Enterprising Wyo. cattlemen ready to start packing ’em in

POWELL, Wyo. – If the wishes of a coalition of cattlemen are granted, the state of Wyoming will soon have its first U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved meatpacking plant.

“We want to build a USDA plant that is certified to process organic and natural beef along with conventional beef,´ said Rod Morrison, director of Rocky Mountain Custom Cuts, the brand under which the organic and natural beef will be sold. “We have 700,000 head of cattle in this state and we don’t have a USDA plant.”

Wyoming cow-calf producers must now ship their live animals to Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and Iowa for processing.…