ABERDEEN, SD – Cattle producers are anxiously awaiting the opening of Northern Beef Packers packing plant in Aberdeen, SD, according to the Bismarck Tribune.

Some producers think they could cut shipping costs in half by selling their cattle there. The plant is 95 percent complete and, barring complications, the company plans to open by late spring, said Laure Swanson, director of marketing.

When Northern Beef Packers opens its plant, it will shorten the journey to other plants by at least 300 miles and drop the cost of shipping to an estimated $30 per calf. The plant will start by killing 200 cattle a day. At full capacity it will be able to kill 1,500 in one shift. A second shift could be added, bringing kill capacity to 3,500.