Locals’ early reaction to Prestage plant generally positive

In a tour planned to acquaint locals with the plans for Prestage Foods’ proposed pork processing plant south of Eagle Grove, Prestage COO Jere Null and county officials visited the Eagle Grove Rotary Club, members of the Eagle Grove Chamber of Commerce, and the Clarion and Eagle Grove city council meetings on July 5.

The $240 million, 650,000-square foot hog plant would be built on a 150+ acre site on on Highway 17. Null pitched the benefits of the project to the different groups, saying that the facility would bring in $2.7 million in property taxes which would support local schools, and that the company would pay a minimum of $37,000 a year plus benefits to their workers, which would boost local spending.

In addition to the potential financial impact, Null said the plant would also provide opportunities for skilled and unskilled labor and the college educated in the way of engineers and managers, which could attract recent graduates to the area. “You’ve got to have opportunities to have your young people stick around,” he said.

Locals’ most frequently asked questions had to do with the plant’s environmental impact, including water and air quality. Null said specifications for the plant included air scrubbers and a cap to capture methane at their wastewater lagoon. “It’s 2016. You’re going to build a plant like it’s 2016,” he said.

There’s also an option to work with Eagle Grove to expand the city’s wastewater treatment to handle their future needs and the plant’s. Another issue locals asked about was the fly problem; Null said that as a USDA-inspected plant, they would be actively combatting flies for safety. All hog-bearing trucks that come into the plant would also be washed, he said.

During the meetings, most visitors listened rather than talked. However, the questions showed that county residents were seriously engaging with the discussion about the plant. The Clarion and Eagle Grove city councils both passed resolutions declaring their support for the project. Several individuals at the different meetings also expressed their support.

Jack Henry, who attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting at Rails Bar and Grill, said he and many of the friends he had discussed it with approved of the plant. “We need a change. We need some growth,” Henry said, adding that with the plant would come “allied industries” like trucking and refrigeration which would also support the local economy. “It’s a good clean industry,” he said. “It’s entirely different from 40 years ago.” Henry said that when he was younger, processing plants were cruel, and that was no longer the case.

Ethan Bubeck, manager of Lewright Meats and Deli in Eagle Grove, also had positive things to say. Though his business packages meats, he said he works in a more local market and wouldn’t be threatened by the larger company. “I’ve personally butchered a lot of hogs for Prestage Farms,” he said. “They have been so positive for the community. They’re always donating hogs to different benefits.” He was also happy with some of the information Null had shared. “I love to know that they’re family owned.” He added that taxes and workers’ wages would make a positive impact on the county.

After Mason City residents and outside groups protested the plant Prestage originally proposed in Cerro Gordo County, the company realized it would be better served to engage with citizens and businesses early in the planning process. Null told listeners that Prestage wanted to make sure Wright County would be a good fit for them. Pending the Wright supervisors’ approval for zoning and ordinance changes to accommodate the plant at the July 18 supervisors meeting, it looks like the county—and potentially most of its citizens—will be happy to be that fit. “Mason City’s in the rearview,” Null said. “Wright County’s ahead of us.”

Wright County Monitor

P.O. Box 153
Clarion, IA 50525
Phone: 515-532-2871
Email: news@wrightcountymonitor.com

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