This award provides funding to Watauga County to support efforts to construct a livestock slaughter and processing center located in Watauga County that will serve producers from several western North Carolina counties, including Ashe, Alleghany, Avery, Caldwell, Mitchell, and Watauga. The livestock processing center (primarily for beef and pork) is critically needed due to a shortage of local slaughter and processing capacity, with the nearest USDA-inspected slaughter facility a 1-to-2-hour drive from the Watauga County site. Widespread shortages of meat during the COVID-19 shutdown revealed how fragile the meat production system is, even without disruptions to energy and transportation systems. Watauga County will lease the facility to Watauga Butchery which will operate the facility under USDA inspection. The slaughter facility will serve an estimated 500 producers. Watauga County has committed a two-acre site and will provide support for site development. Golden LEAF dollars will be used for building construction and publicly owned infrastructure.
