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