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American Foods Group

Missouri's First Large Beef Harvest Facility.

Founded in 1946 in Fairmont, MN, Rosen’s Diversified Inc. has grown from a family business into a global leader in agribusiness and food processing. The Rosen family owns and operates American Foods Group, one of the largest beef processing companies in the U.S. and a part of a family of vertically integrated businesses that employ over 4,500 employees across the country.

 

American Foods Group produces a wide variety of beef products, including many designated kosher and halal. The company selected Gray to design and build a state-of-the-art beef processing facility for America’s Heartland Packing, an American Foods Group company. The 800,000 s.f. plant is the state’s first large beef harvest facility and at peak capacity can process 2,400 head of cattle per day.

In Numbers

  • Wright City, MO
    Location
  • 800000 s.f.
    Square Footage
  • 27 months
    Operational
American Foods Group
Wright City, MO
800000 s.f.
27 months

Gray’s scope for the project included facility design and construction to LEED® certification standards, as well as MEP utilities and fire protection systems. Gray’s design team utilized building information modeling (BIM) to develop the structural and utility layout and communicate plans to the customer.

 

 

Production began in early 2025 and is expected to make a major impact on the region’s economy, contributing more than $1 billion annually and creating more than 1,300 jobs.

 

Gallery

Industry Insights

Dr. Temple Grandin Visits Gray to Discuss Best Practices

In the early stages of the design for America’s Heartland Packing, Gray hosted Dr. Temple Grandin from Colorado State University for a discussion on best practices in animal handling and the implications for modern design of meat processing plants. One of the foremost experts in animal science and a proponent of practical improvements for animal welfare and handling, Dr. Grandin has authored numerous books and papers, drawing from decades of firsthand experience and data collected from feed yards and facilities from across the U.S.

 

You can learn more about Dr. Grandin’s insights in our two-part discussion. Part I of the conversation focuses on Dr. Grandin’s early work in the industry, her method for developing recommendations, and the challenges processors face in improved animal handling.

 

Part II focuses on the challenges of implementing industry-wide improvements, the advantages and drawbacks of integrating advanced equipment and controls, and the need for diligent monitoring and reporting.

 

Dr. Grandin with Shane Mullen, Content Manager, Integrated Marketing, Gray

 

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