Tyson Foods begins Missouri poultry plant expansion

Tyson Foods has begun work on a multi-million dollar improvement and expansion project at its poultry complex in Sedalia, Missouri.

Improvements will include state-of-the-art processes and technologies designed to benefit animal handling, food safety, environmental quality, workplace safety and production, such as the addition of up to five poultry deboning lines; upgrades to the plant’s wastewater treatment operations; and improvements in the poultry slaughter area.

The project also will upgrade parts of the plant that have been in operation since 1994.

Ergonomics, the science of making the workplace fit the worker, will be incorporated into the new debone and slaughter areas. This will involve equipment and processes designed to reduce physical demand on certain jobs.

In addition to upgraded equipment and infrastructure at the wastewater treatment operations, a third lagoon will be built to ensure there is enough capacity to handle higher volumes.

The Sedalia poultry complex contracts with more than 125 poultry farmers in seven counties in central Missouri. Complex operations include the poultry processing plant, hatchery, feed mill, live haul operations, wastewater treatment facility and a rendering operation. The plant produces fully cooked chicken for grocery customers, including fully cooked patties, nuggets, wings and breast strips. Annual payroll for the complex for fiscal year 2011 was more than $46.3 million; total family farmer pay to grow chickens for the complex was approximately $27.4 million.

The expansion will create as many as 200 additional jobs in the next two years. The complex currently employs about 1,450 people.

Source: Tyson Foods