re probably on the right track, investing in meat facilities,” he added. “I want to make sure those dollars are spent in a way to help locally. If there is something that would benefit us here in Douglas County, I’d be willing to help it come to fruition.”

Henderson said the state meat inspection program is in its infancy, but the goal is for it to benefit small livestock producers so there are more meat facilities to process their animals.