MEAT+POULTRY - August 2024 - 37

Henry Barlow saw a problem and
Utah Beef Producers is his solution
BY JOEL CREWS | jcrews@sos land.com
I
n an industry where problems tend to
outweigh solutions, Utah Beef Producers'
(UBP) new beef processing plant in Richfield,
Utah, represents what can happen when
someone is willing to risk it all and not take
'no' for an answer. Henry Barlow is that man
and since hosting the plant's grand opening
this past March in Sevier County, beef cattle
producers and ranchers across the state are
no longer forced to wait months to have
their cattle slaughtered due to a shortage of
processing capacity in the region.
Barlow, owner of UBP, had almost no
experience or background in the beef industry
or knowledge of the food industry prior to
this project. His journey has been equal parts
entrepreneurial spirit, undying initiative and
divine intervention.
" I think God put just enough cattle into my
life for me to go out there and see the pinch
point that so many of these guys are feeling, "
said Barlow, who looks the role of a rancher,
complete with a dark cowboy hat.
That pinch point evolved to a dagger in the
side of beef producers during the pandemic.
According to UBP, approximately 400,000
head of cattle are shipped out of the state
each year, either to feedlots, which are few
and far between in the region, or to a faraway
slaughtering plant that has capacity, which has
become a rarity.
" If you had a big group of cattle to get
harvested, you did not have a lot of options
here, " Barlow said. " And so, consequently,
thousands of cattle in the state of Utah leave
the state every year because there just wasn't
that option. "
Years ago, cattle were finished in Utah, but
that hasn't been the case for the past couple
of generations.
He pointed out that about 25% of meat
eaters in the country could be served by UBP
within a two-day shipping period. But the norm
has become shipping the cattle in Utah to the
east, out of state, to be finished at a feedlot
and/or to be slaughtered at a plant only to be
shipped back west to customers there. The
addition of UBP also makes the feasibility
of operating a feedlot closer to producers
more realistic.
" You're putting a lot of miles on a steak
before it hits that consumer, " he said, including
those meat eaters from California to Texas.
" There's a big audience and there's a big
need, " he said. " And for the dairyman, the
ranchers in this region, to not have the option,
up until now, to get a large quantity of cattle
harvested, it's been a real problem. "
After seeing the challenge area beef
producers knew all too well, Barlow said
his first solution was to rally ranchers to
organize co-ops, by county, to sell the cattle
and have the meat processed. However, after
several months of pursuing that strategy, he
realized the co-op business model would not
make a significant difference for producers in
the region.
LEAP OF FAITH
It quickly became clear that to have a real
impact, a processing plant needed to be built.
So, Barlow went all in on that pursuit and
ultimately purchased a 39,000-square-foot
building that was formerly a beer distribution
center and converted it to a meat processing
operation, plus added an 8,000-square-foot
barn. It was built to handle a slaughter capacity
of 200 head per day on a single shift.
" We went ahead and took it from beer to
beef, " Barlow said.
The facility was designed with one side
dedicated to fresh, never frozen products.
The other side is for frozen storage and
direct shipping.
The repurposed plant replaced many of
the jobs lost when the distribution center
closed. Between the construction process and
the positions being filled at the plant, UBP
is fulfilling another one of its key missions,
which is to stimulate the local economy. UBP
www.meatpoultry.com | 08.24 | MEAT+POULTRY 37
" If you had a
big group of
cattle to get
harvested,
you did not
have a lot of
options here. "
- HENRY BARLOW
http://www.land.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - August 2024

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