Area Development
Startup meat processor Green River Meats plans to locate a processing plant in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The $2.3 million project is expected to create 25 jobs in Taylor County.

The new facility will serve the local livestock industry and is expected to open at 3998 Greensburg Road in 2023. The operation will offer custom processing services of cattle and hogs under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection and feature a retail storefront for the sale of beef and pork cuts.

“Green River Meats LLC is excited about starting our new meat processing facility and retail storefront for direct-to-consumer sales in Campbellsville,” co-owners Dr. Randy Smoot and Tim Jeffries said in a statement. “We appreciate the assistance and confidence that Governor Beshear and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development has placed in our vision. Green River Meats will be able to serve residents and agriculture producers in the region for years to come. Green River Meats will be a place to buy fresh locally produced protein and a place for families to have the cattle and hogs they produce processed to take back to their families or market their products.”

Plans for the new operation include a USDA-inspected and Global Food Safety Initiative-certified processing plant with the aim to package 25,000 pounds of product per week.

“I want to welcome Green River Meats to the commonwealth and hope to see this company grow well into the future,” Governor Andy Beshear said. “Kentucky’s food, beverage and agritech sector includes businesses with a wide range of specialties, and it is great to add another company to that list that will work with and support local farmers and livestock producers.”

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) today preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $550,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of over $2.3 million and annual targets of creation and maintenance of 25 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years and paying an average hourly wage of $21 including benefits across those jobs.

“We are excited to assist Green River Meats in the creation of their new business,” said Ron McMahan, executive director of Team Taylor County. “It’s always good to have local entrepreneurs invest in their community, spurring new job growth and capital investment. Being able to take a locally grown agriculture product and create a value-added food processing company here is great.”

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, the company can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.