The Food and Agriculture Investment Program grant was approved by the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development. Byron Center Meats will receive $70,000 to construct a new cold storage facility.
Co-owner Laura Sytsma says the new unit is much needed.
“So we work with six are harvesters that are harvesting animals for producers and then those animals need to hang and age properly before they are cut and we in our plant here in Byron Center have run out of room.”
The family-owned meat processing plant and market has been in operation for nearly 78 years and specializes in partnering with local livestock producers to custom process their meats to meet the growing demand for locally sourced protein.
Sytsma says consumers want to be connected to their food choices now more than ever.
“The choices are endless here in West Michigan if you’re looking for grass-fed beef or organic beef or traditional-fed beef, there are producers raising all of those things and so we hope to just keep providing support and be able to process more beef for our customers.”
Sytsma says this is the third grant they’ve received from the state since 2017. Along with the new cold storage unit, four new job positions will be added to their operation.
