Company to open beef processing facility in S. Idaho

JEROME, Idaho (AP) - A beef processing company said Friday it will open a new plant in south-central Idaho and hire 400 workers.

Agri Beef announced plans to build the plant that will operate as True West Beef in Jerome and will be able to process 500 cattle a day.

The Times-News reports the company already owns a mid-sized processing plant in Washington and since 1968 has operated feedlots in Idaho. It owns the Snake River Farms and Double R Ranch brands.

The company said its workers make about $52,000 annually. The company said the plant will work directly with livestock producers who will have an equity ownership in the facility.

"With an educated and motivated workforce, access to plentiful agricultural resources, and a vibrant community with a can-do spirit, Jerome and Idaho checked the box for everything we were looking for," Agri Beef Executive Vice President of Business Development Wade Small said in a statement.