Poultry producer delays decision on Nash plant

Sanderson Farms has expressed interest in building a plant on 150 acres of land near the intersection of N.C. Highway 97 and Interstate 195 in Nash County that would bring an estimated 1,000 jobs to the struggling area.

Bill Billingsley, director of development for Sanderson Farms, says the company wants to wait about a year before it decides so that it can evaluate the prices of chicken feed and market activity as a result of the rising costs of feed and the tight supply of corn.

The proposal to build in Nash County, however, has drawn concerns from residents in Nash and Wilson counties, as well as the city of Wilson, about how the plant would affect property values and the environment.

NEW NC Jobs, a job advocacy group for Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson counties, says the plan would help, not hurt the region. In addition to jobs, about $100 million would be invested in the region, the group says.