A buyout of the Harward turkey farms and a processing plant in Sevier County by the Moroni Feed Co. will convert the county's turkey production status to breed farms and may employ as many as 100 people.
The Utah Turkey Growers plant in Salina will be used for processing lines of turkey steaks, roasts, hams, ground turkey and smoked and cooked products under the Norbest brand. Current plans don't call for turkeys to be slaughtered and processed at the plant, according to David Bailey, company vice president and manager of processing.The turkey farms are located south and north of Richfield and west of Salina. They will be used for as many as 45,000 breeder stock turkeys. "Moroni Feed Co. sees the expansion into Salina and Sevier County as a great opportunity, and expects to become a vital part of the growth and well-being of Sevier County," Bailey said.
Several weeks of negotiations and approval by members of Moroni Feed Co. preceded the purchase. The company's principal operations in Moroni, Sanpete County, will be extended through the acquisition. The company has grown from a fledgling cooperative feed plant that began operation in the 1930s to a major turkey enterprise that markets its products worldwide.
The Sevier County farms will be used to upgrade and expand the company's breeder program. It has breeder farms in California, but these will be phased out and moved to Sevier County.
Sanpete County is the center of turkey production in Utah and one of the major turkey-producing counties in the nation.
About 70 million pounds of turkey products, produced from 4.5 million turkeys, will be marketed by Moroni Feed Co. next year, Bailey said. The company's production programs employ about 700 people.