Food Processing

Attala County’s immediate region has a notable history in food processing with an impressive roster of firms. In addition to large, remote properties, the region boasts agricultural assets, headlined by nearby Mississippi State University.

Mississippi State University, in nearby Starkville, MS, ranks sixth nationally in R&D expenditures for agricultural sciences.

Prairie Farms is a farmer-owned dairy producer with 36 plants across the country. The Kosciusko plant was under the name LuVel Dairy until Prairie Farms purchased it in 2007. The plant has been at its current site since 1957 and before that LuVel had been in downtown Kosciusko since 1919.

There are currently 140 employees at the Kosciusko plant and the Mississippi operations of Prairie Farms has a rough total of 215 employees.

Tyson Foods’ plant just over the Attala County line in Carthage, MS typically employs roughly 1400 individuals.

Peco Foods, one of the poultry industry’s leading suppliers, operates a facility in nearby Philadelphia, MS.

In February 2016, poultry processor Pearl River Foods announced a new processing plant in Carthage, MS, investing more than $2 million and creating 150 jobs.