GRANDIN, Mo. – Congressman Jason Smith (MO-08) visited BJG Meat Co. in Carter County this week where he met with owner Brad Goodman and toured the facility to discuss the company’s meat processing work and hear about how the Working Families Tax Cuts, which Congressman Smith authored and spearheaded in Congress, is positively impacting their operations, as well as the effect of USDA regulations on small, family-owned processors.

Congressman Smith said, “Brad Goodman and his family have built something special here in Grandin — a business that puts Missouri-raised beef and pork on Missouri tables, while keeping hardworking Missourians on the payroll. From the cattle they process to the farmers and producers they work with every day, BJG Meat Co. is proof that southeast Missouri agriculture is thriving. Family operations like this know their business better than Washington ever will, and that is why I fought to deliver real tax relief for small businesses in the Working Families Tax Cuts to allow businesses like BJG Meat Co to grow their operations, keep more of their hard-earned money, and invest in their employees. I’ll always look for ways to make it easier for processors to keep doing what they do best.”

BJG Meat Co. is a locally owned meat processing and retail company that has been based in Grandin for three years, with an additional retail location in Poplar Bluff. Between its processing operation and retail stores, BJG Meat Co. employs 15 people, and 99 percent of the products it sells are sourced right here in Missouri. In addition to custom processing for cattle and hogs and freezer meat bundles, BJG Meat Co.’s Poplar Bluff storefront also features products from other Missouri vendors, including local honey, candles, soaps, and cutting boards. In just three years, BJG Meat Co. has become a go-to source for locally processed beef and pork in Carter County and across Southeast Missouri.

As a small business, BJG Meat Co. benefits directly from provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts, including Section 199A’s deduction for pass-through business income and 100 percent bonus depreciation, which allows the company to invest in the equipment it needs to keep processing cattle for local farmers and producers. These are exactly the kinds of investments Congressman Smith had in mind for small, family-owned businesses like BJG Meat Co. when he authored these provisions and fought to get them across the finish line. Additionally, like many small, USDA-inspected processors, BJG Meat Co. spoke with Congressman Smith about navigating federal requirements such as carcass stamping and limits on common ownership. As BJG Meat Co. continues to grow, Smith remains committed to cutting the federal red tape that makes it harder for processors like it to operate.