CAVALIER, N.D. -- A regional livestock producer group is about to launch a $1 million campaign to raise capital for a proposed $1.7 million multispecies animal slaughter and processing plant to be built in Cavalier, N.D.
The group already has raised about $100,000, according to Julius Wangler, a Grafton-area livestock producer and chairman of the Pembina-Walsh County slaughter and processing facility committee.
"The support in Cavalier has been real good," he says, adding the group hopes to raise about half of the local investments from each county.
Committee members will begin meeting soon with potential investors. They also plan meetings in Pembina and Walsh counties this year to explain the project in more detail.
The plant will be built on a two-acre site along State Highway 18 in the Cavalier Industrial Park. The group hopes to break ground by spring, with the opening planned for the fall of 2015.
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Cavalier and Park River had been finalists for the project. Cavalier ultimately was chosen because the proposed site already has necessary infrastructure in place.
The plant will process locally grown livestock, including cattle, hogs, bison, elk, sheep and goats for its owners. The limited liability company will have majority ownership by area livestock producers.
The group also plans to sell products to the public, perhaps on-site or through area grocery stores. The products could include ground beef, cured ham, bacon, sausages, jerky, as well as sides, quarters and meat bundles and boxes.
The group intends to apply for a Bank of North Dakota PACE Fund low-interest loan. It already has a commitment from a local bank, which is a program requirement, according to Wangler.
It also plans seek a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development value-added grant to help with initial operating costs, he says.
The Pembina County Job Development Authority approved a motion supporting the project. While the group has not committed any money, it typically provides low-interest loans for such projects, commonly in the form of local matching funds, according to Dawn Keeley, executive director of the Red River Regional Council.
