North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Select Genetics, a turkey breeder, will invest $58 million to build a new turkey egg hatchery and establish turkey farms in Goldsboro.
“Our farming legacy continues to attract innovative agriculture companies,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolina’s $95 billion agriculture and agribusiness economy continues to evolve and grow, creating more opportunities for our hardworking and skilled workforce.”
Select Genetics is headquartered in Minnesota with farms and hatcheries across the nation that produce more than 150 million turkey eggs annually.
The expansion will consolidate existing hatcheries into a new 100,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility, and add new turkey farms in Goldsboro.
“I am excited that we chose Wayne County for our new state-of-the-art turkey hatchery, which will be a great asset for our customers and the community,” said J. Douglas, CEO of Select Genetics. “Our team of experts has carefully designed the hatchery to utilize the latest hatching technology which represents our ongoing commitment for hatching the best poult quality. With a production capacity of about 55 million turkey hatching eggs per year, this new hatchery will be a major poult supplier for North Carolina and neighboring states.”
North Carolina ranks second in the nation for turkey production.
A performance-based grant of $75,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with Select Genetics’ location in North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment.
“This is outstanding news for Wayne County and the entire state,” said N.C. Representative John R. Bell, IV. “Select Genetics’ decision to locate to our community is yet another indicator that North Carolina is the best place to do business.”