The city council in Troy, Alabama, has granted more than $1.2 million in tax abatements to Wayne Farms for its $16 million hatchery expansion there.
The city council on March 10 granted the incentives for the expansion, which when completed will yield 19 new jobs with an average pay ranging from $11 to $15 per hour, according to a report from the Troy Messenger.
The tax incentives approved by the council will come in the form of:
- $728,750 in construction related transaction taxes, a one-time abatement
- $74,400 in non-educational ad valorem taxes in the first year, renewable for a total of 10 years, and
- $15,000 in mortgage and recording taxes.
“This is a great opportunity to support a local expansion when you’re talking about $16 million in capital investments and 19 new jobs,” Mayor Jason Reeves told the city council. “They have been involved here for many years. And they are a very good utility customer.”
Troy is located in the southeastern portion of the state, in Pike County.
During the 2019 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), Jim Shepard, senior director of live operations for Wayne Farms, said the company was planning to upgrade all 10 of its hatcheries to single-stage incubation over the next three years, as well as adding early feeding and increased airflow in the hatcheries. Shepard also announced plans to build another hatchery on a parcel of land purchased by the company.
Wayne Farms, according to the WATTAgNet Top Companies Database, produced 49.4 million pounds of ready-to-cook chicken on a weekly basis in 2019, a 3.3% increase when compared to its production in 2018. Headquartered in Oakwood, Georgia, Wayne Farms is the seventh largest broiler company in the United States. Its key brands are Wayne Farms, Platinum Harvest, Crisp Fliers, Buffaloos, Chef’s Craft and Naked Truth.
