Pork plant fails in Mason City

     After weeks of controversy, the debate surrounding the proposed pork processing facility was finally put to rest by the city council of Mason City on May 3 as the development agreement between the city and Prestage Foods of Iowa failed to pass a vote for approval.
     Last December, Mason City was approached by Prestage Foods through the North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation to develop a large scale pork processing plant outside of the south side of the city.
     The facility, which would process up to 10,000 hogs per day, was projected to generate 922 full-time jobs with a payroll of $43 million once opened, and the potential for the number of jobs to nearly double with a second shift in the future.
     Mason City worked out a development agreement with Prestage Foods to build the facility, which quickly became a controversial discussion throughout the area.
     Read the full article in the May 11 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.