The operator of a meat processing business in the Lehigh Valley wants to move closer to his home here in Carbon County.

Steward Herfurth Jr. owns Lehigh Valley Meat LLC, which primarily serves small farmers who want to sell meats in local markets.

He has proposed building a new 7,500-square-foot processing facility on a 10-acre property off Hahns Dairy Road in Lower Towamensing Township.

The property, directly across from Hahn’s Dairy, is zoned rural conservation, meaning the township zoning hearing board would have to approve a variance before the plan can go forward.

The board has scheduled a hearing for 7 p.m. today at the township building, 595 Hahns Dairy Road.

Herfurth says he wants to relocate the business, which is currently based in Nazareth, closer to his home in the Palmerton area.

“It’s where we live. We don’t want to have any issues. We want to be welcomed in the area, and provide a valuable service,” he said.

While the township classifies the business as a slaughterhouse, Herfurth said it is not an industrial-scale operation.

The company ‘harvests’ twice a week. A given harvest day includes 10-12 cattle or 15 hogs. Most of their work is done for small farmers and butcher shops in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The business is USDA certified to process livestock, something that small farmers need in order to get their products to market.

Herfurth said there is a large demand for USDA-certified packing plants, with some booked up to a year in advance.

There would be no tractor-trailers, as the small producers would typically bring their animals via pickup and trailer. Herfurth said that he’s seeing a growing customer base thanks to the “farm to fork” movement.

“People want to know where their meat came from, they want to know where the cow came from. Farmers drop off livestock for us to process,” Herfurth said.

The business goes out of its way to minimize its impact on neighbors. Its current facility is located on only 1 acre, and Herfurth said they take steps to be a good neighbor.

The number of deliveries would be fewer than a dozen per week. After animals are processed, the inedible portions are also kept refrigerated until they are picked up, which would take place twice a week.

Herfurth said the process used by Lehigh Valley Meats is more humane than one might find at a corporate processing plant.

They will provide sides and quarters of meat, bacon and ham, as well as snack sticks, hot dogs, ring bologna and jerky.

During deer season, they plan to offer deer processing.

Eventually, Herfurth said, the facility could employ up to 12 people, creating good-paying local jobs.

“In time we’ll be doing some hiring,” he said.