MILLS COUNTY, IOWA – Construction is set to begin in spring of 2022 on the new federally inspected Cattlemen’s Heritage beef processing facility in Mills County, Iowa. The $325 million plant should be operational by late 2023 and is expected to process 1,500 head a day and employ 750 workers.
Cattlemen’s Heritage is a newly formed investor-owned corporation led by Chad Tentinger, founder and owner of TenCorp Inc., a cattle industry construction firm. Tentinger is also an Iowa cattle producer. He said the goal of Cattlemen’s Heritage is to help young farmers get started in the cattle business.
“Creating more economic value to Iowa agriculture and the state’s livestock industry will help bring the next generation back to the farm,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “This is important for the success and sustainability of the ag community and our state’s economy.”
The plant will be located on the Mills-Pottawattamie County line in western Iowa. During the construction portion, the project will provide more than 3,300 jobs in the area and will have an economic impact of $6.4 million.
“This facility will provide another market access for Iowa’s cattle producers with hopes of boosting cattle prices through competition and giving the state a needed economic boost for agriculture and the local area,” said Matt Deppe, chief executive officer of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. “We look forward to having continued conversations with the Cattlemen’s Heritage group and how they can help our state’s cattle producers.”
At startup in 2023, the plant will harvest about 800 head per day for the first several months before ramping up to full capacity at 1,500 head per day by the end of the first year.