Sanderson Farms Abandons Nash County Plans

Sanderson Farms says it won't build a chicken processing operation in southern Nash County.
The company said on its website Tuesday that the decision was made in collaboration with Nash County officials and is a result of "various timing issues," which company officials wouldn't discuss. The statement said the decision will not affect the timing of its next poultry complex.
Nash County Manager Bob Murphy:

“I think Sanderson needed a date certain for beginning the operation of a chicken processing facility. In light of the ongoing litigation we really could not give them a date certain.”
 

The city of Wilson and concerned landowners sued the county to try to block the plant, but a court rejected the challenge. Wilson Mayor Bruce Rose called the decision not to locate in Nash County good news. Much of the concern was the use of waste spray fields over the watershed of Buckhorn Reservoir, city of Wilson’s water source.
 

Naturally Advanced Technologies Receives Incentives from Florence County

Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. which produces and markets CRAiLAR® Flax Fiber, was recently granted $263,500 in incentives from Florence County, South Carolina to be used for its manufacturing and production in the region.
 

NAT is opening a facility in the former Delta Mills Cypress plant on in Pamplico. Flax, grown as a winter crop in Florence and surrounding counties, will be processed out of the new facility beginning in late December. Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary, CRAiLAR® Fiber Technologies Inc., has developed proprietary technologies for production of bast fibers, cellulose pulp, and their resulting by-products in collaboration with Canada’s National Research Council. Its renewable and environmentally sustainable biomass resources from flax, hemp and other bast fibers offer cost-effective and environmentally sustainable processing and production, along with increased performance characteristics for use in textile, industrial, energy, medical and composite material applications.
 

Many statewide and regional economic development officials voiced their support, including South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt, and Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers. We’ll be discussing the flax industry extensively next month in our alternative crop series on Southern Farm Network.

 Omtron Files Bankruptcy on Townsends Crestwood Farms
 

Omtron, the North Carolina-based company that acquired some of the assets of bankrupt Townsends Crestwood Farms Inc. last year, itself has filed for Chapter 11 protection from its creditors.
 

Omtron, owned by a Ukrainian billionaire, acquired Townsends processing plants, hatcheries and feed mills in December 2010. Omtron closed the North Carolina operations last year laying off more than 1,100 workers when they ceased operations at the facilities in Siler City, N.C., and Mocksville, N.C. One-hundred-fifty-seven contract poultry growers were also left stranded by the closure.

Decision on RFS Waiver Request Expected Soon
 

Livestock producers and organizations filed for a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard – the federal requirement for the production of corn ethanol – with the Environmental Protection Agency after this year’s drought reduced yields and increased feedgrains prices. National Pork Producers Council President-Elect Randy Spronk says EPA has taken comments from various organizations about the request…

“We are hoping they take that information to heart. The question that we have been asking all along is what are you going to do when you have to ration the crop. And is it fair among all end users as to how the crop is rationed. We are hopeful the decision will be made in the next few weeks.”
 

If the waiver is granted – Spronk says that means the legislation works. The Environmental Protection Agency missed the deadline on Monday for making the decision on the waiver andAmerican Coalition for Ethanol Executive Vice President Brian Jennings says he wasn’t surprised Monday’s deadline was missed and he doesn’t expect the agency to waive the RFS