15,000-head cattle facility headed to Weld County

California-based Quanah Cattle Co. is planning to build a facility on a one-time Butterball turkey farm in Weld County to raise up to 15,000 calves.

The nearly 82-acre parcel is located near the intersection of County Roads 52 and 55, southeast of Kersey.

The operation plans to purchase Holstein calves from local dairies, raise them up to about 300 pounds, then sell them back to local feed yards.

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Quanah is a subsidiary of J.D. Heiskell & Co., which leased 3,343 square feet of office space in Pelican Point Business Park in Windsor in April.

The facility could be up and running in as little as 12 months, thanks in part to an ordinance passed by Weld Commissioners in 2011 that allows new dairy operations to set up shop more quickly. The ordinance was passed as a result of the location of Leprino Foods cheese plant in Greeley.

It has been estimated that some 60,000 head of cattle will be needed to meet the raw milk needs of the Leprino plant, which opened its first phase in November 2011.