North Carolinians may have found the answer to the question, “Where’s the beef?” It’s at Mays Meats in Taylorsville, N.C. The company is one of the largest inspected meat processing plants in North Carolina, serving dozens of livestock farmers in the region.
With an equipment cost share award from the N.C. Value-Added Cost Share Program (NCVACS), coordinated by N.C. MarketReady, Mays Meats is expanding its processing and storage capabilities with an aging cooler and expanded rail system. NCVACS awarded nearly $22,000 – half of the total equipment cost – to help the operation meet the continual demand of livestock producers in the region.
Jimmy Mays, owner of Mays Meats, said the rail system and cooling space will increase livestock capacity by 20 to 25 percent. Currently, the company employs about 50 people and processes 50 to 60 cattle each week. The expansion is not a moment too soon; farmers – and their livestock – often face waits and must place orders well in advance to secure Mays’ meat processing services.
“I’ve had to turn business away for awhile now because we didn’t have the capacity to handle all of the meat orders,” said Mays. Existing customers can expect to benefit from the additional space as well, added Mays.
The business is adding to its overhead rail system, which helps move meat through the facility from the cooler to the cutting room.
With the new equipment, the plant will be able to store 120 processed cattle at one time. Certain meats, such as grass-fed beef, may be aged for as long as two weeks before being processed, taking up valuable space during that time. The extra storage capacity is vital, according to Mays. “People want their meats to age longer now, because it makes for a more tender, better-tasting meat. The new cooler will help us to age more meats for longer and deliver better quality products.”
Mays Meats is also adding an overhead track of hooks and hangers that helps move livestock through the facility in a simple and efficient manner. Livestock is hung from the rail system and eventually progresses from the cooler to the cutting room where butchers make custom cuts for orders.
NCVACS is coordinated by N.C. MarketReady, the Cooperative Extension outreach of the N.C. State University Plants for Human Health Institute, located at the N.C. Research Campus. Funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and the Family Farm Innovation Fund (2010), the cost share program was launched in 2009 to encourage more North Carolina producers to apply for federal funding and to generate more competitive applications.
Meats processed at the facility are delivered to farms, restaurants and retailers within 150 miles via the company’s 15 refrigerated trucks. Primarily a beef and pork processing plant, Mays Meats also handles bison, goat, ostrich and sheep. The company was established in 1976 as a custom slaughter house and meat processing plant by Wayne and Margie Mays. The company plans to continue expanding as both a meat processing facility and full service distributor of food products to restaurants and grocers.
Consumers can purchase fresh meats as well as dairy, frozen and other grocery products at the company’s retail store, located at the entrance to the building. Mays Meats is located at 541 E. Main Ave. in Taylorsville, N.C.
For more information on Mays Meats:
www.maysmeats.com
828-632-2034
Applications for NCVACS 2011 Equipment Cost Share are now available. Applications are due by August 31, 2011. Guidelines and a list of frequently asked questions are provided.
Writer: Justin Moore
