Construction has resumed at the Northern Beef Packers (NBP) plant near Aberdeen, SD, which officials say will be operational this year. The NBP campus will eventually cover more than 662,500 sq. ft. and include a processing facility, an enclosed stockyard, a rendering and utility building, a loading area and a parking lot. When fully operational, NBP intends to process 1,500 head of cattle/day, or 390,000 head annually.

“The ownership and management team established in late 2009 has spent the past year updating and revising the development, financing, marketing and operational plans for this plant. These changes have allowed us to work through previous financial obligations and move forward with construction,” says NBP President and CEO David Palmer. “Given these positive steps, we expect to start processing cattle in mid to late 2011.”

Richard Benda, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development, says NBP will have the ability to process South Dakota Certified Beef. This could increase demand and bring premium prices for South Dakota beef. The South Dakota Certified Beef program allows meat products to be tracked for age and source verification.

NBP is expected to employ more than 560 people in the next three years, with the additional jobs expected to pump more than $22 million of direct wages and benefits into the Aberdeen economy.
-- NBP release