The Nicholas Meat Spring Quarterly is now available. In this latest edition, you’ll find updates on the progress of the new cattle barn, information about beef as part of a healthy diet, and news on the retirement of an integral Nicholas Meat employee.

Cattle Barn Construction Updates

Progress continues with the new cattle barn at Nicholas Meat. With continuous improvement as a goal, Nicholas Meat is building the new barn to focus on animal husbandry, food safety, sustainability and improving efficiencies. Once completed, the barn will have the potential to hold 1,000 head of cattle and enable delivery of animals 24 hours a day while being housed comfortably.

The development of the new barn will help streamline the receipt of cattle at the plant. In short, unloading times will decrease, and cattle will spend less time on a trailer. This will help farmers move through the unloading process quickly and efficiently while allowing animals to better acclimate to their surroundings and reduce their stress.

Rubber floor mats are being incorporated into the design to cushion animals’ hooves along with an advanced climate control system that utilizes waste heat from the refrigeration system to heat the barn during the winter.

“Through technology and conservation, Nicholas Meat already uses 50 percent less water on a gallons-per-head basis than industry standards and we envision recovering and reusing up to 90 percent of our water in the future,” explained Brian Miller, Nicholas Meat Director of Sustainability.

Nicholas Meat broke ground on the new barn in 2022 and expects to complete construction this year.

Brian Miller Retires; Duane Eichenlaub Promoted

Brian Miller, Nicholas Meat Director of Sustainability, will retire April 5, 2024. He held this role since joining the company in 2017. With Miller’s retirement, Duane Eichenlaub has been promoted to Regulatory and Sustainability Manager at Nicholas Meat.

“I am pleased to hand the reigns over to Duane, who is the right person to see the Sustainable Resource Facility (SRF) project through,” Miller said. “Completion of the SRF project will bring many positive environmental benefits to the Sugar Valley Community.”

Read the latest edition to learn more about Miller’s retirement and Eichenlaub’s promotion.
Other stories in the Nicholas Meat Spring Quarterly include:

• Meat Our People: Tomas Vasquez
• Thanks for Asking: Can beef be part of a healthy diet?
• Cuban Crispy Shredded Beef recipe from our friends at the Pennsylvania Beef Council

Read the Nicholas Meat Spring Quarterly.