Wadena Pioneer Journal
By Nicole Stracek
STAPLES, Minn. — A new chapter in rural economic development and agricultural processing began Friday, June 6, as members of the Minnesota Farmers Union dug their shovels into the ground that will soon feature what they expect to be a state-of-the-art meat processing facility in Staples.
Farmers Union Processing + Meats will be located within the Staples industrial park, at 901 Prairie Ave. NW. The 8,000-square-foot facility will focus on processing beef and pork and is designed to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture compliance standards. Once operational, it is expected to employ up to 15 people and serve as a vital resource for area farmers seeking local, federally inspected processing options.
Members of the Minnesota Farmers Union, along with representatives from Central Lakes College, numerous community leaders, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, were on site for the groundbreaking ceremony.
“This project beautifully illustrates the power of grassroots membership driving action at the state and national level,” said MFU President Gary Wertish.
Highlighting how MFU members initially raised concerns in 2019 about the lack of local meat processing infrastructure, Wertish said those concerns were magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, he said state and federal lawmakers made key investments that helped bring the project to life.
Klobuchar echoed Wertish’s statements while addressing attendees at the groundbreaking ceremony, noting the issue farmers faced during and after the pandemic.
“That’s when it sort of came to my mind how important it was to have more meat processing in general for our farmers and for consumers, and the whole focus of that was to make sure we have competition — that we have big, and that we have small,” Klobuchar said. “We’ve got to make sure. Otherwise, our rural communities are never going to thrive.”
Noting that the initiative involved fellow lawmakers who helped bring funding to the region, including former Sen. Rena Moran and former Sen. Tina Smith, Klobuchar added, “And we really hope that this could be a model as well for the rest of the country, because when I talked about that supply chain issue and not having enough meat cutters, a whole ecosystem, this could be a really good model of how you can get this done and do it smart and get it done in a very short period of time.”
Wertish said MFU is proud to work with partners from across the political spectrum, at all levels of government, and in the private sector, to bring the project to fruition.
“We hope this facility serves as a catalyst for rural economic development in the region,” he said.
Linda Larson, member of the MFU executive committee, said they have been working toward this initiative for the past two years.
“This is really a milestone, and we’re really proud of it,” she said.
In addition to boosting regional meat processing capacity, the facility will partner with Central Lakes College and Ridgewater College to provide hands-on training and internship opportunities for students pursuing careers in butchery and meat processing.
Hy-Tec Construction of Brainerd is leading the $8 million construction project, with Widseth serving as the project architect. Groundwork is expected to begin this month, with a tentative opening set for January 2026.
Additional project partners include Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence, Region 5 Development Commission, United States Economic Development Administration, USDA, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Happy Dancing Turtle, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Farmers Union Enterprises, Farmers Union Industries, Central Telephone Company, and the Small Business Development Center.