Prestage Farms has announced the creation of a new company, Prestage Foods of Iowa, LLC, along with the intent, pending finalization of necessary state permits and approvals, to build a new, state-of-the-art fresh pork processing facility in Mason City, Iowa.

“We are excited to take the next logical step by building a new high tech pork plant in Mason City, IA,” commented Ron Prestage, DVM, on behalf of the Prestage family. “We see this as an opportunity to secure the future of our family business, its employees, and our contract growers, whether they are in the Carolinas, MS, OK, TX, or IA. We have been impressed with the help and support provided by local and state officials, the Iowa Pork Producers Association, NPPC, and the National Pork Board. We have always believed that our family and employees must be engaged in the communities in which we operate and the industry we represent. Having produced market hogs in IA for the past dozen years, we believe Mason City is the right place for us to strategically build this new plant,”

The intended new pork processing facility will be built on a proposed tract in Mason City, IA. The facility will host over 650,000 square feet, with the ability to harvest 10,000 hogs per day and employ as many as 1,000 people with future expansion possibilities. The plant will utilize the latest innovations in processing and automation technology to help ensure that it is a world leader in food, employee, and environmental safety. Construction is set to begin, pending finalization of state permits and approvals, in the summer of 2016, with a plan to begin operations in mid-2018.