Farbest Foods Expanding Indiana Plant

Farbest Foods, a global supplier of raw, fresh, and frozen turkey products, is investing $12.8 million to expand the deboning room at its Huntingburg, Ind., plant, enabling the company to streamline its deboning process and improve output.

The new addition will enable Farbest to transition from manual turkey deboning to a more automated, machine-driven process. The company will be building out the new refrigerated space and adjacent shipping docks, which will enable it to incorporate new equipment into the deboning room.

Key Challenges to Using Automation in Packaging and Processing Operations

Stellar, a fully integrated design, engineering, construction, and mechanical services firm, is providing planning, design, pre-construction and construction services for the more than 22,000-sq-ft expansion. The project began in September 2021 and is on track to be completed this July.

“It’s important for us to keep evolving and improving our practices at Farbest, so we can maintain our mission of providing customers with top-grade turkey products,” says Ted Seger, president of Farbest Foods. “We knew Stellar’s expertise and experience would make them a great partner as we work to improve our already world-class facility.”

First built in 1969 and expanded in 1986 and 2008, the Farbest facility presented unique challenges for the Stellar team. Stellar assured Farbest of a successful build after identifying challenging soil issues, as they needed to match new construction technology with an existing 35-year-old structure.

After considering various possibilities, Stellar’s project management team selected a solution involving fill and wick drains under the expansion site, which are designed to speed up the settlement process and reduce the risk of long-term settlement issues.

“There are other solutions we could have pursued, but we decided on an approach that was optimal for the site and the owner’s objectives,” says Michael Grochowski, Stellar’s lead design manager on the project. “This method was both effective and cost-efficient. It also speaks to our team’s expertise and willingness to investigate creative solutions to best meet our clients’ goals on any project.”