ENTERPRISE — The state of Oregon has agreed to make a substantial investment in the meat-processing sector, and that could benefit ranchers in Northeast Oregon, the Oregon Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday, May 22.

A total of 14 Oregon-based meat-processing businesses — including Hines Meat in La Grande — have been awarded funding from the $8.6 million allocated by the Legislature and distributed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The goal is to significantly enhance the meat-processing capacity across the state, with particular focus on benefiting Oregon-raised livestock.

Hines will receive $697,500.

“That was one of the things we were pushing for,” said Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash, who is a beef producer and has been actively promoting the increase of meat-processing facilities both as a commissioner and as past president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.

He’s not concerned that the nearest facility to be awarded state funds will be in Union County.

The funding, he said, “benefits everybody in the livestock industry.”

A call to Hines Meats for comment wasn’t immediately returned on May 23.

“I want to thank all the applicants and the Legislature for making this opportunity a reality,” Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Lisa Charpilloz Hanson said.

The department received 43 applications requesting $27 million in grant funds toward $82.6 million in projects that add, upgrade or expand processing facilities around the state.

The 14 awardees of the grant are spread across the state and either fall under federal inspection or come under the new state inspection program, the department said, and will handle a variety of livestock species.

The department projects that the collective enhancements in meat processing will lead to an additional 3.5 million pounds of locally sourced meat being accessible to communities throughout Oregon each year.

The facilities will receive grants ranging from $439,131 to $697,500.

In 2020 the Oregon Legislature allocated funding to the Department of Agriculture to start an Oregon State Meat Inspection Program. The program began inspecting its first licensee in July 2022.