The Yellowstone River Biff export business is expanding – Agweek

WILISTON, N.D. – The Yellowstone River in Wilson is expanding the plant to meet the growing demand for meat.

The Yellowstone River Biff, a plant controlled by the US Department of Agriculture, processes beef from North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana and exports to Asia and the Middle East.

We are a beef exporter in North Dakota. We are not big, but we work fairly. ”
Trevor Abel, CEO of Yellowstone River Biff.

The owners of the company, Abel, Jamie Acidius, and Brandon Forsett, opened the plant in July 2019 and bought cattle from local brewers.

Ann Bailey / Agweek

The Yellowstone River Meat Expansion will be an additional 10,000 feet processing plant. Each of the company’s five projects will include a 40,000-pound flash freezer.

With about 20 full-time employees, Abel said he hopes to expand to at least 50 once the expansion is completed.

North Dakota Department of Agriculture Agricultural Exploitation and Development Fund Yellowstone Meat Awarded $ 250,000 to expand the factory’s processing capacity and improve the building.

The ADD Fund, administered by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and the Bank of North Dakota, was created to support new or expanded value-added agricultural businesses, which have shown profitability, increased profitability for farmers and ranchers, created jobs and improved North Dakota Economy, the department said. Projects eligible for ADD funding include commodity processing plants, livestock production facilities, and food processing and processing facilities.

Abel said the fall of the Yellowstone River Biff expansion project was the deadline.

In addition to beef exports, the company also sells locally produced beef and veggies in front of the Wilson store and to local breeders. When the Covenant-19 epidemic struck in early 2020, Abelton’s meat was exported from strong exports, Abel said.

Ann Bailey / Agweek

“We’ve done really well in the closed space,” he said.

Now, the company’s focus is re-exporting, although it still remains in front of a beef shop at Six East Dakota Park Way in Wilson.

Abel, a native of Oregon, has 12 years of experience in agricultural exports and is the CEO of Yellowstone River Biff. Acidis manages finances and sales, and Smith works for the company.

“We were looking for a good place to grow our business. When this property came up for sale, we decided to jump on it,” Abel said.

On August 13, 2019, the Yellowstone River Biff received an initial financial incentive from the Wilson City Commission, which awarded the company a $ 72,000 grant from the Wilson Star Fund to purchase and renovate its former Prey packaging business.

“North Dakota was a great state for business,” Abel said.