Earth Day 2024 is just around the corner but at Nicholas Meat, it’s treated like any other day. Why? Because we don’t think about sustainability once a year – we live and breathe the practice daily throughout our operation.

Founded more than 30 years ago in the beautiful Sugar Valley of central Pennsylvania, Nicholas Meat provides jobs to more than 425 hard-working employees and supports area farmers by providing a market for their cattle. Our passion for the beef industry and the pursuit of excellence have kept us innovating through the years.

“Long-term success for our employees, our customers, our community, and our livelihood depends on sustainable practices,” said Doug Nicholas, VP & COO of Nicholas Meat. “Sustainability is about doing the right thing today, so we can benefit and enjoy all of our natural resources for generations to come. A commitment to sustainability today is a commitment to the future.”

To ensure Nicholas Meat could deliver on this commitment to sustainability, the company sought the advice of the best experts worldwide and challenged them to look at all aspects of the Nicholas Meat business. They needed to find ways to reduce waste, recycle waste streams, and identify sustainable methods of handling our waste. This research ultimately culminated in plans for Nicholas Meat to build the Sustainable Resource Facility (SRF).

“We strongly believe the SRF is ethically and environmentally the most meaningful improvement we can make for all those who work at Nicholas Meat and for the community,” Nicholas added.

SRF Centers on Sustainability

Upon completion, the SRF will feature award-winning waste-to-energy technology and an advanced water treatment facility. This will help reduce truck traffic at Nicholas Meat, contain and minimize odor, create renewable energy, decrease the company’s carbon footprint, and capture greenhouse gases.

“The project that (Nicholas Meat) is undertaking is unique because it’s bringing so many aspects of sustainability together. The water reclamation, the reduction of odor, the reduction of truck traffic, all those things being done together as one project, are very unique. There are other meat processing plants doing elements of that. But bringing that all together is truly unique,” explained Duane Eichenlaub, Nicholas Meat Regulatory and Sustainability Manager.

Barn Builds on Sustainability

In addition to constructing the SRF, Nicholas Meat is building a new cattle barn that will improve sustainability for the operation as well as focus on animal husbandry, food safety, and improve efficiencies. Nicholas Meat broke ground on the new barn in 2022 and expects to complete construction this year.

“The barn will have an advanced climate control system that utilizes waste heat from our refrigeration system to heat the barn during the winter,” explained Nicholas. “This helps keep the cattle less stressed while allowing us to be more sustainable.”

Additionally, slots in the floor will allow for an internal flush system to be incorporated. The system will use reclaimed water to periodically flush manure from the slotted floors. This will help reduce labor and improve sustainability. The water and manure slurry will then flow through a mechanical separation system where the solids are retained as a nutrient-rich soil amenity for application to local farmland. Meanwhile, the remaining liquids will be treated for eventual reuse back into the barn flushing system.

To learn more about the SRF and the work Nicholas Meat is doing for a sustainable future, visit www.nicholasmeat.com or view the latest SRF video.