LPCA back to processing following warranty work

After opening in late August, the Livestock Producers Co-operative Association (LPCA) plant, the local meat processing facility in the Odessa Industrial Park, has received the final “Grant of Inspection” from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).

“We have been working hard to meet this milestone and are ready to roll full speed in 2014,” said General Manager Darren Summers.

The design/build contractor for the plant, Garco Construction, was on site from January 13 to 24, following up on warranty work to the floors in both processing rooms and the offal room, as well as installing a more efficiently cleaned drain in the abattoir, according to LPCA board of directors secretary Sue Lani Madsen. This step has made cleaning easier, and everything is now sterilized every day, added Sue Nichols of the office staff at the plant.

LPCA staff made good use of the two weeks of down time for staff training and a few other projects around the plant. Processing operations resumed on January 27, with 23 head of cattle and sheep processed that week. To date, customers have come from Oregon, as well as Chelan, Methau, Yakima and Moses Lake in Washington.

Non-members of LPCA are reminded that they can also use the plant’s services, although members receive preferred scheduling. All producers have a choice of custom-exempt services or processing under USDA retail protocols for access to broader markets. Interested persons can contact the Odessa plant at 509-982-0115 for more information on pricing and to schedule services.

Wade King, one of the founding members of the cooperative and most recently serving as treasurer on the LPCA board of directors, resigned at the end of 2013 to focus attention back on his own enterprises.

“Wade and Teresa King have put a tremendous amount of time into the co-op. We would not be where we are today without their dedication,” said LPCA board president Willard Wolf. The board has named Sue Lani Madsen, past president of the LPCA, to the position of secretary/treasurer until the annual meeting of the members in March.

The annual meeting will take place in Odessa at the town’s community center on Friday, March 28, with a menu featuring all types of meat processed at the plant – beef, pork, lamb and goat.

For more information, contacet Sue Lani Madsen, secretary/treasurer to the board of directors 509-236-2311 or Darren Summers, general manager at 509-982-0115.