Back in the Saddle

Today marks an historic moment for the universe, Fr. Bryce's meat locker is back up and running. Not that we are operating the business like we once were, but we are able to freely cut meat for those in need. Let's ranch.

So fun. This 45' reefer was a gifted to us back in 2020 and we retrofitted it into a meat processing plant. Over a year ago, we trailed it from Gillette to Buffalo, hoping to plug it in and be able to work. However, the 3 phase power at this site was the wrong kind. Thus begun a long process of discernment and perseverance in order to become operational again. 

The first step was to get a nearby single-phase meter transferred into my name, bump it up to 200 amps, and run some heavy duty power cable through conduit and over to the trailer. 

Then we had an electrician mount a new beaker box and hook the power up. 

He also rewired the entire trailer into single-phase power. 

For the 3 phase power compressors, he mounted the boxes and hooked the converters up to be run individually and as needed. 

Part of why we chose this site is because it had a water supply near by. This casing has been sitting empty for years. 

So Dad and I picked up a little transfer pump and ran a suction hose down into the well. 

Wanting to clean the water up, we attached a filter to the pump and began filing our holding tank inside. 

Ready to ranch.

The freezer is anxious to get some meat in it, even if only temporary.

Knives are sharp and ready for action. 

And the cooler is already full of my brother's elk, ready to be processed. 

So good. What good is a meat locker with no power? Exactly. It was well worth the investment to make this guy operational again. Even if we aren't slinging beef like we once were, it is still good to have around when the need arises. We'll have fun here. Cutting meat to serve people's needs is super fulfilling and joyous. It's not without work, though. But what kind of authentic fun is? I'm just thankful to God to have this up and running. What kind of use it will get, we'll just have to wait and see. Until then, we'll ranch on.