For years, Greg Wierschke built up the nation’s only mobile, federally approved poultry slaughter unit in the country, processing birds across rural Minnesota.
Now with a $1 million infusion, he’s establishing a halal goat meat slaughterhouse in Willmar, Minn.
“We’ve learned there is a need for goat processing, especially halal [in Minnesota],” said Wierschke, who runs Elk River-based Clean Chickens and Co. with his wife, Rebecca.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday awarded him a $1,026,730 grant, which will provide 30% of the funds to establish a brick-and-mortar halal processing center in Willmar.
Wierschke said some Minnesotans assumed new immigrants to the U.S., including Islamic populations following a halal diet, might quickly lose those dietary restrictions. He said the opposite has been true, as there’s growing demand for fresh halal goat and lamb meat.
“Minnesota has a legacy of welcoming immigrants and taking in refugees,” Wierschke said. “We have a culture that has values, and they’re going to stay here with these values.”
It’s also meant a business opportunity. He estimates the new operation will produce 18 new jobs, and using a nearby rail line, the meat could be available around the country.
This week, the USDA announced $110 million in grants to expand local slaughtering and meat-processing operations. Two Minnesota sites were on the list, including Clean Chickens and the Farmers Union Foundation. The latter received more than $600,000 to establish a modular meat-processing center in Staples, which would work in collaboration with apprentices via Central Lakes College.
