The former North Star Beef slaughterhouse, which closed in 2009, has reopened with new investors as Triple J Family Farms. The new plant was opened in April with about 80 workers, and the owners are trying to get a state grant that would allow for an expansion to 200 employees.
The plant was closed in April 2009 because of excessive levels of arsenic in its well water. A new water sourcing arrangement with the city of Buffalo Lake, Minn., has solved that problem. Currently, the plant is producing a couple of hundred head per day, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune, but the goal is to reach capacity of 600 head per day.