Angela Jones feels fortunate to have landed a job at the new meatpacking plant in this stagnant prairie town she’s long called home. She earns $24.50 an hour—far more than she made as a convenience-store clerk, custodian or construction flagger—and has health insurance for the first time in over 20 years. 

But she’s also felt stress learning her quality-control duties, such as scrutinizing meat cuts moving down the line and ensuring workers properly sanitize their tools. Days before the May opening, she confided her concerns to the human resources and safety manager, who tried to buck her up with a pep talk.

“I just don’t want to disappoint the company,” Jones, 58, said from under her yellow hard hat. “Or myself.”

A similar mix of optimism and nervousness grips North Platte as the roughly $400 million Sustainable Beef operation roars to life. 

For decades, this old railroad hub was stuck. Some employers departed, Union Pacific cut rail-yard positions and young people fled. Now, officials are pinning their hopes on a slaughterhouse, which promises an economic jolt but represents a risky bet and a crucial question: Will Americans work there?

“We needed to do something to stay relevant,” said Pete Volz, a city council member. “Sustainable Beef was the catalyst.”

Opportunity and hope have ebbed away in parts of rural America, including North Platte, as farming has declined and economic dynamism has concentrated in urban centers.