Possible Farbest Grant

VINCENNES, IND. (WTHI) - A southern Indiana county that has already landed a $70-million dollar turkey processing plant is working to make the deal even better for the company and future employees.

Farbest Foods is expected to start construction later this year on the plant near Vincennes that will employ more than 300 people.

The county is also trying to land a federal grant that will help the firm purchase equipment for the operation.

Knox County is doing more than just waiting for Farbest to begin building a new plant in the industrial park.

Officials are going after a $1.5-million grant to help the company.

"The purpose of the grant is to aid Farbest in the purchase of new equipment to equip their new processing plant here in the industrial park," said Gary Gentry with the Knox County Development Corporation.

The source of the funding is a disaster recovery grant that the county qualified for after severe flooding along the White and Wabash hit Knox County in 2008.

"There was an application allowed for the economic growth and recovery of business and industry," said Gentry.

It might seem odd to have a disaster recovery grant benefiting a company that wasn't even in Knox Cpounty when the disaster happened, but officials say the key to all of this is the jobs that Farbest is bringing.

"The grant, hopefully, what this is doing, they're going to hire at least 51 percent of people that have a low wage job to these jobs that pay $14.50 or more," said Knox County Commissioner Kevin Meyer.

"Not only is it an enticement or benefit for Farbest to hire those people, it's a great opportunity for those employees that want and need to earn more money," added Gentry.

That means the grant could open the way for raising wages for hundreds of unemployed and under-employed people in Knox County.

Local officials say they are just in the beginning phases of the grant process, but they are optimistic the funding will be approved.