CRST to hold grand opening for slaughter house

By Jomay Steen, Journal Staff Writer | Friday, June 18, 2004

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LA PLANT — The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has opened a meatpacking business on its reservation that combines its agricultural roots with future value-added industry.

The tribe will host the grand opening of Pte Hca Ka Inc., a tribally chartered and owned beef and buffalo meatpacking plant, beginning at 11 a.m. today at the plant, 46 miles east of Eagle Butte on U.S. Highway 212.

"We slaughter beef and buffalo," Roy Lemmon, executive director of the plant, said. "Our future plans are to develop a cold-cut jerky plant. Hot dogs and lunchmeat already are processed at Bad River Pack in Pierre."

After receiving its U.S. Department of Agriculture seal of approval on Dec. 16, the plant began operations with one full-time and two part-time workers carving up three animals a week. Now, the plant employs nine times its original workforce and grosses $180,000 a month.

Currently, Pte Hca Ka turns out 50 processed cattle and 12 buffalo a week. The plant is composed of a mobile slaughter unit built in Sweden under a USDA grant, a processing unit and carcass distribution cooler.

Because of the grand opening, Lemmon said the plant would suspend regular operations so people could tour the slaughter and processing units. Staffers will be on hand to answer questions, he said.

Guest speakers at the event will be tribal Chairman Harold Frazier, Pte Hca Ka board of directors president Zach Ducheneaux, Annabel Romero of the USDA and others. A dinner will also be part of the celebration.

The 27 staff members at the plant work either in the processing unit, cutting meat or packing it for storage in the coolers, or in the slaughter unit. In the slaughter unit, nine people work at the kill box, skinning bench, gutting station and the assembly line, where carcasses are split, trimmed, inspected, weighed, quartered and sprayed with lactic acid to reduce harmful bacteria.

"They've got a good little pace going there," Lemmon said.

He said the operation currently delivers processed beef and buffalo to 27 businesses and restaurants in the area, including the Black Hills, Pierre and North Dakota, and as far away as Gila River Casino and Resort in Arizona.

The plant follows USDA regulations to protect against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, Lemmon said . Spinal cords, intestines and brains, which are considered high risk for mad cow, are removed from the carcasses before they are butchered.

Being locally raised ensures the health of the animals, he said.

"We can trace every beef and buffalo back to its original owner," Lemmon said.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.