I joined farmers Travis and Misty Howard in breaking ground on a new beef processing facility near Roebuck, South Carolina, in Spartanburg County.

• The new facility will quadruple their processing capacity.  
• Will support between seven and 10 new jobs.
• Will have the capacity to process up to 35 head of cattle per week.
• The Howards already operate a facility in Pauline that they plan to convert to process pork and poultry.
• The Howards intend for the new plant to be a USDA-inspected facility, which mean products made there could be sold to both in-state and out-of-state customers.
• In addition to beef cuts, Knockout will offer custom smoked products like summer sausage, snack sticks, and jerky.
• The facility will incorporate a storefront as well as a venue for butchery and agriculture education.

The Howards’ $2.6 million investment is supported by a $600,000 grant from SCDA.

• One of seven beef processing projects receiving funding as part of a round of $3.4 million in grants announced in March 2023.

• 2022 economic impact study commissioned by SCDA found significant unmet demand for local agricultural products in South Carolina.
• COVID-era supply chain disruptions also highlighted the need to decentralize meat processing.

Expanding small processing in South Carolina will create more opportunities for small, in-state facilities to serve the state’s farmers and consumers.

• More than 700 farmers in South Carolina raise beef.
• This project will allow more of them to raise their animals to maturity and have them processed in the state.