UNR's Wolf Pack Meats reopens after four-month hiatus
RENO, Nev. (KRNV) — Opened in 1967, Wolf Pack Meats harvests, processes and produces fresh meat from cows, pigs, lambs and goats.
Wolf Pack Meats is a part of the University of Nevada, Reno's Experiment station, and has reopened with plans to increase production to help local ranchers.
“We are excited to support Wolf Pack Meats in their continuing work to conduct our land-grant mission and continue to serve our students, faculty and stakeholders,” said Bill Payne, dean of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, of which the Experiment Station is a unit. “They play a vital role in the farming ecosystem in Nevada.”
Wolf Pack Meats helps local ranchers continue their way of life as the facility works closely with farmers and ranchers to process and package livestock. In order to increase their production, Wolf Pack Meats partnered with Hoagland, a CEO of his own processing plant in Homedale, Idaho.
Tom Kulas, the Wolf Pack Meats operations manager since February 2022, believes they will be able to "increase capacity and provide a level of customer service higher than it's ever been."
Hoagland has brought in some employees from Idaho to help hire and train Reno residents.
“The whole process can be a little bit overwhelming if you don’t have people who are accustomed to it, so what we’ve done is bring in people who have been doing this for 30 years to help train the new team,” Hoagland added.
The training is meant to teach humane ways to process the meat and protect against contamination.
Kulas said that in the past, Wolf Pack Meats hasn’t been able to break even due to a variety of factors. This will likely change with Hoagland on board, with his experience in running a high-production facility. Revenue generated at Wolf Pack Meats will be invested back into the facility to support the growth of its production capacity along with its teaching and research efforts.
“JD has expertise in running a much higher volume facility than what we’ve done in the past,” Kulas said. “We’re looking to essentially triple our volume, and that’s dramatic. When we reach that level, that’s when probability becomes possibility.”
During its brief pause in production, Wolf Pack Meats' retail store remained open, offering a variety of locally produced beef cuts including Filet Mignon and New York steak as well as other beef items. One of their short term goals is to expand its line of retail products.
Wolf Pack Meats is located at 5895 Clean Water Way and will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. For more information on Wolf Pack Meats, call 775-857-3663 or visit its website.
