March 24, 2004

Sanderson Farms To Build New Poultry Plant In Georgia

Leading poultry producer Sanderson Farms is considering Georgia as one of three states in which a new state of the art integrated poultry plant will be built.

Sanderson Farms chairman and chief executive Joe Sanderson said Tuesday that the company will make a decision in 30 to 60 days on where to locate an integrated poultry complex. Part of that complex is an $80 million processing plant, and Colquitt County appears to be a front runner in site selection, which could mean 1,400 new jobs created for that facet alone.

The management team has looked at Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.

The company hopes to attract growers from five or six south Georgia counties with Cook County as a center point. It is considering the move to better supply markets in Florida and Atlanta.

Sanderson Farms plans to invest $181.7 million for the entire project, creating more than 1,700 jobs. Estimated annual payroll and contract payments to 130 growers could amount to $58.2 million.