Minnesota-based Select Genetics has an 80-year history in the turkey breeding and hatching industry, and provides turkey eggs and day-old poults to customers ranging from independent farmers and premium brands such as Butterball, according to a release on the expansion. This expansion will consolidate the company’s existing hatcheries into a new 100,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility, while adding new turkey farms in Goldsboro.
The company’s farms and hatcheries produce more than 150 million turkey eggs across the nation.
The hatchery will produce about 55 million turkey hatching egg per year, and be a major poultry supplier for North Carolina and surrounding states, says Select Genetics CEO J. Douglas.
Salaries for farm crew, specialists, and managers will vary by position, with the overall average annual wage exceeding Wayne County’s average annual wage of $43,882. These new jobs will have a potential annual payroll impact of more than $1.1 million for the region.
North Carolina has a $95 billion agriculture and agribusiness economy, and the state ranks second in the nation for turkey production. Minnesota had 40.5 million birds in 2021, compared to 30 million for North Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The state’s One North Carolina Fund gave Select Genetics $75,000 in assistance based on the company’s investment and creation of jobs.
