Rumors of doubt have been shared regarding the new construction of the Wholestone Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, S.D.—a proposed $500 million pork processing plant that’s jumped numerous hurdles, including a ballot initiative, a lawsuit and over $1 million in donations against it, to get the green light.
While the projected looked to be full steam ahead, earlier this week, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken expressed his doubts about the site to a local news source.
“If I had a crystal ball, do I think we’ll be breaking ground on a pork plant during my term in office? I don’t, based on all the things that have happened even in the last six months, but we’ll see,” said TenHaken to the local news source.
Additionally, a Sioux Falls council member described the plans for the plant as being temporarily on hold, the article said. The custom butcher shop on the site is also now closed until further notice.
With questions in the air regarding the Sioux Falls location, the company recently shared news of its union with Prestage, an Iowa-based company. This includes a joint plant in Eagle Grove, Iowa, which is expected to be operational by early 2024, Meatingplace reports.
Luke Minion, Wholestone Farms chairman, clarified in an interview with Meatingplace, that the company has indeed put a hold on the Sioux Falls facility, but only as a result of the joint venture that has taken precedent for the company.
“It does mean we’ll do Sioux Falls later. It obviously will move back,” Minion told Meatingplace. “And so right now, the simple answer is we own the site in Sioux Falls. Obviously, we endured a great deal of events to continue to have that site and our possession and have it permittable. And we love the site, we love the community. We don’t have any plans to not keep it in our business plan, but the next best move for us was to do the joint venture with Prestage.”
Minion also explained that the Eagle Grove site provided an opportunity for the company to capitalize on the geography and be operational more quickly. However, the site “doesn’t fully satisfy what we have in our business plan, and that’s why I like to continue to emphasize that Sioux Falls is a ‘later,’” Minion told Meatingplace.
Wholestone Farms’ projects continue to grow as plans for renovation and expansion of its Fremont, Neb., location was also recently announced.
Read More about Wholestone Farms:
Wholestone Farms and Prestage Foods Embark on Joint Venture
Wholestone Farms Shares Big Plans of Renovation and Expansion in Fremont
