Poarch Creek Indians Starting Construction On Meat Processing Facility In Atmore

April 8, 2023

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians are beginning construction on a meat processing facility in Atmore. Scheduled to open in the Spring of 2024, it will have the capacity to process up to 125 cattle per week and is expected to create 10-15 full-time jobs.

The tribe is investing $15 million in the state-of-the-art facility as part of its long-term goal to create a model for sustainable food production that will serve tribal members and the general public.

“Alabama cattle producers have expressed the need for additional meat, slaughter and processing facilities for some time,” said Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate. “The opening of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians processing facility will not only help address food supply chain issues but also greatly benefit Alabama cattle producers.”

The Tribe has owned and operated Perdido River Farms since 1992. It is one of the largest cattle farms in Alabama and has plans to expand their production when this new facility is completed.

The project will allow the tribe to harvest and process beef and pork for both livestock producing customers and for retail and wholesale business.

“Like so many other local meat producers, we have had to send the cattle that we raised at Perdido River Farms out of state for processing,” said Stephanie A. Bryan, Poarch Band of Creek Indians chairwoman and CEO. “During the pandemic, we came to see just how unsustainable that model is, and we made a commitment to provide those critical resources close to home. We are excited that our new facility will give us and our neighboring farmers the ability to process locally-raised beef and pork in Atmore. That will make it easier and more cost-effective to bring a wonderful product to market, and it will give Alabama producers an opportunity to be part of the ‘farm to table’ movement that is so important to both consumers and local agriculture.”

Pictured: The current Poarch Band of Creek Indians owned Perdido River Farms. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

6 Responses to “Poarch Creek Indians Starting Construction On Meat Processing Facility In Atmore”

  1. Lawrence Rozolsky on April 9th, 2023 8:44 am

    What a great addition to the area. Would be nice to have fresh beef and pork at prices and quality in Alabama. Wonder if a Kosher beef line could also be established for the populations that keep kosher for any and all reasons.

  2. Michael Wiggins on April 8th, 2023 11:27 pm

    I’m the market/seafood manager at the Fresh Market in mobile.grass feed beef is the most popular and the customer don’t mind the price.i would love to work here instead of driving to mobile

  3. Bobby Lanier on April 8th, 2023 3:31 pm

    I have bought beef from Perdido Farms 3 times. It is great tasting meat. Better than store bought beef. Looking forward to their own processing plant. and meet.

  4. P J Ruth on April 8th, 2023 2:28 pm

    Glad to hear! This will be a great help to many. Will you be processing from individual farms and if so when will you start scheduling dates?
    Thank you so much.

  5. Jlb on April 8th, 2023 11:41 am

    So happy to hear this. Many local farmers will benefit from this.

  6. Elijah Bell on April 8th, 2023 8:23 am

    This is a very positive move by our neighbors in Poarch.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News