SHERBURNE – The proposal to build a $20 million meat processing facility in the Town of Sherburne has been approved by the Sherburne and Chenango County planning boards, giving the project clearance over the first of many regulatory hurdles coming down the pike.
All In Meats Business Development Inc., the company behind the project, has also worked with local planning officials to submit an environmental impact assessment which is mandated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) requires sponsoring governing bodies – the Town of Sherburne in this case – to identify and mitigate the significant environmental impact of activity it’s permitting.
All In Meats Business Development is still fine-tuning purchase negotiations to buy and revamp several industrial buildings and land located along County Road 23 in Sherburne (behind Curtis Lumber) with a goal of opening a meat processing plant expected to generate 100-150 jobs. Company spokesmen say hopes are to close on a purchase within the next three to six months.
“The site plan review was unanimously adopted by our town planning board. This is a project that we think will be a good fit for the area,” said Sherburne Town Supervisor Charles Mastro. “They (All In Meats) have some big ideas in their business plan, and they still have a huge uphill battle dealing with agencies like the EPA and the DEC.”
All In Meats is working with Sherburne officials to troubleshoot issues concerning water supply, sewer, and electric for the facility. At full capacity, the company expects to cull 20-plus cows per hour (or approximately 350 large cows per day), the majority of which will be New York State dairy cows. In addition, 50-plus small livestock including lamb, goats and pork would be culled per hour (or approximately 700 per day).
In spite of the layers of red tape to cut through, All In Meats Business Development is making good progress, said CEO Donald Meeker. The company is talking with entities including the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the county Department of Planning and Development to leverage business opportunities and improve connections with local farmers.
“Everything looks positive so far, but we want to be sure that we’re taking the right steps,” Meeker said. “Our first objective is to settle on a deal to own the property, then we will go forward from there.”
All In Meats also has sights on possibly benefitting from the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council which will be vying for state economic development funding against nine other regions in the state later this year. Regional Councils are established to promote long-term strategic plans for economic growth; and with a push to hone in on agriculture this year, Meeker said there are opportunities his company may have to take advantage.
“There couldn’t be a more perfect time for us to get involved,” he said. “Everyone has a farmer’s interest in mind to spur economic growth and we’ll be right in the center of it. We feel we’re such an essential part of it because farmers who want to up their inventory also want to be sure that there’s an exit plan in place in order for them to meet their numbers.”
All In Meats Business Development would be a lead processing facility in New York State, strictly regulated by FDA, USDA, OSHA, EPA, and other state and federal agencies. At present, many farmers pay to have livestock shipped to similar processing facilities in Pennsylvania. According to 2012 U.S. Ag Census data, 90 percent of culled dairy cows, beef cows, hogs and lambs in New York are processed in the Keystone State, bolstering its economy instead of New York’s. An estimated 3,000 dairy cows and 500 beef steers are shipped from New York to Pennsylvania daily.