July 28,2018-
Valley beef king Harris Ranch is modernizing and expanding their big slaughterhouse and meat processing plant between Kingsburg and Selma. The company has applied to Fresno County under a mitigated negative declaration with a hearing at the Planning Commission set for August 23.
The 60-acre facility, owned by Harris Ranch Beef Company since 1976, already employs 1000 workers. Their application, despite proposing substantial improvements, says they expect to add no new employees or increase the throughput at the facility, permitted now for 900 animals a day. Still,the expansion will add 240 parking places.
The expansion includes a new 33,491sf finished goods warehouse distribution center with expanded number of truck docks, a 54,907sf processing building, 180,000sf anaerobic pond water treatment facility and 13-acre treated water basin.
According to the application, the facility will be more efficient adding 8 new truck docks for more flexibility and speed, and in the new processing plant automating the beef processing to increase efficiency. The statement says they do not expect increased truck traffic. Harris Ranch has a big cattle feeding operation in Coalinga on I-5, the source of the animals.
With annual sales in excess of $400 million, family-owned Harris Ranch Beef Company is one of the largest fully integrated beef producers in the Western United States.
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