September 6, 2010

Cobb Tennessee poultry project takes shape

A US$14-million investment by Cobb in a new production facility including hatchery and quality assurance (QA) complex is taking shape at Lafayette in Macon County, Tennessee, US.

Scheduled for completion in April 2011 the new hatchery/QA facility will incorporate the latest technology and be supplied by a network of 27 breeder farms currently under construction or planned by local farmers.

Cobb researched several rural locations before deciding on North Central Tennessee which meets critical criteria including isolation from other poultry, good access to a major airport, available workforce and a community based in agriculture.

The hatchery and QA facility is being built on a 10-acre (4-hectare) site in Monticello's industrial park, with the support of over US$500,000 in state funding from the City of Lafayette.

Cobb has opened an office there and the new complex manager, Randy Yates, has moved to the region, with Keith Harper appointed hatchery manager.

Yates is responsible for overseeing construction and management of the hatchery facility, and getting the 27 new, two-house farms built by local farmers over the next three years.