Tanana Valley Meats in Alaska receives nod to process meat

Tanana Valley Meats in Alaska has received a go signal from the US Department of Agriculture last week to begin commercially slaughtering and processing cattle and hogs on which already started on June 23, according to Newsminer.com.

Scott Miller, president of Agricultural Investors LLC--the investment group that took over the struggling plant about a year ago-- said the first processed cattle will be a load of Delta barley-finished cattle yielding all-natural beef, as well as several hogs. He assured that meat sold from the plant is free of growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics.

Miller is among 18 private investors who purchased Tanana Valley Meats, formerly known as B-Y Farms, when the business closed in 2007 due to financial challenges. The investors have been working for the past year to upgrade the plant and renew its USDA certification.

In addition to Tanana Valley Meats, the only other USDA-certified butchering plant in Alaska is Delta Meat & Sausage Co. in Delta Junction.