Michigan Grant to Upgrade Agricultural Route
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A Michigan rural road grant of $790,000 will make it easier for truckers to carry pet treats and fresh fruit from two leading agricultural producers in Oceana County to homes across the nation.
Michigan is a leading agricultural producer. It has 47,000 farms using 10 million acres and more than 2,000 food processors generating more than $23 billion in economic activity per year. Oceana County bills itself as the agricultural heartland of West Michigan.
Brady Selner, administrator for Shelby Village, said the state road funds will upgrade the two-lane Shelby Road from the village in Oceana County to an all-season one in a key transportation connection to U.S. Highway 31.
The state grant was announced recently by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who said it would support creating 128 jobs and enable $31 million in private investments in Shelby by supporting the business expansions of Perdue Farms and Peterson Farms Inc.
Selner
“Shelby Road at the U.S. 31 Freeway is a major access point for Oceana County for semi-trucks traveling to and from Peterson Farms Inc., other area businesses, and eventually Perdue Farms. Employees of Peterson Farms Inc., Perdue Farms, local businesses, truck drivers, citizens in the area and tourists will all benefit from this collaborative project,” noted Mark Timmer, managing director of the Oceana County Road Commission.
U.S. 31 spans from Alabama to Michigan’s lower peninsula. The condition of the existing roads and inconsistent all-season road network was an issue identified by both companies as they were exploring their investment and expansion options, noted the governor’s office.
In business for more than 100 years and owned by fourth-generation family members, Perdue Farms has bought a food plant to renovate in Shelby to produce premium-grade pet treats with 99 new jobs. One of its subsidiaries is Perdue Foods, a major U.S. chicken, turkey and pork processing company that is forming a pet treat division to make fresh pet treats and food.
“Having proper infrastructure in place is an important element of maximizing the efficiency of our operations,” said Ryan Perdue, vice president and general manager of Perdue’s Pet Business. “These road improvements in and around the Village of Shelby will help meet the needs of our facility, benefit those living and working in the surrounding areas and further enable our contributions to Michigan’s important agricultural industry.”
Road improvements include having the asphalt surface milled and repaved. Shelby Road will also be shaped, with a new right turning lane built to handle more traffic, provide protected turn movements, ease congestion and improve safety.
Timmer
Truck drivers, employees and citizens in the area will all benefit from the collaborative projects, Selner said.
Timmer noted that rebuilding the road to all season standards will allow Peterson Farms to expand its apple slicing production and create 29 new jobs. Peterson Farms, headquartered in Shelby, is a market leader in producing both fresh and frozen fruits since being founded in 1984. Its primary fruit production consists of apples, blueberries, cherries, applesauce and bottled juices. A top frozen fruit company, it markets over 150 million finished pounds of frozen fruits and 7 million gallons of single strength apple juice/cider and juice concentrates.
The state grant was awarded through the Michigan Transportation Economic Development Fund, formed to provide revenue for transportation improvements that support investments and create/retain state jobs by helping pay for necessary highway, road and street projects.
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