Sold-Out Eastern Iowa Meat Locker Planning Huge Expansion
After more than a half-century in business and more than two decades in their current location, an eastern Iowa meat locker simply doesn t have the capacity to keep up with demand. Thanks to assistance from the state of Iowa, they re planning a new building and more workers to help keep up with the demand.
The Edgewood Locker in Edgewood, Iowa has been a staple in the community that includes areas of both Clayton and Delaware counties for a very long time. The Edgewood Locker website traces the business s roots back to at least 1966. The current facility was built in 1997, but thanks in part to the pandemic, demand has reached unprecedented levels. A grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority is going to allow them to embark on a much-needed expansion into a brand new, 19,000 square foot building.
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Updated: 10:01 AM CST Feb 23, 2021 The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) announced it had granted funds for the expansion of two small meat processing companies in the state.One of those facilities is the Edgewood Locker. KCRG reports Luke Kerns, who co-owns the business with other family members, said they plan on building a new 19,000-square feet facility with the funds.“When this plant was built in 1997 we were doing a fraction of what we are doing today,” Kerns said. “So we really need that extra space to do what we are doing now.”Kerns said they have really seen an increase in demand since the novel coronavirus pandemic began, particularly in their custom processing projects. Those projects often entail local farmers raising their own animals and then bringing them to Edgewood Locker to have them processed. “Right now we are booked, sold out, not only for 2021 on our beef processing but also all the way through 2022,” Kerns said. “So we are two
Eastern Iowa meat processors awarded tax benefits for planned expansions
BY MICHAEL CRUMB, Senior Staff Writer Monday, February 22, 2021 3:00 PM The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board has awarded tax benefits to two Iowa meat processing companies that plan to expand to help meet increasing demand for locally sourced products.
The board voted Friday to award benefits through the High Quality Jobs Program to Naeve Family Beef in Camanche and Edgewood Locker in Edgewood.
According to IEDA documents, building projects planned by the two companies represent more than $18.6 million in capital investment and create 63 jobs.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said increasing the capacity of the state’s small meat processing facilities will strengthen Iowa’s agricultural economy and boost the global food supply chain.
The Edgewood Locker is offering a Meat Cutter and Butcher Apprenticeship program.
This will be a tuition-paid program to those interested in developing a career in the meat industry. It will be a combination of classroom learning and on-the-job training.
Apprentices will rotate through various work assignments at the Edgewood Locker and attend 96 lecture hours and 66 lab hours at Hawkeye Community College. Tuition costs will be entirely reimbursed by the Edgewood Locker for students who achieve suitable grades.
Students who complete the training will receive a Certification of Completion of Apprenticeship Award from the U.S. Department of Labor. And those qualifying graduates will then be offered full-time employment with competitive wages, and opportunities for advancement within the Edgewood Locker will also be available.