Saline River Farms Formally Breaks Ground on 60,000-sq.-ft. Southern Illinois Meat Plant

Aug. 28, 2023

The new facility is expected to create more than 400 jobs and process up to 1,600 head of beef cattle per day.

Saline River Farms, a Creal Springs, Ill.-based meat processor, broke ground on its new 60,000-square-foot meat processing facility in Williamson County, according to a release shared by the office of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

The new processing plant is expected to create more than 400 jobs over the next several years and support farmers throughout central and southern Illinois. As part of the program, Saline River Farms will invest $34.5 million to renovate and expand the formerly vacant building to process up to 1,600 head of beef cattle per day, according to reports.

The project is supported by the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit program, a $1.5 million grant through the Meat & Poultry Supply Chain Capital Grant Program, and a $6 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.