SASKATOON – The Northern Plains Premium Beef project gained almost 700 more supporters and 70,000 more cattle by extending the sign-up deadline by one month.
After more than 2,000 producers in seven U.S. states and Manitoba and Saskatchewan jumped in with commitments to supply a proposed new plant with 275,000 cattle in February, the promoters extended the deadline to the end of March.
There are now almost 2,700 producers with 344,360 head committed to the project, according to Northern Plains spokesperson Ryan Taylor.
“It was definitely a good response,” he said.
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The plant is planned to fill the cattle slaughter void between Nebraska and Alberta. The most enthusiastic response came from producers in the Dakotas, followed by Minnesota and Manitoba.
Taylor said no site has been selected for the plant, and even though the main drive for the plant has come from North Dakota, it won’t necessarily be built there.
No politics
“This will be sited where it makes the most sense for producers, not because of politics,” he said.
One idea being bandied about calls for the group to buy a moth-balled Burns slaughter plant in Brandon, Man.
Plant promoters are now hiring staff to write business and marketing plans. Bitt Patric is chief executive officer. Producers paid a dollar for every head of cattle committed to the project. The money pays for the business plan.
If the project goes ahead, producers who have committed money will have the right to buy equity shares in the producer-owned company.
