Aviagen Cuts Ribbon on New $35M Poultry Feed Mill

Poultry breeding firm Aviagen North America held a ribbon cutting event on May 27 at its new feed processing plant in Pikeville, TN, the firm announced. The company describes the $35.3 million location as “the country’s most advanced feed mill.”

Featuring a capacity of 156,000 tn/yr, the Pikeville feed mill will supply specially formulated feed to Aviagen’s internal poultry flocks. The site includes technology for full pathogen elimination and biosecurity.

“Protecting the health and welfare of our birds and keeping pathogens out of the food chain are our foremost priorities. This all begins with biosecure, high-quality feed,” said Richard Obermeyer, director of feed production for Aviagen North America, in a release. “Pikeville joins our Sallisaw, OK and Athens, AL fleet of high-capacity, state-of-the-art feed processing facilities to keep our birds nourished with a healthy supply of nutritionally balanced feed.”

36 new jobs will be created with the opening of the facility. The company estimates the facility will source 1 million to 1.5 million bushels in its first year of operations. Aviagen is also expanding production farms in the area and its hatchery in Pikeville.

“We are committed to the people of Tennessee, and are happy to expand our footprint here,” Aviagen CEO Jan Henriksen said in a statement. “It is a state with an impressive workforce – one that understands agriculture – in particular primary breeding companies and the role we play in helping farmers feed the world.”