Huntingburg, Ind. โ Farbest Foods, Inc., will soon break ground for a new turkey processing plant in the U.S. Highway 41 Industrial Park in Vincennes, IN. The projected completion date is 2014.
Once up and running, the new processing plant will initially employ some 300 people with the potential of employing as many as 700, Farbest Foods reports. In addition, the company is planning the construction of a new feed mill that will have the potential to employ up to 30.
A family-owned operation since 1982, Farbest Foods โ based in Huntingburg — is one of the largest turkey companies in the United States. Farbest supplies more than a million pounds of raw fresh and frozen turkey products per day to further processors who prepare and package their own brand-name foods.
The company reports its current facilities for turkey processing, feeding and growing are nearly fully utilized after completing the second shift of operations that was started in 2007. Farbest has been investigating alternatives for its planned expansion for more than a year in an effort to meet growing global customer demand for its products.
Knox County Support โSecond to Noneโ
After studying the feasibility of opening a plant โ and wherein the Tri-State to build it โ Farbest announced today it will partner with Vincennes and Knox County on the construction of the new turkey processing plant. The site for the new feed mill has not yet been determined.
โAfter many visits with Knox County officials, city officials, current employers, and others, it was very evident our company was going to receive tremendous local support, county support, support from the Indiana Department of Agriculture and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation,โ states Ted Seger, Farbest president. โThe positive feedback weโve received there has been second to none.โ
Construction of the turkey processing plant in the Vincennes industrial park will entail an investment of $70 million, Farbest reports. The feed mill will be constructed at a projected cost of $20 million. The feed mill is expected to benefit local farmers as it will create an additional market for local grain.
Local Agricultural Investment
โEach year the new feed mill will be purchasing about five million bushels of locally-grown corn โ an estimated $30 million value; 50,000 tons of soybean meal, valued at about $15 million; and a number of other ingredients that are used to produce our pelleted turkey feed,โ Seger notes.
In addition, Farbest will create opportunities for farm families in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky who want to diversify their operations with turkey growing facilities. Currently, Farbest oversees the growth of more than 10 million turkeys per year through 170 contract growers throughout the Tri-State.
โWe are excited about our companyโs steady growth, and weโre very happy to be able to bring job opportunities and agricultural investment into Knox County and this region,โ Seger says. โWeโre really looking forward to proceeding with this project pending all permit approvals and state and local commitments. Agriculture and related activities are an enormous part of the Indiana economy, and this project will create excellent growth opportunities for all sectors.โ
Learn more about Farbest Foods, Inc. at www.farbestfoods.com.
