agri-business

Meeting The Needs Of Farmers

By Laura L. Valenti

Owners: Colby and Stacy Cox

Location: Lebanon, Mo.

History: “This is our second year,” Stacy Cox, one of the owners of East Highway 32 Processing outside Lebanon, said. “It’s turned out to be a little more than we expected, but not in a bad way. It’s grown fast, but we are working to verify appointments so we can get people’s livestock in on time. My husband, Colby, has been in the cattle business all his life. He had a sale barn at Licking and a feedlot in Ozark. I was a nurse in clinics in Branson and Springfield. This was an opportunity that came along, and with the pandemic, and we were ready to do something new and different.

“We have four children, two grown and out of the house, a son who just graduated whose been away at school this year and is now home for the summer, and a 17-yearold daughter who is a student at Lebanon this year.

“The previous owners, the Detherage family, were ready to retire, and we were lucky enough to be able to apprentice with them to learn how to run the business. That has helped to make a much smoother transition.”

Products and Services: “We are a custom meat processing facility and also have a retail store front. We offer different cuts of beef and pork, as well as appetizers, and side dish items, such as potatoes and vegetables, jams, jellies, desserts, sauces and seasonings.

“We are a farmer-first facility, meaning we are here for the farmers, and we do beef before we do deer or other wild game. We will certainly do game animals, but we see ourselves as an extension of the farm. It is just as important to us to put out a good product, a good service as it is to the farmer to do the same.

“We have a very good crew, some of whom were with the Detherages, plus a couple of new ones, and they are all hard workers. For now, we plan to continue with what we’re doing. In the future, we’d like to get USDA certified and expand so that we could have grilled or smoked meats ready for quick pick-up meals for the weekend.

“Right now, we provide meat processing services, and with our retail store, I feel like in our own way, we get to be a part of family gatherings, barbecues, and helping to make good memories for our customers and their families.”