Cargill is investing nearly US$90 million in automating its Fort Morgan, Colorado, beef plant in an effort to boost meat preservation and yield efficiency amid ongoing cattle shortages in the US. 

This will include implementing its computer vision technology CarVe to measure red meat yield in real time and provide “instant insights” to employees to improve their cutting technique for optimizing meat production.

According to the USDA, the US produces more than 12.2 million metric tons of beef annually. Even a 1% yield improvement can save hundreds of millions of pounds of meat. Cargill says improving yields is crucial at a time when the US cattle supply is at its lowest level in years.

“Before CarVe, yield data was always yesterday’s news,” says Jarrod Gillig, senior vice president of Cargill’s North American Beef business.

“Now, we’re making decisions at the moment and saving products that would’ve been lost. By applying smart technology to the problem, we’re getting more meat from every animal, reducing waste, and making protein production more efficient and sustainable from start to finish.”

Cargill has invested nearly US$24 million in technology upgrades at Fort Morgan since 2021, in addition to forming farmer partnerships.

“By partnering with local ranchers and farmers in Colorado and the region, we’re working hard to produce more food with less impact there so we can move it to store shelves and ultimately family dinner tables across the country,” Gillig concludes.