Herbruck family breaks ground on Mercersburg poultry ranch following years of planning

The Herbruck family hosted their official groundbreaking ceremony Thursday in Mercersburg to kick-off the first phase of the construction of their poultry farm operation. 

The over $100 million project is situated on 335 acres that was previously owned by Hartung Dairy Farm. 

The family began this project to build a sustainable cage-free egg-laying facility over five years ago. Obtaining permits and learning the process of another state proved lengthy for the Michigan-based family, according to Herb Herbruck, director and executive vice president of operations. 

"But we want to do it right," he said. 

Herb Herbruck also announced a grant recently received by the family. The Multimodal Transportation Fund grant allots $319,576 to be used for the reconstruction of Landis Drive near their new planned facility to support truck routes necessary for product distribution and waste water removal.

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Truck routes and waste water removal from washing millions of eggs was a concern heard from the local community, and stalled the process from moving forward in the past. 

Herbruck's is one of the nation's top 15 egg producers and provides product to buyers like McDonald's. The waste water from the facility will be shipped to a small industrial treatment plant in Maryland, according to Dan Fields, compliance director.

Phase I of the project is set to include the construction of four barns that will house over a million hens - roughly half the final goal of eight buildings upon completion. There is not a set date for Phase I completion. 

"We're just not sure yet, it could be a couple year process," President Steve Herbruck said. "We'll never stop. It's an opportunity to grow the company."

In addition to the over 2 million hens planned to lay eggs on the site, the Herbruck farm will have a separate building for their innovative manure drying process that will also cut down on odor.

More:2 years later: Herbruck's faces challenges to becoming Franklin County's largest egg farm

The family has relied heavily on area resources such as the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Governor's Action Team, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, among others. 

Notable figures were present at the ceremony that hosted nearly 100 people, including representatives of U.S. Congressman John Joyce (R-Hollidaysburg),  Franklin County commissioners, newly seated Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Fayetteville) and Deputy Secretary for Animal Health and Food Safety Gregory Hostetter.

Herb Herbruck noted his family's commitment to the Franklin County community from the creation of hundreds of jobs to contributing to the local farming economy through grain purchasing.

More:Michigan egg farmers hatch plan for Franklin Co.

Upon completion, Herbruck's Poultry Farm will be the largest farm in Franklin County, far passing the large dairy operations here. The company celebrated its 60-year anniversary in 2018. It has operations in Michigan and Indiana and invested $2 million in a cold storage warehouse that employs nearly a dozen workers in Chambersburg.

"We are committed to being a good neighbor," Herb Herbruck said.