Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Agricultural and Farm Services
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Farm Operations
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) Farm Operations include 10,750 acres of ground at ten prison locations and two Ohio Penal Industries (OPI) shops. Farm Operations include dairy, beef, fat and feeder cattle, swine operations and corn, soybean, wheat and hay crops. The Farm Operations produce raw milk, cattle and hogs for the OPI shops to process for use in the DRC Food Service operation. Holstein dairy cattle are located at five farm sites and provide over 1.6 million gallons of raw milk for the OPI Beverage Processing Center (BPC) to homogenize, pasteurize and package for the DRC offender population. Dairy farms raise their own replacement animals. DRC Farms have over 1,000 beef cows that calve each year. Half of the calves are kept to replace older beef cows while the other half are sent to harvest (at approximately 15 months of age, weighing 1,100 pounds). Fat cattle are scheduled into the OPI Meat Processing Career Center (MPCC). DRC purchases about 1,500 head of feeder cattle per year to fatten for MPCC. There are five swine operations. Two locations are used for birthing baby pigs. The babies are kept until their weight reaches 50 pounds then they are shipped to one of the other three swine facilities. Hogs are processed at MPCC when they reach an age of 6 months and weigh 280 pounds. All farm locations have crops and pasture to support the livestock enterprise that is at that facility. A limited amount of production is traded for other commodities or sold if it is in surplus.
Farm Operations - At A Glance:
Allen Correctional Institution (ACI)
406 acres of farm ground with a beef feedlot
operation
Grafton Correctional Institution (GCI)
1,157 acres of farm ground with a beef cow herd and
swine finishing operation
Lebanon Correctional Institution (LECI)
LECI has DRC’s second largest acreage with 1,601
acres of farm ground, a beef cow herd, dairy herd
and a swine finishing operation
London Correctional Institution (LOCI)
LOCI has DRC’s largest acreage with 2,292 acres of
farm ground and the largest dairy operation along
with beef finishing and a swine farrowing operation
Marion Correctional Institution (MCI)
980 acres of farm ground with a dairy herd and swine
farrowing operation
Mansfield Correctional Institution (MANCI)
820 acres of farm ground with a beef cow herd, the
largest in DRC, and a beef finishing operation
Pickaway Correctional Institution (PCI)
855 acres of farm ground with the DRC’s second
largest dairy herd
Ross Correctional Institution (RCI)
1,140 acres of farm ground with a beef back
grounding operation, dairy herd and swine finishing
operation
Southeastern Correctional Institution (SCI)
578 acres of farm ground with a beef cow herd and
beef finishing operation
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF)
921 acres of farm ground with a beef cow operation
OPI Beverage Processing Center
The BPC is located at the Pickaway Correctional Institution and is responsible for processing of milk and a non-carbonated, fruit flavored, beverage. Milk is 1%, based on dietary requirements from the DRC Dietician. Milk is provided by the five dairy farms. Shortages are supplemented through Dairy Farmers of America. BPC is open 6:30 am to 10:00 pm, seven days a week, operating two shifts per day. Currently, 33,000 gallons of milk and 18,000 gallons of flavored beverage are processed each week. Products are sold in 5-gallon bladders for use in dispensing machines, or in cases of 4.5-gallons of individual serving plastic pouches (8 ounces each/72 per case). This facility is an Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Grade “A” liquid milk processing facility. Plant inspections and laboratory samplings of product are monitored by ODA. There are nine full time staff positions and thirty offender positions. Offenders employed at BPC are enrolled in a series of classes through The Ohio State University (OSU), which cover areas such as general food processing and specifics in milk/dairy processing. Classes are taught by OSU personnel. Offenders receive transferable college credit upon successful completion of each class. DRC saves in excess of $1.9 million per year over the cost of contract purchase by utilizing BPC products and over $3 million over the typical shelf cost of milk at commercial stores.
OPI Meat Processing Career Center
MPCC, also located at the Pickaway Correctional Institution, is a 37,000 square foot multi-functional operation, completing both processing and packaging of meat products. There are 12 full time staff positions, along with 4 custody positions and 102 offender positions. Offenders receive hands-on training resulting in marketable skills that lead to employment opportunities in the meat processing industry upon release. Food items produced at MPCC are delivered to DRC institutions. Current items include pork breakfast mix (bulk and patty), hamburger (bulk and patty), diced pork and beef, boneless pork cube steak and boneless beef cubed steak, tex-mex and meatloaf patties, and boneless ham and beef roasts. MPCC staff work closely with DRC Food Service Administration to market products and with future product development. MPCC is pleased to be partners with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, The Ohio State University and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association.
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