Plans Unveiled For Beef Processing Plant
Economic development leaders and elected officials are calling a $325 million beef processing facility proposed for northwest Mills County a potential “game changer” for cattle producers and the southwest Iowa economy.
Cattlemen’s Heritage, a newly-formed Iowa-based corporation rooted in livestock production and construction, unveiled its plans to build the facility on a tract of land northwest of the Interstate 29/Highway 370 interchange during a press conference Friday morning in Glenwood. The plant is projected to employ up to 750 workers and have the capacity to process 1,500 head of cattle per day.
“We’re doing this for Iowa cattle producers and rural Iowa,” project developer Chad Tentinger said. “This is an exciting day. It will be the first state-of-the-art new facility built in western Iowa in more than two generations.”
Tentinger said the plant will help meet a growing need for Iowa’s beef production industry.
“Over the past 15 years, cattle production has moved north to the Midwest but we have lacked adequate processing capacities to meet growing domestic and international demand,” he said. “We will help fill that gap.
“Cattlemen’s Heritage will partner with cattlemen to feed the world Iowa beef and we will operate profitably.”
Several sites were considered for the plant, but the Cattlemen’s Heritage team said it was sold on the Mills County location because of its proximity to the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area that will ultimately help meet labor force demands, access to Interstates 29 and 80 and existing infrastructure.
“We know that placing a state-of-the-art beef packing plant in Mills County is a game changer for the beef industry, for the economy and the state,” Tentinger said.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig echoed the sentiments of Tentinger, noting the positive impact the facility will have on Iowa’s agriculture and livestock community.
“Iowa, as a whole, has a huge role to play in food production to meet the needs of our fellow Americans and also consumers all across the world,” Naig said. “This is about the livelihoods of farm families. From the farm to the end of the supply chain, there are families who are supported by this important activity.
“The project will have a valuable economic return as it strengthens that supply chain, as it generates jobs and economic activity here in Mills County and also across the region.”
Mills County officials on hand for Friday’s press conference also lauded the announcement by Cattlemen’s Heritage.
Mills County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Marco Floreani said the project represents a substantial capital investment in the region.
“It’s a big win for Mills County – a nice shot in the arm exiting the pandemic and the floods that we endured in 2019,” Floreani said. “We’re excited to support this project and all that it represents to the agriculture industry and our local economy here.”
Mills County Supervisor Lonnie Mayberry offered the ongoing support of Mills County officials and touted the potential economic impact to the region.
“The tax base and the jobs that this will bring is a win-win for everyone,” Mayberry said.
Mayberry said in an interview after the press conference that Cattlemen’s Heritage has not asked Mills County for any type of tax incentives or financial assistance for the project up to this point.
Workers at the facility will earn an average wage of $55,000 annually, plus benefits. Cattlemen’s Heritage intends to break ground in the spring of 2022 and have the facility up and running in late 2023.