Construction starts on $30M turkey hatchery near Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - A Minnesota company has started construction work on a $30 million turkey hatchery in western Indiana that will eventually hatch 1 million turkeys a week.

Select Genetics officials say the hatchery at the Vigo County Industrial Park will cover nearly 118,000-square-feet and employ about 100 workers.

Jihad Douglas is CEO of Willmar, Minnesota-based Select Genetics. He says the hatchery a few miles south of Terre Haute near U.S. 41 will initially handle 35 to 40 million eggs annually before expanding to hatching 61 million eggs a year.

The Tribune-Star reports the hatchery is expected to open next summer and will be equipped with advanced incubation and hatching equipment.

Turkey eggs hatched at building will come from Select Genetics' facilities in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and North Carolina.

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Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com