<b>By MEGGIE I. FOSTER<br>
Assistant Editor</b> </p><p>

NORTH VERNON, Ind. — Many Hoosier livestock producers voiced their concerns and difficulty in finding a nearby facility to process animals such as fish, sheep, goats, rabbits, bison and emus during a unique meeting on Nov. 30.</p><p>
The Jennings County meeting boasted nearly 50 attendees including several producers, industry representatives, government and university officials, who listened to an open-ended discussion on the feasibility of building the first public multi-species livestock processing facility in the state.</p><p>
“Our vision is to provide a facility where small scale producers can bring livestock in from a variety of species,” said Roy Ballard, Purdue University extension educator in Hancock County. “We don’t have dollar one to start this. What we need to do is find out if this is feasible and go from there.”</p><p>
According to Ballard, the project began from dreams voiced out loud during a Ways to Grow and Beyond steering committee meeting. Several months later, the committee received a Rural Business Opportunity grant, provided by the USDA Rural Development.</p><p>
Today, the project is managed by Historic Hoosier Hills and seeks professional guidance from Consultant Kathy Altman of Agri-Business Consulting of Monticello, Ind. Altman is in the midst of conducting a feasibility study regarding the potential for success for a multi-species livestock processing facility.</p><p>
“We’re hoping to put together a series of local meetings, talking to local producers to see where they would need a facility such as this and what kind of numbers we might be looking at,” said Altman. “We have identified a piece of territory in southern Indiana within a 100-mile radius of Scottsburg. The area won’t be much farther than 50 miles of Scottsburg.”</p><p>
She added that if a facility is to be built, it would most likely be near Scottsburg.</p><p>
During the meeting, Altman identified the basic concept of the idea – to build a facility to process animals, where livestock producers can increase profitability, increase the number of animals they raise and “give a viable option for small producers to raise livestock on a small piece of land.”</p><p>
Several producers weighed in, including Darrel Kiefner, who operates the Australian Connection Emu Ranch in Vincennes, Ind.
Kiefner believes a multi-species processing facility would “do our industry a great justice,” he said, detailing the continual decline of the emu population in the state of Indiana. He blames the decline of emus squarely on the lack of a processing facility in Indiana.</p><p>
“We used to be able to process our birds in Haubstadt, but now I have to drive at least 400 miles to either Alabama or Texas,” he explained. “If we had a place to process, it would give us a tremendous chance to rebuild our suffering industry.</p><p>
“Producers with rabbits, fish, geese and ducks could really use a facility like what we’re talking about here today.”</p><p>
Adam Moody, who owns Moody Meats and Lone Pine Farms in southern Montgomery County, encouraged Altman and the study facilitators to meet with more producers in the state and find out what current processing facilities are available for small-scale producers.</p><p>
Current processing facilities</p><p>

Continuing the discussion, State Veterinarian Bret Marsh of the Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) talked about what kind of impact a multi-species livestock processing facility would have on the state and what type of regulatory guidelines would need to be met.</p><p>“We’ve had many inquiries over the years from people who want to start a multi-species livestock processing plant in Indiana,” said Dr. Marsh. “One thing we’ve seen success in is encouraging producers to utilize what already works. Right now we have 99 inspected plants, 57 of which slaughter, that are privately owned facilities open for business.”</p><p>
Marsh said “all the money is spent on the front end,” when building a new facility, “so in the end there is not enough left over for operating and marketing, this is just what I’ve seen.”</p><p>
“I would encourage you to look at existing facilities in the state, at least to get the process started,” he added.</p><p>
According to Altman, one of the biggest challenges in establishing a multi-species livestock processing facility besides finances and operating costs is coordinating a schedule based on a number of different species. Altman said she hopes to conclude the study by the end of February.</p><p>
Kiefner, who manages a small herd of emus, hope that the feasibility study will also take a look at building a federally inspected facility as opposed to a state-inspected facility.</p><p>
“Because if we have a federally inspected plant, we can ship our product across state lines,” he confirmed. “And we will have even more ways to market our product, especially for those of us who live close to states like Illinois and Kentucky.</p><p>
Paul Dieterlen, who is recently retired as the director of the meat and poultry inspection division at BOAH, said that there are currently three federally inspected plants in Indiana.</p><p>
“Even though our inspection guidelines are just as stringent, only federally inspected facilities are designed for interstate shipping. The places we supply service to around here are small businesses,” he said.