Attendees receive information from the development team during the Sept. 18 tour of the Colusa meat processing facility. Photo courtesy of Community Development Services

COLUSA, CA (MPG) - Construction continues on a livestock processing facility at the Colusa Industrial Park, with the first phase nearing completion and initial test harvesting planned for October.

Colusa Industrial Properties hosted the final public tour under its current California Jobs First grant Sept. 18, giving participants a look at progress on the facility at 7295 Industrial Way.

The project is being developed as a U.S. Department of Agriculture- and California Department of Food and Agriculture-certified processing facility for cattle, swine, sheep and goats.

Phase one includes a 3,600-square-foot harvesting facility with 1,000 square feet of chiller space.

Andy Lucas of Community Development Services, who prepared the project update, said the facility is intended to expand processing options for small and mid-sized livestock producers throughout Northern California.

Attendees tour the chiller space Sept. 18 at the Colusa meat processing facility. Photo courtesy of Community Development Services

According to Lucas, producers in the region can face long transportation distances, processing delays and limited access to federally inspected facilities. He said additional regional processing capacity could help reduce those burdens while giving producers more flexibility in how livestock is processed and marketed.

Once operational, the facility could also give producers greater access to markets that require USDA inspection.

Lucas said processing animals closer to where they are raised could reduce transportation costs, animal stress and weight loss while helping producers retain more value from each animal.

The project has received support through Catalyst grant funding from the California Jobs First program and We Prosper Together, a regional economic development collaborative that includes Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.

During the grant period, Community Development Services conducted outreach with Latino, Muslim, Sikh and Hmong communities throughout the region.

Lucas said the outreach was intended to connect producers and consumers with the development team and help guide future planning for the facility.

Site map and rendering show the planned layout of the Colusa meat processing facility at the Colusa Industrial Park. Photo courtesy of Community Development Services

Project organizers also expect the facility to support related businesses, including butcher shops, carnicerias and other businesses involved in processing and marketing locally raised livestock.

Lucas said smaller regional processing facilities can offer more flexibility for producers who market one or a few animals at a time compared with larger systems designed around higher volumes.

He also said local processing could help strengthen the regional food supply by reducing bottlenecks and keeping more agricultural spending within the region.

Tours of the Colusa facility have drawn livestock producers, community organizations, farm bureaus, fair boards, government representatives, business owners, educators, students and consumers, according to the project update.

With the first phase nearing completion, the facility is moving toward operational testing. Initial test harvesting is scheduled for October.

Additional information about the processing facility is from Colusa Industrial Properties at www.cipcorp.com or by calling 530-458-2118.