Sweet Grown Alabama Blogs

In the midst of the pandemic, when panic was setting in, several grocery shelves and coolers were empty of some essential foods. This was a little over four years ago, though it seems like a decade. John English went to the Poarch Creek Indian Tribal Council with a real concern and a solution. 

The Tribe has always prided itself on self-sufficiency and ingenuity to survive and thrive. In John’s mind, the Tribe needed to be self-sufficient from a food security standpoint. If a crisis like the pandemic could threaten the broader food supply, the Tribe should be able to support itself and, as it has in so many other situations, have an abundance to share with neighbors in need. 

As John will tell you, he knows how to “raise up a cow” and get it ready for harvest. But up until this point, the cattle John raised on Perdido River Farms were shipped off to the Midwest, where the consolidated meat processors operate. John proposed vertically integrating the Tribe’s cattle operation by building a meat processing plant on the property. The idea made a lot of sense. 

Stephanie A. Bryan, Poarch Creek Indians Tribal Chair and CEO, quoted, “During the pandemic, we came to see just how unsustainable the current model was, and we made a commitment to provide those critical resources close to home. We are excited that our new facility will give us, and our neighboring farmers, the ability to process locally raised beef and pork in Atmore.”

When you harvest the cattle you raise and process it onsite, you cut out a tremendous amount of cost from transporting the cattle and distributing the meat. You also tend to increase the quality of the product. Not to mention the fact that other cattle ranchers or hog farmers in or around Alabama could really benefit for the same reasons. At the time, however, the focus was on food security.

Other Tribal leaders worked with John to put some numbers together. A full-scale meat processing facility isn’t built in a day. But the Tribal Council approved the project, and plans were put in place to prepare a site and begin preliminary designs. While that process was underway, John set out to learn some best practices that would help him convert Perdido River Farms from a cattle farm into a fully integrated operation.

Part of that journey led him to Temple Grandin out at Colorado State University. Temple is the foremost expert in what can only be described as cattle psychology. Her unique brain has figured out the best way to move a cow from grazing to harvest as humanely as possible. As it turns out, the most humane way is also the most efficient for the processor. 

He also worked with organizations like the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association to see how the new facility could be most beneficial for other ranchers and farmers. Once the facility is running at full capacity, it could handle 25 head of cattle a day. It will also process hogs, which are not raised at Perdido River Farms. There will be excess capacity that could really benefit any farmer who is shipping their cattle to the Midwest.

The next steps for John English are to ramp up operations and see his idea come to fruition. He’ll have to expand his own herd and purchase wholesale cattle to fill the initial capacity of the processing plant. As he nurtures the relationships he’s built while the plant has been under construction, he is also prepared to expand production. The plant is built with expansion in mind, making it easier to bring on new lines as demand increases.

After nearly five years, the Perdido River Meats Processing Facility is set to open in early 2025. John English hopes to see Perdido River Farms beef show up in specialty grocers’ cases and in premium restaurants soon. However, if you want an early taste of the freshest beef you’ve ever had, Perdido River Farms has a small retail shop where you can buy fresh cuts and ground beef. Stop in next time you’re passing by on I-65. Chances are, you’ll get to meet John English.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Sweet Grown Alabama.