Cutting Through Challenges: The Story of Nodak Meats

Scott Sandquist shares the story of how he started NoDak Meats.

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When you drive on I-94, it’s easy to pass through Steele, ND and not notice much other than a gas station and the world’s largest Sandhill crane. But just on the north side of the overpass, NoDak Meats is providing a service that benefits local ranchers, hunters and community members. Scott Sandquist – Founder of NoDak Meats – grew up in Minnesota but enjoyed hunting around Steele allowing him to build friendships with area farmers and ranchers. Over the years, he heard them talk about the same common problem. To have any meat processed, they had to travel 30 or more miles away depending on the wait times. He decided to use his meat processing experience and open a business to serve this small community.

Sandquist didn’t spend his high school and college days planning to open a small locker. Outside of processing a few deer with his family, that was about all the experience he had. After college, he had the opportunity to work a few days a week with an experienced processor and began to enjoy the work. Concrete was poured for the building on July 4th, 2023, and within 5 months was ready to use. Scott officially opened on January 8th, 2024 and is a state-inspected facility. The services provided by NoDak Meats include custom processing for beef and hogs, deer/game processing, emergency kills and retail sales.

The facility is designed to hold around 40 beef animals maximum but how many animals Sandquist takes in depends on how much help he has. “It’s all a process, that’s why they call it processing. Whatever you can cut up in a day is what you can kill in a day or per week,” said Scott. He knew labor would be a challenge going into this, so he designed the facility to make the process as easy as possible for a one-man team. He does have a few part-time employees to help on certain days and during the winter, some farmers come in and help.

Outside of the labor component, Sandquist has faced a few other challenges during this process including the paperwork, financing and making a few adjustments to the kill chute and crane hoist trolley. But, the main challenge he faces is communication between the rancher and the customer. “If the customer can’t get out to your farm to see which animal they are buying, communicate with them about the animal. Let them know if it is a steer, bull or heifer. Let them know the age and if it is grain or grass-finished. It shouldn’t be a surprise to them when they come to pick it up,” said Sandquist. He also reminds ranchers that legally they need to provide the names and phone numbers of each customer along with how much of the animal they are receiving upon dropping off the animal for processing.

Overall, the small community has been curious, supportive, appreciative and happy about the services being provided by Sandquist. He encourages others interested in starting a meat locker to utilize their resources and look for alternative funding options. He said, “Don’t just rely on traditional bank loans for funding. There are other outside investors, resources and non-profit agencies who will help you.” Additionally, he reminds people to think it through before starting because even though it is a rewarding job, it is a big commitment physically, mentally and financially.

You can learn more about NoDak Meats by heading to their Facebook page or calling Scott. (701) 475-4758