Area Development
Hart AgStrong LLC began construction on its $7.3 million, 23,000 square foot, oilseed processing plant off Highway 41 in Trenton, Kentucky. The company plans to create 25 full-time jobs in Todd County.

The plant will initially crush and process 150 tons of canola oil seeds per day. A second phase of the project will include increasing the facility’s crushing capacity and building a vegetable oil refining plant, which is expected to be operational by early 2017.

Hart AgStrong is a leading producer of canola and sunflower oil. Since 2006, the company has been building relationships with local farmers by contracting oilseed production acres and launched its first canola operation in Georgia in 2009. Hart AgStrong is building the new facility to be closer to canola seed farmers in western Kentucky.

To encourage the investment and job creation in Trenton, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $450,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

“It’s always exciting to see a company invest in Kentucky, create jobs and help grow the economy,” said Governor Steve Beshear. “We’re pleased to partner with Hart AgStrong and Todd County to turn the shovel on a project that will not only create 20 new jobs, but also generate more business for our local farmers.”