2
Project
Team:
• Daniel
R.
Robles;
PE,
MBA,
Director
of
Coengineers,
PLLC,
A
professional
engineering
and
business
analysis
corporation
located
in
the
State
of
Washington
• John
Harper,
under
contract
to
Coengineers,
University
of
California
Cooperative
Extension
Mendocino
&
Lake
Counties
California
• Dr.
Robert
Needham;
Project
Manager
and
advisor
to
the
Salmon
Valley
Meat
Processing
Cooperative,
• Salmon
Valley
Meat
Processing
Cooperative
Steering
Committee,
representing
the
towns
of
Challis,
Salmon,
and
MacKay
Idaho
Reference
As:
Robles,
D.R.
2014;
Feasibility
Study;
Meat
Processing
Facility,
Salmon
Valley
cooperative,
Challis,
Mackay,
Salmon
Idaho.
Community
Engineering
Services,
PLLC
and
adaptations
of
the
following
works
by:
(1)
Hardesty,
S
and
J.
Harper
2013
University
of
California
Cooperative
Extension;
Mendocino
County
Meat
Plant
Study
–
Staying
Local;
Public
Domain
per
U.S.
Department
of
Commerce
Award
No.
07
79
06702;
(2)
University
of
Idaho:
Strategies
to
Increase
Prosperity
For
Small
Farms
Through
Sustainable
Livestock
Production,
Processing
And
Marketing
2014.
(3)
Oklahoma
State
University,
Dr.
Rodney
Holcomb,
Templates
for
meat
plant
feasibility
studies.
Acknowledgements:
Community
Engineering
Services,
PLLC
is
especially
grateful
to
the
general
openness
and
spirit
of
collaboration
among
small-‐scale
food
producers
who
contributed
generously
to
this
report.
A
large
volume
of
data,
information,
knowledge,
innovation,
and
wisdom
was
readily
and
openly
available
from
hundreds
of
groups
and
researcher
who
have
tried
many
different
ways
to
achieve
the
ideal
of
small-‐scale
meat
plant
production.
We
offer
a
special
thanks
to
John
Harper
from
the
University
of
California
Extension
for
consulting
to
this
project.
His
deep
knowledge
and
experience
in
ranching
a
meat
processing
was
the
ideal
compliment
to
our
engineering
and
operations
focus.
His
prior
work
in
California
was
a
near
perfect
match
upon
which
to
base
a
feasibility
document
for
his
neighbors
in
Salmon
Valley,
Central
Idaho.
The
following
list
is
not
exhaustive
since
these
people
all
cite
the
experience
of
those
who
came
before
them,
and
in
many
cases,
they
cite
each
other’s
work.
The
small
meat
processing
movement
is
blessed
with
a
true
spirit
of
collaboration.
Island
County
Cooperation
Puget
Sound
Meat
Processing
Co-‐op
CPoW
Livestock
Processors
Coop–Odessa
WA
Taos
Economic
Development
Corporation
University
of
California,
Extension
Svcs
Polar
King
Industries
Mike
Callicrate;
Ranch
Foods
Direct
TriVan
Conversions
3
CONTENTS:
Project
Team
2
Reference
as
2
Acknowledgements
2
Contents
3
Executive
Summary
5
Introduction
9
Analysis
and
Demand
For
USDA
Processing
10
General
Trends
in
Local/Specialty
Meat
10
Demand
for
local
Meat
Processing
11
Livestock
Production
in
Central
Idaho
12
Rancher
Survey
of
Potential
Utilization
16
Cooperative
Business
Structure
17
What
Works
/
What
Doesn’t
17
Case
Studies
20
Island
Growers
Farmer’s
Cooperative
20
Taos
County
Research
Institute
22
Mike
Callicrate
MPU
23
Puget
Sound
Meat
Producers
Cooperative
26
Cooperative
Processors
of
Washington
29
Mendocino
County
Feasibility
Study
30
SVC
Plant
Requirements
32
USDA
Regulations
32
Wastewater
Management
33
Composting
and
Rendering
34
SVC
Plant
Options
36
Three
Phase
Approach
40
Option
A;
Phase
1
40
Option
A;
Phase
2
42
Option
A;
Phase
3
44
Option
B
45
Risk
Assessment
and
Mitigation
47
Degree
of
Processing
48
Site
Selection
51
Coop
Shared
Responsibility
52
Summary
Conclusion
54
APPENDIX
A:
Position
Descriptions;
Management/Staff
51
APPENDIX
B:
Financials;
Worksheets
62
APPENDIX
C:
Additional
Case
Studies
78
APPENDIX
D:
Meat
Processors
In
Idaho
84
APPENDIX
E:
Resources,
Training,
And
Consultants
87
Bibliography
91
