Western Legacy Development Corporation receives positive response from public meetings

JULY 19, 2022:

The CEO of Western Legacy Development Corporation says they received a warm welcome during public information meetings held recently in Wall (June 30, 2022) and Rapid City (July 11, 2022).

Megan Kingsbury says they provided up-to-date information about the company’s proposed packing facility project to be located in the Rapid City area and answered stakeholder questions. She says the open houses were a great way to gather input from all stakeholders and fine tune the project, so they will hold additional open houses for the public throughout the year.

A panel of industry experts had the opportunity to talk to the attendees about:

• how food security is necessary for national security;
• how this packing facility will provide security for American bison and cattle producers;
• how Western Legacy ownership believes it’s their privilege to work with Tribal leaders on the reintroduction and processing of bison to provide spiritual renewal and physical nourishment for the tribes;
• how Western Legacy values protecting the environment;
• how company owners and investors believe it’s a moral obligation to create safe, high-paying jobs for all legal citizens of the United States;
• and how they believe the facility will successfully be good neighbors to the community.

The panel of industry experts answering questions were:

• Megan Kingsbury, CEO of Western Legacy Development Corporation,
• Curtis Harper, COO of Western Legacy Development Corporation,
• Troy Heinert, Executive Director of InterTribal Buffalo Council and State Senator,
• Kyle Treloar, Vice President of Dream Design International,
• Dale Bednarek, CEO of Famers Union Industries, and
• James Halverson, Executive Director of South Dakota Stockgrowers Association.

Kingsbury says as Western Legacy refines its plans, it will continue to include a number of agricultural industry and non-industry subject matter experts to staff the Research & Development Board. This Board will continue to gather input from all stakeholders. She says Western Legacy is committed to its development goals: 8,000 head processed per day of bison and cattle, being great citizens and providing safe, well-paying jobs.

JUNE 2022:

Kingsbury & Associates and Sirius Realty of Rapid City, SD, and Greenville, SC, are announcing steps taken in their plans to build a one-million square foot, next-generation beef and bison packing facility in Western SD.

Western Legacy Development Corporation is the name of the development entity for the project. “‘Western Legacy’ – the name is very personal for me,” said Megan Kingsbury, President of Kingsbury & Associates and Managing Partner of Sirius Realty. “As a fifth-generation cattle producer from South Dakota this project of building a packing facility and putting competition back into the markets for the producers provides hope that we will be able to sustain ranching and its way of life beyond just the next generation. Western South Dakota is a part of the personal story in the name of ‘Western Legacy’. This is home for me. Just because I left the area for a while, this place is where my roots are, and it’s where I’ll live for the next fifty years. It’s very important to me to give back to this great community. This project is the best way I know how to accomplish that.”

She continues, “We are also happy to announce a relationship with Farmers Union Industries to provide on-site byproduct processing.” Farmers Union Industries will focus specifically on efficient processing of the blood and bone meal byproducts.

Dale Bednarek, Farmers Union Industries CEO added, “Farmers Union Industries and Farmers Union Enterprises are very happy and want to form this partnership with Western Legacy Development Corporation. We think this is a great opportunity not only for us but to give back to the family farmers of not only South Dakota but the neighboring states.”

In addition, the recent community concerns that have arisen are being addressed. According to Curtis Harper, Partner of SIrius Realty, “We have a plan in place to capture the methane gas from the facility and repurpose it as energy necessary to operate a facility of this caliber. There will be no odor. There will also be no cattle fed onsite. This is a facility where cattle are shipped in and harvested in as efficient and humane manner possible. This truly is a next-generation facility unlike anything currently operating anywhere in the world.”

The Rapid City Industrial Park is the preferred site for the facility. “We’re continuing to work through appropriate processes to ensure that we are good neighbors and responsible citizens both from the standpoint of utilizing green energy technology as well as making certain that we have all of our boxes checked to keep the community happy,” said Kingsbury. “We will recycle a majority of the water used at the facility, and we have been working on efficient transportation methods.” Cattle will be unloaded directly into the facility off the truck and/or rail cars and will not be penned outside.

The Western Legacy Development Corporation facility will utilize robotics and artificial intelligence along other tech applications thereby creating a completely automated packing line, which will make the facility safer, more efficient, more humane, and will provide consistent cuts of meat that would not ordinarily be achieved by a human with known margins for error. “With graduates from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, Dakota State University, and others, we have the technological experts to build a high-tech facility never seen before in the United States, right here. We want to attract recent graduates to live and work here in Western South Dakota with great paying jobs. This will help us continue to create a great community for all to live in,” said Kingsbury.

The $1.1B state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to break ground at the beginning of 2023 and will take three years to complete. The project is currently in the R&D phase and is funded through the privately held companies of Kingsbury & Associates and Sirius Realty and has no plans to go public.

“We are creating a brand that is ‘America first’, focusing on procuring American cattle and feeding American citizens affordable, high-quality protein as our first priority. Our grocery store shelves should never be empty of meat again, said Kingsbury.

MAY 2022:

Kingsbury & Associates and Sirius Realty of Rapid City and Greenville, SC, have announced plans to construct an 8,000 head per day processing facility in Western South Dakota. The 1-million square foot facility will process beef and include a specialty bison line. The companies are currently in the research and development phase of the project.

“Our aim is to restore competition in American meat processing,” said Megan Kingsbury, President and Managing Partner, who is spearheading the project. “I am a 5^th generation producer from Western South Dakota, and I know how difficult it is right now for us as producers to be profitable. I want to fix that. We want to compete with the big four meat packing giants and be that all-important “second bidder” in the cash market. We will build a brand that is America first focusing on procuring American cattle and feeding American citizens affordable, high-quality protein as our first priority. Our grocery store shelves should never be empty of meat again.”

The proposed facility will focus on bringing in and developing new technologies in robotics and artificial intelligence that make processing easier, safer, and more efficient, all while producing a more consistent end-product. “With graduates from the South Dakota School of Mines, Dakota State University, and others, we have the technological experts to build a high-tech facility never seen before in the United States, right here.  We want to attract these young people to live and work here in Rapid City with great paying jobs and by helping build a great community to live in. I plan to live here for the next 50 years, and I want to build a community we are all proud of,” added Kingsbury.

The recently announced Black Hills Industrial Park is the preferred site and is adjacent to Highway 79 and Old Folsom Road, just south of Rapid City. “Our priorities include being the best neighbor anyone could ask for. We will employ and develop technologies to mitigate any negative effect people may associate with processing facilities. We will capture the methane to help power the facility, utilize renewable energy sources, we will recycle a majority of the water used daily, and we have been working on efficient transportation plans as well,” Kingsbury said.

“The American rancher is less than a generation away from being extinct if we don’t do something fast,” said Kingsbury. “We’ve already seen the high cost of meat in stores and the low prices producers are receiving for their animals. There is profit in this industry up and down the supply chain if we restore competition. When that happens everyone who produces and consumes high-quality beef wins.”

The project is expected to take three years to compete and will boast 2,500 jobs created.