Dakota Provisions, a farmers' cooperative, is celebrating the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art turkey processing plant in Huron, S.D., on Saturday, Apr. 22. Governor Mike Rounds and Senator Tim Johnson will be on hand to observe the fruition of a three-year project initiated by a group of 44 independent turkey growers.
Dakota Provisions is the countrys newest, most technologically advanced meat processing plant and boasts the latest in food safety and processing advances. These include:
- Turkeys are harvested using CAS rather than stunning, which is proven to be less physically taxing, making for a higher quality end product.
- Turkeys are cleaned using a three-stage process; the final stage uses fresh water.
- The raw and ready-to-eat sides of the plant are completely separated for maximum food safety.
Situated on 114 acres two miles east of Huron, S.D., the 150,000 square foot production facility is designed to process more than 8 million turkeys per year more than 320 million pounds of live weight annually. The operation currently employs 400 personnel, and is expected to grow to more than 1,000 employees in four years.
For more information on Dakota Provisions, go to www.dakotaprovisions.com.
