Scott Webb, CEO of Wholestone Farms, a farmer-owned pork processing company, said Sioux Falls is the perfect location for its second plant, South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) reports. But the location is not without challenges.
Wholestone Farms is working on the permitting process while addressing concerns about staffing, housing and the environment, SDPB reports. The company hopes to begin building its $500-million plant in spring 2022 and plans to start hiring in 2025 before eventually filling about 2,500 positions.
Sioux Falls is a convenient location for the majority of Wholestone’s producers, who mostly live in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, the article said.
Webb said he understands there is a housing shortage in Sioux Falls. But he believes more workers will move to Sioux Falls as the city grows, allowing both Wholestone and the existing Smithfield plant to fill jobs.
In addition to partnering with builders and investors to create affordable housing, Webb said the company plans to build a wastewater treatment plant and aims to be carbon neutral or negative.
According to SDPB, Wholestone will create a modern rendering facility that helps control odor. Covered lagoons will also help with odor while capturing and reusing methane gas.
Shortly after announcing Wholestone Farms’ intent to build a new facility in Sioux Falls, Mayor Paul TenHaken released a statement addressing the housing challenges in the city, the Argus Leader reports.
Normally the addition of 1,000 more jobs would be a huge win for the community, but with labor shortages and housing challenges, TenHaken said these are not normal circumstances.
“While I have been and continue to be supportive of value-added agriculture investments in our region, I have a duty to note the challenges currently being faced within our community at this time,” TenHaken said in a statement.
Read More:
74-Year-Old Veterinarian Offers to Give Away his Practice to Attract Replacement
Are the Number of Cases of the New PRRS Variant on the Decline?
