Cattle expert Temple Grandin has praised a new beef-packing plant in Aberdeen, S.D., saying it is off to a good start.

Officials with Northern Beef Packers say the world's best-known slaughterhouse design expert toured the facility Friday and said she is pleased that it was designed with the cattle's comfort in mind.

Grandin gained national fame when her story was told in the award-winning HBO movie "Temple Grandin," starring Claire Danes as Grandin.

The movie shows how Grandin struggled growing up with autism and how the condition helped her create more humane ways to slaughter livestock.

Grandin's designs are used in meatpacking facilities worldwide.

The opening of Northern Beef Packers had been delayed for years by financial problems, lawsuits, flooding and complaints about its wastewater.

The $109 million plant will process 1,500 cattle per day from the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.