American Foods Group, the Wisconsin company that had considered building a 500,000-square-foot beef processing plant that would employ more than 1,300 workers in Christian County, has chosen a site in Warren County, Missouri. The office of Missouri Gov. Michael L. Parson announced the selection in a press release Tuesday.
“Missouri is able to compete for projects of this magnitude because of our strong agriculture community and business-friendly economy,” Parson said in the release. “As a third-generation farmer and cattleman myself, I know how beneficial having a company like American Foods Group in Warren County will be for Missouri’s farmers and consumers. We are excited that Missouri is the planned location and remain committed to supporting the company as this project continues to develop in our state.”
AFG, a family-owned company with processing plants in seven states, dropped Christian County from consideration on Oct. 4. The announcement came in the wake of a groundswell of opposition, especially from residents in Pembroke near the proposed site on John Rivers Road. They cited concerns about the smell of cattle and manure, truck traffic, wastewater treatment, groundwater pollution, the available workforce, housing for workers, school capacity and an influx of foreign workers.
In the Missouri governor’s press release, AFG Executive Vice President Jim Rathke said, “We have been impressed by Warren County and the potential opportunity to become a part of that community. The process will take some time, but we feel very good about what we have seen in Warren County, Missouri.” Rathke was among company officials who visited Christian County.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that the project could receive $36 million in state and local tax subsidies in Missouri. The plant is projected to be operational in 2024, officials estimated.
Warren County is about an hour’s drive west of St. Louis. The population in 2019 was 35,649.
After opposition to the beef plant became evident in Christian County, local and state officials urged AFG to consider other sites in Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear and Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles were at odds over how the state was involved in recruiting AFG to Kentucky.
According to Parson’s announcement, Missouri officials had been in discussions with AFG since the spring of this year.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
