Moody County Enterprise

A recent shipment of cattle for Ridgefield Farms of South Dakota was a good thing, because the transport of 480 cattle, made in the early morning hours of November 9th, was the first shipment of South Dakota cattle which will be sold under the Ridgefield Farms labels.
Madison farmer Doyle Paul hopes the 36 head of Hereford steers that he sold to Ridgefield Farms Premium Hereford Beef marks the start of a good thing. “I think it’s an exciting time for South Dakota,” Paul said. “It’s another value-added industry, and it’s one that has been needed for a long time. Why should we have to haul our cattle between 250 and 500 miles to have them harvested? That’s what I’ve had to do with most of the cattle I raise.” That is a sentiment South Dakota cattle producers share and it’s why there has been so much interest in Ridgefield Farms’ plans to build its processing facilities in South Dakota, according to Guy Rusche, director of cattle procurement for the company. “It’s why hundreds of South Dakotans have invested in Ridgefield Farms”, Rusche said. Ridgefield Farms moved it headquarters to Flandreau last month. The South Dakota raised cattle shipment was made to the PM Global processing plant in Windom, MN. This is where Ridgefield Farms will outsource its harvest and fabrication functions to the Windom plant until the firm builds its own fabrication facility in Flandreau. “The focus for Ridgefield Farms at this time”, Rusche said, “is its controlled growth plan to develop a consistent supply of qualifying Hereford cattle to meet client demands for beef.” Cattle raisers wanting to sell Hereford qualifiers can contact Rusche at his office phone number, 605-573-8500, extension 1003. His cell phone number is 605-350-7337 and his email address is guy@rfphb.com.