LAST WEEK'S SPEAKER - COSTCO CHICKEN PLANT

OUR SPEAKER - JESSICA KOLTERMAN OF LINCOLN POULTRY

Costco Wholesale Corp. has been working all spring to get approval for a $180 million poultry processing plant near Fremont, Nebraska, that would process roughly 1.6 million birds a week. The facility would cater to Costco stores, which sell rotisserie chickens that are popular with customers.  Jessica has been involved the the coordination/political communications part of the project, now as an employee of Lincoln Premium Poultry 

Costco will own the processing plant, and all of the product will go to Costco stores. Lincoln Premium Poultry LLC will run the actual poultry production side of the operation. To keep operating, the processing plant would need roughly 404 barns built in the local area that would each raise about 43,000 birds per barn for each flock delivered. That would include 332 broiler barns, 24 pullet barns and 48 breeder barns.  These barns would involve contracts between the facility and individual farmers that would contract to provide the chickens for the processing plant

Nebraska was selected partly due to the work ethic and Nebraska farmers are interested in the investment which would bring many former Nebraska farm children back to the farm.  The total economic impact would be $22 billion per year with a $380 million investment. 

The plants or  400 + barns are not expected to emit odors, in part because of the chicken litter will be made from cottonwood.

The individual barns will be designed and operated to greatly reduce the risk of the spread of disease.