Highlands County has traditionally been one of the top producing beef counties in the state. Soon it is expected to have its own slaughter house and meat processing facility.
That's after the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners gave an enthusiastic nod to Wabasso Farms plans to convert 10 acres of its several hundred acres of ranching area into a slaughter house and meat processing facility.
The new project would also allow for a butcher-shop type of farmer’s market on the property for the public to buy locally sourced meat and dry goods.
Family member of the farm Luke Dickens said the operation will start off modestly with the slaughter of 10 to 20 cows a day. Depending on the need there may be goats, sheep and pigs slaughtered too, he said.
County Commissioner Kevin Roberts said he looks forward to being able to shop for freshly cut meat the future slaughter house shop.
He said, "I love the fact that we do this locally. ... This is a big deal. In fact, I'm surprised it wasn't done before. Think about the expense of having to haul all that cattle out of the area."
Dickens said he’s hoping that the animals raised locally by youngsters participating in the county fair can come to his facility for slaughter as opposed to being sent to north Florida and south Georgia.
"We would definitely have the capability of handling the livestock from the fair, and that's something we're definitely interested in and engaging with the fair and additional fairs from other counties as well," he said. "We want to serve our own interest and grow our own retail brand, but we also want to help out the community. If there's any other ranchers in the area that are looking to sell their own meat, we're open to helping them."
In addition to supporting local agriculture, Dickens said the new slaughter and processing facility will create local jobs.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
