“I want to congratulate LPP on their one-year anniversary and on reaching full plant capacity,” said Steve Martin, executive director of the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska. “AFAN has been a strong supporter of the project from day one and is proud to support their growers through the permitting processes and start-up. The LPP project adds value to Nebraska grain, creates economic activity and opportunities in rural Nebraska”.
The LPP project will use about 350,000 bushels of corn and 3,000 tons of soybean meal every week. The soybean meal translates to about 126,000 bushels of soybeans. The average Nebraska farm is about 1,000 acres of land and given average yields, the LPP demand for grain utilizes ALL the grain from almost four Nebraska farms every week. Creating new markets and using grain in-state adds value to the grains. It helps farmers, and it creates more economic activity and opportunities in rural Nebraska communities.
The LPP project has had many far-reaching impacts. Adding a livestock component to a farming operation creates an additional economic layer which allows for the possibility to bring a son, daughter, or spouse back to the farm. It is an opportunity to use manure as an organic fertilizer that improves soil health, improves water holding capacity and reduces overall farm expenses. All of which makes the farm more sustainable and viable for the long run.
“In helping Costco source its Fremont facility, Lincoln Premium Poultry has created great opportunities for family farmers to grow their operations,” said Governor Pete Ricketts. “Through its excellent work, LPP is making it possible for the next generation of Nebraskans to return home so they can continue to help grow the food that feeds the world.”
By providing additional economic activity, dollars continue to circulate in rural communities longer, which supports other businesses. These could be farm related businesses, but the benefits also extend toward other goods and services, such as restaurants, coffee shops, clothing stores or boutiques.
Often the focus is to create opportunities that keep farm kids on the farm. However, the additional economic activity creates opportunities for kids that live in small towns to stay and thrive in those rural communities. Strong rural communities are supported by strong farm economics.
In the case of Fremont, not only are they seeing an increase in tax revenue which indicates economic growth, but the demand for housing is also on the rise. “The Lincoln Premium Poultry project has created a housing boom in Fremont. The initial housing study showed that if LPP were to land in Fremont we would need 800 housing units in the city and 1,500 county-wide. At this time, we have about 2,000 units proposed or approved just in the city. That represents about $350 million in capital investment. The side benefits of having LPP in Fremont will be a positive influence in our community for a long time”, said Garry Clark, President and CEO of the Greater Fremont Development Council.
“As an organization, AFAN continues to support the recruitment of food processing companies to Nebraska. We are firm believers in working collaboratively to find opportunities that benefit Nebraska farmers and ranchers as well as Nebraska as a whole,” said Steve Martin. “This state has so many resources, I feel that we are just scratching the surface of what we are capable of doing. I want to thank Costco and the LPP team for showing how great this partnership can be and how beneficial it is to them and to the state of Nebraska.”
