“This plant builds on Perdue’s investment in Pennsylvania and our commitment to Pennsylvania farmers,” said Perdue Farms Chairman Jim Perdue. “It also sets a new standard in terms of community investment, economic potential and environmental gains. We truly appreciate all of the support we received from the governor and his entire administration to get this project up and running. This plant demonstrates our shared commitment to ensure agriculture remains strong and farmers have every advantage they need to remain competitive.”
Perdue was joined by Gov. Tom Wolf and state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, along with renewable energy partner Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) executives, local elected officials, community leaders, farmers and others, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Perdue Agribusiness invested more than $60 million to design and build the plant. The commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided an $8.75 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant for the project.
“This plant is a game changer for farmers in Pennsylvania, opening new lanes of supply, new markets, and new opportunities in the commonwealth’s agriculture economy,” Gov. Wolf said. “My administration is committed to making sure that the agriculture economy is strong, and working for our commonwealth’s farm families and businesses.”
The grain elevator at the new facility has a storage capacity of 1.5 million bushels and will receive, dry, store and ship soybeans that are grown and harvested throughout the region. The adjoining plant will process to 17.5 million bushels of soybeans per year.
“When the state committed to this project, it did so because we recognized the importance of investing in our agricultural infrastructure and the opportunities it held for Pennsylvania’s farmers,” Agriculture Secretary Redding said. “This plant is going to create new demand for soybeans grown in Pennsylvania, provide greater marketing options, and it’s going to offer another close-to-home supply of processed soybean meal farmers can use to feed our growing livestock industry.”
“Throughout this project, our company has been willing to go the extra mile, working openly with community stakeholders and regulators to bring this project to fruition for the benefit of Pennsylvania farmers,” said Perdue AgriBusiness President Dick Willey said. “We’re grateful for all of the support we’ve received over the years. We’re eager to get started. And we’re confident that we’ll continue to meet the high expectations that so many have come to expect of Perdue.”
