January 4, 2012

Farbest to build US turkey plant in Vincennes

Farbest Foods will begin construction for a new turkey processing plant in the US Highway 41 Industrial Park in Vincennes, Indiana.

The projected completion date is 2014. The new processing plant will employ some 300 people and might increase the numbers to 700, Farbest Foods states. The company is also planning to construct a new feed mill that will employ up to 30 people.

A family-owned operation since 1982, Farbest Foods, 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 utilised after completing a 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.

Construction of the turkey processing plant in the Vincennes industrial park will entail an investment of US$70 million, Farbest reports. The feed mill will be constructed at a projected cost of US$20 million. The feed mill is expected to benefit local farmers as it will create an additional market for local grain.