
(NAFB.com) – JBS USA broke ground Tuesday on its “state of the art” sausage making facility and celebrated with city and state leaders a “turning point” for the community. The roughly 110-acre site on the southeast side of Perry is slated to be operational a year from now and officials said the plant would add a second shift about six months later, to hit the full 500-job metric. JBS announced plans for the plant in May and was awarded a $12 million tax benefit from the Iowa Economic Development Authority board because nearly 60 jobs at the facility will offer salaries of $30 or higher per hour. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig welcomed JBS to the site and said the plant would add “tremendous value” to Iowa’s pork industry. He said the value-added products made at the facility are part of Iowa’s story of “long-term strength” in the agriculture industry.