CANMER, Ky. — Startup meat processor Green River Meats LLC announced plans to locate in Taylor County, creating 25 full-time jobs with a more than $2.3 million commitment.
The new processing plant will serve the local livestock industry and is expected to open at 3998 Greensburg Road near Campbellsville in 2023. The operation will offer custom processing services of cattle and hogs under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection and feature a retail storefront for the sale of beef and pork cuts. Jobs created through the project will include beef and pork fabrication, value-added processing, sales, packaging and management positions.
Green River Meats ownership said they look forward to furthering their relationship with the local community.
“Green River Meats LLC is excited about starting our new meat processing facility and retail storefront for direct-to-consumer sales in Campbellsville,” co-owners Dr. Randy Smoot and Tim Jeffries said in a statement. “We appreciate the assistance and confidence that Gov. Beshear and the Cabinet for Economic Development has placed in our vision. Green River Meats will be able to serve residents and agriculture producers in the region for years to come. Green River Meats will be a place to buy fresh locally produced protein and a place for families to have the cattle and hogs they produce processed to take back to their families or market their products.”
Owners Randy and Stephany Smoot and Tim and Leslie Jeffries bring more than 30 years of agriculture experience and over a decade raising Angus beef for local customers. Plans for the new operation include a USDA-inspected and Global Food Safety Initiative-certified processing plant with the aim to package 25,000 pounds of product per week.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) today preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $550,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of over $2.3 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 25 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $21 including benefits across those jobs.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, the company can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
