If he can meet all the Department of Natural Resources requirements, Mahlon Yoder hopes to have a custom butchering service in operation at his rural Kalona farm later this year.

The Amish farmer said Monday that he has met with DNR officials to see about installing a treatment system for wastewater that will have blood from the butcher business.

‘They have talked about a lagoon,” he said, explaining that he already has equipment bought and installed in the building that also houses his father-in-law’s nylon harness business.

Yoder purchased the equipment form a closed butcher business in Kellogg.

Admitting that it “will cost more than I originally expected,” Yoder said he fully expects to be providing a custom butchering service “before 2000.”

He said he decided to go into the business when he learned that the local Kalona Locker was cutting back heavily on doing custom butchering. In fact, Yoder said, “I believe that today is the last day they are doing custom work.”

He said he believes that Kalona Locker wants to expand into the mail-order meat business. Yoder said that he has had “many requests” from area farmers, especially within the Amish community, for the service.

He already anticipates having to hire help, although he does not plan a large scale operation, possibly something on the order of 15 to 20 hogs per day, three days per week.

Yoder has met with Kalona City Administrator Doug Morgan about the wastewater issue. Morgan said that the area is too far north for the city to provide sewer or water services.

Yoder said that his engineer Doug Fredericks is working on the treatment system.

When the business opens, it will mark the second major business enterprise for Yoder who a few years ago became the only Amish sub-developer in the area. His Sunrise Creek Estates on 14th St. on the east edge of Kalona has since seen ten homes built in the development.