Mountain States Acquires Lamb Plant
Mountain States Lamb Cooperative has entered into an agreement with JBS USA to acquire the JBS Greeley (Colo.) Lamb Plant and all related assets in their entirety.
Mountain States Lamb Cooperative, based in Douglas, Wyo., is a multi-state, producer-owned marketing cooperative, including Mountain States Rosen meat marketing company, with fabrication, distribution and marketing assets in Greeley and Bronx, N.Y.
“By acquiring JBS Greeley Lamb our company will truly be ‘Range to Table,’ strengthening the sustainability of the American sheep industry in the Mountain West and United States,” stated Frank Moore, chairman of Mountain States Lamb Cooperative.
“JBS has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Mountain States and believes today’s announcement will benefit both parties, notably the more than 120 JBS team members who will have the opportunity to continue their careers in the U.S. lamb industry,” said Andre Nogueira, chief executive officer of JBS USA.
“As a world leader in fresh lamb production with significant assets in Australia, lamb will remain a strategic part of the JBS global business model,” he stated.
Mountain States Lamb Cooperative began as a grass roots effort in the late 1990’s by a handful of producers who wanted to create more margin for their sheep operations and stop the precipitous decline of the American sheep industry. The Co-op began marketing lambs in 2003 and recently surpassed three million lambs marketed. With producers in 15 states, Mountain States maximizes the potential for profit for its members by paying for quality on a premium grid and also offers premiums for all-natural, source-verified lambs.
“This pending acquisition represents a major opportunity for Mountain States to add harvest capabilities, an integral piece of the value chain, to our already vertically integrated business model,” said Brad Boner, vice chairman of Mountain States.
“Our members will now control all stages of the production of their lamb: raising, harvesting, processing, packaging, marketing and distribution.”
Completion of the acquisition is pending a successful equity drive and bank financing.