Legislation Introduced to Support Smaller Meat Lockers in Iowa

There’s new legislation in the works, known as House File 787, to support building additional meat lockers in Iowa and provide training to those who want to set up or work in one of those lockers. Representative Chad Ingels (R-Iowa) joined AgriTalk this week to discuss the measure.

“It creates basically an incentive program to expand, improve or build new meat lockers in Iowa. We’re really focused on the smaller mainstreet-type lockers, but maybe also something a little more innovative, direct-to-consumer locker type. Or in a bigger city with some connection to farmers as well,” Ingels explains. “Another part of the bill is job training. How do we best set up a job training program for the people that either want to run a locker or work in a locker? It's a different skill than working on a meat processing line at a big facility.”

Ingels says it also sets up a task force of people in the meat industry, including farmers, community colleges, and even Iowa State University, to figure out what the best program design will be, whether it’s in-person, or a mix of online and in-person training and apprenticeship. But they’re looking to experts to help decide what the program needs.

It won’t only be for freezer beef, the program will be available for pork and lamb as well, as the need was made known during the backlog of the pandemic where locker space wasn’t available.

“It's been percolating for two or three years, but here a year ago when the pandemic hit and people were having a tough time getting the animals processed, lockers got packed up for a year and now, they're out and over a year into 2023,” Ingels says. “For somebody that wants to start selling direct to consumers, that's delaying them. It's like, ‘Hey, we want to sell to you. But there's no way we can get beef or hog processed for you for a year and a half.’ And that's tough. And consumers want to work with farmers directly and get some of that all across the state.”

Ingels says there’s been fantastic support for the measure, which will run through the Economic Development Committee in the House, and it’s close to being brought to the floor.

“We've had ag people interested, and even hunters are interested. They asked for a seat at the table on our task force, so they can be involved because they understand that the deer and wildlife they harvest needs to be processed as well,” he says. “We’re just trying to find the dollar level that we can put on it. Our budget targets are going to be coming out. We’re trying to find out how we can fund it, but it’s had great support.”