ROCKINGHAM COUNTY (146 jobs)–The Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative will invest $113.9 million to expand its operations in Rockingham County, including construction of what will be the largest grain storage facility on the East Coast.

The multi-phase expansion will create 146 jobs and includes a nearly two-million-cubic-foot feed mill, a new rail spur at the cooperative’s Linville facility, and upgrades to the water treatment system at its Hinton facility. The cooperative will also increase turkey processing capacity and expand opportunities for family farms in the region.

Over the next three years, VPGC expects to process an additional 4.5 million turkeys and purchase an additional 2.4 million bushels of corn and wheat from Virginia farms.

Founded in 2004, the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative is owned entirely by its growers, meaning all profits return to the farmers. The cooperative has grown into one of the largest commercial turkey processors to offer antibiotic-free and organic products, supplying poultry to food processors and distributors worldwide.

Rockingham County is the top agricultural producing county in Virginia. Four of the top five agricultural-producing localities in the state are in the Shenandoah Valley region.

The state is supporting the project with a $1 million performance-based grant, a $500,000 agriculture and forestry industries development grant, and a $750,000 rail industrial access grant.

Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.