Koch Foods adding jobs at expanding Ohio poultry plant

Koch Foods is looking to fill about 200 new jobs which are being created through the addition of a new production line at its poultry processing plant in Fairfield, Ohio.
 “As a result, this has increased our warehouse and distribution needs,” Angela Smith, a recruiter for the poultry company told the Journal-News.
The plant in Fairfield currently employs an estimated 840 people and operates in three production shifts.
Among the jobs Koch Foods seeks to fill are general laborers, production stackers, quality assurance technicians, inventory control positions and data capture palletizers.
Koch Foods, which according to the WATT Global Media Top Companies Database is the fifth largest poultry company in the United States, processes 624 million birds annually to produce 48 million pounds of ready-to-cook poultry on a weekly basis. The company, which is headquartered in Chicago, has been going through several expansion projects in recent months. In March 2015, Koch Foods announced that it would be expanding operations at its plant in Gadsden, Alabama for the production of value-added products, which was to add 70 more people to the local payroll. Several months prior to that announcement, the company added another 80 new jobs at the same poultry plant.

US poultry industry adds 477,000 jobs over last two years

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and United Egg Producers have made available an updated economic impact study that highlights the increased positive impact the poultry industry has on jobs, wages and federal and state revenue in the United States. A dynamic and integral part of the national economy, from 2012 to 2014 the poultry industry collectively increased the number of jobs from 1,337,020 to 1,814,200, amount of wages from $63 billion to $100.2 billion, total economic activity from $265.5 billion to $469.6 billion, and government revenue from $23.4 billion to $32.9 billion.
The study was updated using the most current methodology available, and as a result, a small portion of the increase can be attributed to the new methodology. 
The study breaks down poultry into three subcategories: chicken, turkey and eggs. Key economic data from each are as follows:


• The chicken industry provides 1,339,900 jobs, $74 billion in wages, $348.7 billion in economic activity and $24.4 billion in government revenue.
• The turkey industry provides 308,400 jobs, $16.9 billion in wages, $80.1 billion in economic activity and $5.6 billion in government revenue.
• The egg industry provides 128,000 jobs, $7.2 billion in wages, $30.7 billion in economic activity and $2.2 billion in government revenue.
The data is hosted on interactive websites that can be viewed collectively or by individual product, and then sorted nationally by state, congressional district, state house district or state senate district. 
The economic impact study was funded by USPOULTRY. The study was conducted by John Dunham & Associates, based in New York City, and uses data from 2014.

Mountaire Farms seeks workers to support growth in Millsboro, Del.

Poultry processor Mountaire Farms is accepting applications for 49 jobs, created by its expansion efforts in Millsboro, Del. The jobs are expected to pay an average of $25,000 per year.
Michael W. Tirrell, Mountaire Farms vice president of human resources and business services, told The News Journal that the Mountaire Farms hatchery expansion project in Millsboro was completed in October, and it expects to complete the Mountaire Farms poultry plant expansion, also in Millsboro, in December.

Poultry science partnership formed by Arkansas universities

The University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff have entered an agreement in hopes of filling a need for more graduates in the poultry industry. A ceremony was held September 13, where a memorandum of understanding between the two universities was signed.
The "3+1 course curriculum" collaboration allows agriculture majors with an animal science option at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to take poultry science classes at the University of Arkansas during their senior year. Those courses will be recognized by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and will count toward degree requirements there. At the same time, those same students will earn a poultry science undergraduate certificate of excellence from the University of Arkansas. Completion of the certificate requires 26 to 28 hours of poultry science credit.
"This is something the poultry industry has been asking for and we're happy to be in a position to help make this happen," said Mike Kidd, head of the poultry science department at the University of Arkansas. "There are currently more jobs available in the poultry industry than the poultry science departments across the country can fill. In reality, this is a partnership between the two universities and the poultry industry. In order to meet industry needs, we're going to get creative and do things like this."
Several representatives from the poultry industry attended the signing ceremony.

Industry leaders to speak at conference

The 2009 Women’s Leadership Conference, sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s Poultry & Egg Institute, is slated for October 22-23, in Destin, Fla.
Elise Durbin of the Marshall Durbin Companies will be a featured speaker. Durbin is the corporate secretary-treasurer and vice president of legal affairs for the company her grandfather, Marshall Durbin Sr., founded. She will present a “Profile of Women in Management."
Co-featured at the event is Jim Perdue, president and CEO of Perdue Farms. Perdue will discuss “A CEO’s Perspective of Women in Leadership Roles.”

Townsends creates poultry jobs in N.C.

Townsends Inc., a Delaware-based poultry company, will be expanding operations in N.C., say reports.
The state’s governor, Bev Perdue, announced the company’s three-year plan to add 103 jobs and invest $700,000.
A grant of $250,000 was allotted for the expansion, from the One North Carolina Fund.