Tyson Breaks Ground on $300M Pork and Beef Plant in Utah

Tyson Foods broke ground on a $300-million dollar meat packaging plant in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on Tuesday. This is Tyson’s first “case operation” in the west, local reports say. The plant will specialize in processing beef and pork from the Midwest to go to stores across the western U.S.

“They’ll be all beef and pork products, so if you buy a tray of ribeye steaks or ground beef hamburger patties, those are the types of products we make of this operation. Retailers that buy product from us, it’ll go to their distribution centers and then they’ll send it out to their stores from their distribution location,” Nathan Hodne, a senior vice president with Tyson foods, said in a KSL TV report.

Tyson will become the largest employer in the area and city officials hope it will be a catalyst for more industrial development in one of Utah’s fastest growing cities. Aaron Sanborn, economic development director for Eagle Mountain, told the Daily Herald that the city has been very excited about the opening, and has been working “hand in hand” with Tyson Foods to plan the facility and infrastructure development.

“Tyson is paving the way quite literally for other businesses to be able to move here,” Sanborn added. “Putting in roads, putting in water, sewer infrastructure, that’s going to help this area of the city develop and create jobs.”

In the beginning, the plant will need to fill 800 jobs with an annual payroll of $44 million, but the plant could expand up to 1,200 positions, local reports say.

Tyson selected the Eagle Mountain location because Utah has a vibrant workforce. “We were looking for a good location to get product to the west coast and this is a great location in regards to getting trucks in with the raw material we need and finished products out to our customers’ great growing area with people and we’ve really enjoyed the community,” Hodne added. The plant is expected to open in 2021.

SOURCE: AgWeb