Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 7/22/15


Virgnia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has announced that Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative Inc. will invest nearly $62 million over the next three years to build a new 80,000-square-foot turkey processing facility in Hinton, Va.

The cooperative, which comprises 165 member-growers, also will invest in the company’s feed mill and its grain elevator in nearby communities. Altogether, the project is expected to create six new jobs and increase production by more than 45 percent.

Speaking at the announcement event, Gov. McAuliffe said, “The investments being made by the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative will not only increase poultry production and create jobs, but help bolster Virginia’s reputation as one of the nation’s leaders in quality poultry.”

Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative Inc. is the eighth-largest turkey processor in the United States and one of the largest suppliers of organic and antibiotic-free meat. Over the past decade, the cooperative has expanded significantly and now employs nearly 565 people in the region. The company buys and processes 7 million turkeys per year.

For its part, the state of Virginia — through various agencies — is providing a $500,000 performance-based grant, a $250,000 grant from the state’s ag development fund, and additional funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities. Rockingham County — where the facility is located — also has committed up to $250,000 in matching funds over the life of the project.

The state has been the focus of poultry industry development in the past year. The county of Pittsylvania, near the border with North Carolina, has made it a goal to attract new poultry processing operations. And earlier this year, the U.S. arm of British heritage breeder and processor Kelly Turkeys decided to establish its U.S.-based operations in Albemarle County.


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