CONTACT

Michael E. Lundy
The Lundy Group of Companies
315.493.2493
RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE
8/19/16

Local Meat Processing Project Continues To Be Evaluated

Consultant Hired To Provide Detailed Reccomendations.
Earlier this year $50,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Value-Added Producer Grant Program
was awarded to Thousand Island Meats LLC, led by local developer Michael E. Lundy. Mr. Lundy, who
will match the grant with a $50,000 private investment, was awarded the funds to continue to evaluate the
feasibility of a Watertown based $20.6 million, 42,000 square foot meat processing facility (certified by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture), which was first announced in the summer of 2015. The name of the
new meat processing facility and company would be New York Meat Co., LLC. The latest update from
the developer and the Jefferson County Agricultural Department includes the announcement that a portion
of the funds from the grant will be utilized in the hiring of Dakota Global, internationally known food
production and safety experts. Dakota Global's consultants are experts in farm-to-fork production.
They have worked extensively with small and mid-sized facilities like the one proposed and will
be able to provide a comprehensive review as well as a suggested business model based on the
information gathered.
Dakota Global will assist us to further determine the viability of our proposed project,
explained Mr. Lundy. Their expertise in this exact type of operation will help us to answer
specific questions on the supply issues, define markets, a wide variety of operational issues, and
who or what should be the ownership/partnership structure of the organization. The consultant
will even make potential recommendations and reviews of the plants location, and opinions about
possible alternative locations. They will address concerns raised in meetings such as traffic, noise
and odor. Mr. Lundy clearly stated that no decision on the original proposed site or alternative
sites has been made at this point. Jay Matteson, Jefferson County Agricultural Coordinator, who
has been involved with the proposed project since its inception, also added comments to this new
step in the process. Dakota Global was hired because they have a proven track record of both
recommending for, and against, building meat processing plants. We believe a USDA plant is feasible, but
Dakota Globals task is to prove us wrong, or tell us we are right, and why? Then show us how. They
have also been charged with evaluating our vision that our region is capable of more than just being a
small part of the livestock industry, and that we can grow our livestock industry so that we raise our cattle
and dairy animals from calves to harvest; keeping the added value here and benefitting our economy
versus sending the value elsewhere.
Work with Dakota Global consulting services will begin in the next few weeks, and should be completed
before the end of the year.