Creekstone Farms to Open Child Learning Center for Employees

Walnut Valley Learning Center
Walnut Valley Learning Center
(Creekstone Farms)

Creekstone Farms has announced it has broken ground on a 20,000-square foot learning center adjacent to its Arkansas City, Kan., headquarters. The premium meat supplier, which employs approximately 1,200 people, estimates the daycare will accommodate more than 100 children when it opens this fall.

The facility, which will cost an estimated $3.5 million to construct, sits on 3.5 acres and will be available for children of Creekstone Farms employees. Creekstone Farms will cover all renovation costs to establish the learning center, while employees will pay a monthly fee to utilize its services.

The facility is part of a company-wide commitment to support employees with additional amenities and benefits, some of which include increasing wages 33% over the last three years, offering updated employee break areas and lunchrooms, and expanding on-site hot food service.

“Creekstone Farms Premium Beef sees the value in growing together with the local community,” said Kei Kada, Creekstone Farms president and CEO. “We hope this new project will be a great success and become an example of best solutions for the community. We are all looking forward to seeing big smiles of children and their families soon!”

The learning center will be a subsidiary of Creekstone Farms but will operate as a separate entity under the name Walnut Valley Learning Center, LLC. Company officials are planning to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony when the facility opens its doors. Wichita-based construction company Hutton partnered with Creekstone Farms for all phases of the project using their “design-build” model, and the town of Arkansas City is set to provide a tax rebate.

The facility is part of continued efforts to support the Arkansas City community. In early February, Creekstone Farms was named 2022 Business of the Year by the local Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

Latest News

Markets: Cash Cattle Rebound, Futures Notch Four-Week High
Markets: Cash Cattle Rebound, Futures Notch Four-Week High

After a mostly sluggish April, market-ready fed cattle saw a solid rally in the North and steady money in the South. Futures markets began to look past the psychologically bearish H5N1 virus news.

APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison
APHIS To Require Electronic Animal ID for Certain Cattle and Bison

APHIS issued its final rule on animal ID that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate.

How Do Wind, Solar, Renewable Energy Effect Land Values?
How Do Wind, Solar, Renewable Energy Effect Land Values?

“If we step back and look at what that means for farmland, we're taking our energy production system from highly centralized production facilities and we have to distribute it,” says David Muth.

Ranchers Concerned Over Six Confirmed Wolf Kills in Colorado
Ranchers Concerned Over Six Confirmed Wolf Kills in Colorado

Six wolf depredations of cattle have been confirmed in Colorado from reintroduced wolves.

Profit Tracker: Packer Losses Mount; Pork Margins Solid
Profit Tracker: Packer Losses Mount; Pork Margins Solid

Cattle and hog feeders find dramatically lower feed costs compared to last year with higher live anumal sales prices. Beef packers continue to struggle with negative margins.

Applying the Soil Health Principles to Fit Your Operation
Applying the Soil Health Principles to Fit Your Operation

What’s your context? One of the 6 soil health principles we discuss in this week’s episode is knowing your context. What’s yours? What is your goal? What’s the reason you run cattle?