A small-scale meat processing facility is being proposed to be built just north of Crothersville.
Chad Reynolds wants his White Oak Custom Meats to be built 2.5 acres of land he owns at 11220 E 500 S for the business.
“I’ve seen a need in the area,” he said. He later related that because of COVID-19 and the higher prices of beef and pork in grocery stores, individuals are looking to have their own meat slaughtered and processed. “As a result, there are long waiting lines at existing processing facilities before individuals can get in to have their meat processed,” he said. “Some area processing plants today don’t have openings until sometime in the spring of 2021.”
Reynolds, who lives just across the road from the proposed site, said his business would be a ‘just-in-time’ processor with no more than three to four live animals on premises at a time. He said the turnaround is fairly quick and animals typically aren’t there for any longer than 24 hours.
Reynolds is planning on investing around $300,000 in building and equipment and employ four workers in the beginning.
Initially, Reynolds does not plan to sell meat to the public but he plans to go in that direction in the future by buying from farmers, butchering the meat and reselling it to the public.
The facility would require periodic inspections by USDA, State of Indiana, and Jackson County Health Department to be sure we are in compliance with all food safety regulations, he said.
Last Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Jackson County Plan Commission voted 8-1 to send the proposal with a favorable recommendation to the Oct. 13 Jackson County Board of Zoning Appeals for final approval. Plan Commission member Leon Pottschmidt cast the lone ‘no’ vote
The BZA meeting is set for at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the county courthouse former circuit court room and is open to the public.
The legal notices of Reynolds’ proposed project are found on page 8 of this issue of the Times and online at www.crothersvilletimes.com.
