LOGANTON, PA. – Nicholas Meat updated the progress on a new cattle barn the beef processor is building in Loganton. The processor broke ground on the facility in 2022 and expects to complete construction this year.

Slotted floors will be covered with Animat’s Maxgrip rubber flooring system to cushion animals’ hooves. Water tanks are in place to provide animals with continuous access to water.

An automatic flushing system will periodically wash animal waste through the slots and transfer it to a dewatering system under the floor.

Additionally, an advanced climate control system that utilizes waste heat from the refrigeration system will heat the barn during the winter.

Nicholas Meat is building the new barn to focus on animal husbandry, food safety, sustainability and improving efficiencies. The company believes the new barn will help streamline intake of cattle at the plant — unloading times will decrease, and cattle will spend less time in trailers. Once completed, the barn will have the potential to hold 1,000 head of cattle and enable delivery of animals 24 hours a day while being housed comfortably.

“Through technology and conservation, Nicholas Meat already uses 50% less water on a gallons-per-head basis than industry standards and we envision recovering and reusing up to 90% of our water in the future,” said Brian Miller, Nicholas Meat director of sustainability.