Marion, NC Meat Plant Closes Near Thanksgiving, Threatening Poultry Business

FAIRVIEW – The turkeys on the hill at Hickory Nut Gap Farm have long surpassed the girth of the nearby pumpkins.

But to get them ready for the Thanksgiving table, farmer Jamie Ager will have to go "old school" this year, pulling his sons out of class for a day to help with the harvest.

That's because Asheville's closest small poultry-processing facility has closed, leaving farmers in six states scrambling to fill holiday orders, with the nearest U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved slaughterhouses in Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas and Alabama.

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