News

Nebraska chicken plant takes another step forward

The drive to bring a Costco chicken processing plant to the east-central Nebraska community of Fremont has taken another step forward.

On a unanimous vote, the Fremont City Council has approved a redevelopment agreement with Costco. It spells out the city’s and the company’s responsibilities when it comes to building and financing the plant.

Costco is expected to announce a final decision on the Fremont location in August.  If they proceed, construction could begin early next year and will take two years to complete.

Meanwhile, members of an opposition group have filed a lawsuit against the city of Fremont and are requesting a temporary injunction to halt progress on the plant. They allege the city violated due process when it designated farmland as blighted in order to obtain tax incentive financing for the project.

The proposed plant would employ up to 11-hundred. From an agricultural perspective, Costco has indicated that it wants to contract with 75 to 100 local farmers to raise chickens for the plant. It also plans to purchase 300-thousand bushels of corn and three-thousand tons of soybean meal each week from local producers.