JBS USA is investing $130 million in upgrades to two of its beef processing plants and another $150 million on increased wages for workers, the company announced June 9.
The upgrades will be made to JBS beef plants in Omaha and Grand Island, Neb. The Grand Island upgrades, scheduled for completion in late summer, will include the construction of a new harvest floor and “enhanced animal welfare facilities,” according to a company statement. JBS is also expanding cooler capacity and upgrading the fabrication floor at the Omaha facility. The improvements are expected to increase processing capacity by nearly 300,000 head of cattle per year.
Workers across JBS’s nine beef plants have received annualized pay increases totaling $150 million over the last 12 months, the company says. This is separate from $71 million in bonuses and incentive pay that JBS paid out during the pandemic. The company says the average hourly wage at JBS is now more than $22.
