Wayne Farms LLC plans to add a new processing line to its Laurel chicken processing plant, which will ultimately result in adding 150 jobs, according to The Associated Press. The company announced on Oct. 11 it would invest $3 million in the project, which will also go towards renovating the company's existing facilities.
Mississippi will provide $880,000 in federal community development money to help pay for infrastructure and renovations. The city of Laurel plans to add another $100,000.
A unit of New York's Continental Grain Co., Wayne Farms already employs 730 people in Laurel. As the sixth-largest poultry producer in the United States, Wayne Farms has annual sales of more than $1.9 billion and operates 11 processing facilities in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and North Carolina. Combined, the plants process 5 billion lbs. of poultry products per year.
