Representatives of a company seeking to build a 500,000-square-foot beef processing facility outside Foristell were met with concerns over environmental impacts and traffic during a Warren County permit hearing in March.

Beef processing company American Foods Group (AFG) is required to receive a conditional use permit from the county government before proceeding with construction of the commercial slaughterhouse, which the company aims to build along Veterans Memorial Parkway just west of Foristell. The facility is estimated to cost $450 million and would create around 1,300 jobs, according to AFG.

Representatives of AFG and a local economic development group presented their proposal to the Warren County Planning and Zoning Board during a public CUP hearing on March 24. They said the proposed facility would be built with state-of-the-art technology, including specially design ventilation systems and robotics. At full capacity, the facility would be capable of processing 2,400 cattle per day.

"We'll have about $80 million in annual payroll. Our jobs will pay substantially more than the average in the county," said AFG representative Paul Fox. "We anticipate to begin work sometime soon this year, as soon as we are fully authorized to do so, and our goal is to be running in the back half of 2024."

Steve Etcher, business development director for the Greater Warren County Economic Development Council, also spoke on behalf of the proposal. He described the beef plant as "transformative" for the future economic opportunities and prosperity of Warren County residents.

Etcher explained that the economic development council, which is made up of local businesses and government bodies, sought to bring AFG to Warren County after doing extensive research on the company.

"What we've been able to confirm is American Foods Group ... is a well-run, highly reputable, American owned, family company. They're going to be a great corporate partner for us," Etcher commented.

A number of other local business, government, and even law enforcement representatives spoke in favor of the beef plant during the public hearing. Community leaders are enthusiastic about the proposal, noting the potential economic benefits that such a large-scale employer and producer can bring. In addition to bringing well paying jobs that the company states will have an average wage of nearly $60,000, the massive property investment would also be a boon to area schools and public services that rely on property taxes for their revenue.

Secondary economic benefits have also been touted, including company employees having more money to spend in their communities, and the potential for more new businesses that could provide various goods and services that AFG relies on. And, of course, local cattle farmers would have a go-to place to sell their livestock.

But for a number of nearby residents who came to speak at the planning and zoning hearing, those upsides are tempered by worries of how the facility might impact their daily lives. They listed concerns over vehicle traffic around the facility, potential odors, and the water and sewage involved with the facility.
"Foristell cannot handle anymore tractor trailers. Stringtown Road already has a bunch of them coming out of the plants there," commented Scott Scarborough, whose land is adjacent to where the beef plant would be built.

This is a concern that project representatives had already been trying to get ahead of before the hearing. Plans for the facility show Veterans Memorial Parkway being widened with a turn lane at the intersection with the AFG access road, a project that AFG is hoping to partner with county and state governments to complete.

Project representatives also said they're petitioning the St. Charles County government to expand usable access corridors on the Foristell side of the facility.

Neighbors also asked whether unpleasant odors will persist around the facility. This is another concern that was preemptively addressed by Etcher and other Warren County representatives, who have visited other AFG plants and say the facilities are designed such that no odors are detectable from the outside.

The last major concern was over water quality around the facility.

"The water is a major concern. ... How are they going to process all this blood and everything else that's coming out of the plant?" asked Bryan Wieneke, another nearby resident. He noted that if that wastewater is going to be treated at an on-site sewage facility, that facility could supply enough odor to make up for the beef plant's lack of smell.

The answer to this question was supplied by Fox, the AFG representative, during his prior presentation to the planning committee. He said that AFG will coordinate with local utilities to build a nearby wastewater facility that will serve the beef plant and other future developments in the area.

"The processing of wastewater will be equal to the standards given to us by government, or will exceed those," Fox commented.

No decision on the permit for AFG was reached at the March 24 hearing. The planning board will discuss  the issue and potentially deliver a ruling at their April 21 public meeting.