Local Reaction: Residents Divided Over Arrival of Meat Processing Facility in White Sulphur Springs

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS W.Va. (WVDN) – White Sulphur Springs City Council held their regular zoning meeting recently. The air inside the City Chambers was charged with tension as residents gathered for a pivotal meeting on the proposed establishment of a slaughterhouse in the community. Opposition to the slaughterhouse project reverberated through the room, echoing deep concerns and objections voiced by some residents. However, not all reject the plans.

Mountain Steer Meat Company, owned and operated by Frank Ford and Jamie Tuckwiller, has been in the cattle business for some time now, supplying farm-raised meats to West Virginia. Not only do they supply locally, but several surrounding counties utilize their meats, such as Monroe, Pocahontas and Wyoming, providing premium beef to the schools. They also have clients in Virginia, Montana, Florida and Texas. Ford is a fifth-generation farmer, and Tuckwiller is an eighth-generation.

Throughout the years, they have raised and processed thousands of cattle. USDA-graded beef from the company has graced tables, BBQs, catered events, community events, freezers and school lunches. Their latest endeavor is to introduce a meat processing facility to their establishment which will be located at their current site of business at the corner of Route 92 (Pocahontas Trail) and Route 60 East in White Sulphur Springs.

The company recently won a second-place award of $50,000 for competing in a pitch competition for West Virginia Businesses. They competed against 20 other businesses.

Raised voices, concerns and questions were launched at the young entrepreneurs who calmly answered the queries. Ford said, “We have [slept, ate and dreamed] this business plan for the past four years, and I am willing to be as upfront and honest [as one could be].”

Among the concerns shared by residents were odor, waste management, noise, transport and sanitation. One of the arguments posed by concerned citizens was the fact that the facility would be within the city limits. The business sits within a mile of the city/county line. Directly across the street is a permanent barn and lot (not owned or operated by Mountain Steer) that houses up to 70 head of cattle 24/7 and has been in existence for many years. Ford said, “We’ll have live animals on site, under a roof, on a concrete base floor with fencing to ensure a safe enclosure for the animals, and there’s no chance of escape. These animals will be held on-site for no more than 24 hours.”

Then, there was the concern about the odor of the cattle and the processing. Ford noted he is working very closely with the Department of Environment, the EPA, and the city of White Sulphur where all of these concerns or objectives have been meticulously and scrupulously examined. There will be no more than 15 animals at maximum capacity, be they cows, sheep or pigs, at the facility at one time. They also will not live there. Any animal brought in for processing will arrive and be fully processed within 24 hours. No buildup of waste of any kind will remain at the facility. The actual slaughter will happen once per week only. Any waste will be put into steel containers with lids and locked. The cement floors and rooms will be washed daily with high-temperature water, sanitizer and soap.

Also mentioned was the noise made by the cattle and transport trucks.

Ford’s response was, “A cow’s moo or a sheep’s baa is no louder than a dog’s bark. I haven’t heard any complaints of the cows a hundred yards away and across the road, be it the smell or the noise. [It has never bothered us.] I can walk outside and not smell a thing from that barn ever.”

“And, If you’ve ever sat long enough at the intersection of Route 92 and Route 60 at Pocahontas Trail, the jake brakes from the constant logging trucks will [overpower] any conversation I am having. I cannot control what or who drives through town, but we will only be hauling cattle once per week. The cows sleep at night and will be on-site for 24 hours or less.

“As for the sanitation and disposal of waste and/or blood,” Ford continued. “We will sanitize the cement floors every night. We will use a professionally graded sanitizer, high-temperature water, Dawn Dish Liquid and vinegar. That’s it. The diluted blood will be washed down the drains and processed by the municipal sewage system. No chemicals will enter the water system at any time.”

“There will be no run-off or dumping in any [watershed] or anything more [foreign than human waste] in the public sewer system. Again, any biological waste will be put into steel containers with locks overnight and then taken away to the Greenbrier County Landfill, where they will be properly handled, and they have approved us, as well as any manure. I have given the DDP all the information they’ve asked for when it comes to volume or what will be going into the sewage system, even when it comes to the pH level of bovine blood, which is 4.5. We have also been added as an industrial user per the City of White Sulphur Springs,” Ford said. “We work [very closely] with the water treatment plant, making sure that they know what we know so they can plan for it or they can know what to look for.We are regulated by the Federal Government in all that we do here, and their [restrictions and methods are intense.]I plan on keeping any of our calves or our fat cattle or cows on my personal farm to make sure that they aren’t sitting in White Sulphur for three, four or five days. They will be on my farm until the day before the harvest date. Same way we’ll be scheduling all of our custom processing. You drop off the day before slaughter. Everyone brings their animals that day in the span of [approximately] two hours. We get everybody loaded and unloaded. The next morning all the animals are harvested and put into our holding cooler to be processed the next day. We’ll have live animals on site under a roof on a concrete pad or a concrete base floor with fencing to ensure a safe enclosure for the animals, andthere’s no chance of escape. These animals will be held on-site for no more than 24 hours.”

Tuckwiller and Ford will supply meat processing for the public at the facility, as well. The same responsible harvesting will apply to those animals.

Some individuals were in support of the endeavor saying they supported the efforts of the two farmers. White Sulphur is currently home to a few industrial/commercial businesses, such as the National Fish Hatchery, the Great Barrel Company, Lynch Construction Company, Agsten Construction, and an auto parts store. Only time will tell what the future holds.

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