Saline River Farms Provides Update on Southern Illinois Beef Processing Initiative

CREAL SPRINGS — Saline River Farms says it is moving forward with its USDA-inspected beef processing initiative in Southern Illinois while adjusting its approach to reflect changing conditions in the national cattle industry.

The project was first announced publicly in late 2022 to expand domestic beef processing capacity and strengthen supply resilience. A public groundbreaking followed in August 2023 with state and federal officials in attendance.

Since then, the company said the U.S. beef sector has continued to shift, driven by herd contraction, processing constraints and volatility in supply and transportation. In response, Saline River Farms said it has refined its development plan and is now advancing the project as a vertically integrated operation instead of a single-facility build.

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