McKenzie County residents become new owners of Williston meatpacking facility
McKenzie County residents become new owners of Williston meatpacking facility
There’s a lot of work that goes into preparing the meat you’ll see at a grocery store, and it all starts on ranches like CJ and Calli Thorne’s near Watford City. They partnered with their neighbors, Luke and Courtney Taylor, to purchase Yellowstone River Beef, a meatpacking facility south of Williston. It became official in May.
“We’re literally the farm — the beginning — to the fork, and so, trying to understand the processing side, we’ve got a good understanding, but it’s a lot to learn and grow just as business owners,” said Calli Thorne, co-owner.
Their purpose in purchasing the USDA-inspected facility is to keep processing nearby and shorten the wait times for ranchers.
“I think having this facility and putting the focus back on the local farmers and ranchers and custom cutting is going to make a big difference for the people in the area to get their beef processed,” said Luke Taylor, co-owner.
With a slaughter and disposal fee, ranchers bringing their livestock to Yellowstone River Beef are able to sell their products across state lines.
“We’d love for people to come out, meet us, check out the place, and have an understanding that it’s pretty unique that all the beef, all the cattle are from around here, which makes the beef about as fresh as you can get it,” said Calli Thorne.
The Thorne’s beef is sold on-site through their retail space, located at 6 East Dakota Parkway. They also sell at Scenic Sports in Williston and Sayetsitty Coffee in Watford City.
Calli Thorne says she predicts they can hang about 60 to 70 head a week at Yellowstone River Beef.
This article was originally published by KFYR. You can read the original story here.
