News

$100 million expansion from Omaha-based processor to boost demand, economy

A local meat processing facility will utilize a new grant from USDA to support the region’s beef industry, create jobs and boost the economy.

Nebraska-based Greater Omaha Packing is preparing for a $100 million expansion and President Mike Drury says they plan to increase processing to 700 head daily, an increase of 30 percent. “We have to build the automatic freezer to make space for room that we will then use for our value-added for the fabrication of products and some of the infrastructure to support the added capacity for cattle.

Drury says a $20 million dollar grant from USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program will improve infrastructure and update automation.

As cattle supplies tighten, Drury says the expansion will help meet demand from producers. “Certainty with the weather and drought, we are exacerbating we are size of the herd and we’re seeing some decrease occurring.  Our job is to make sure there is great place and ending point for high quality beef.  They’ll always be a market for that.  Our job is to develop that and pull that through the entire chain.”

The expansion could add 300 high paying jobs in the Omaha-metro and is scheduled to be online by 2024.