MONMOUTH, Ill.

Friday, September 28, 2001

MONMOUTH, Ill. – The region in west-central Illinois that supports the Farmland pork processing plant in Monmouth has plenty of available workers, and the plant itself has room for significant expansion.

Those are the observations of Tom Peterson, farm director for WRAM Radio in Monmouth.

&uot;Finding people for 300 or more new jobs wouldn’t be a problem,&uot; Peterson said. &uot;The plant already draws from the counties in the area. The only other large industry employer is a Maytag appliance factory about 13 miles away.&uot;

Monmouth has emerged as apparently Albert Lea’s only serious competitor for a new Farmland pork processing facility, which would replace the production capabilities lost when the Albert Lea plant was destroyed by fire in July.

Peterson talks to Farmland employees every day for his market reports and farm updates. He’s been following the plant as an ag reporter since the 1980s. Talk of expansion has been in the air for a couple of years, he said.

&uot;Sometimes you wonder if it’s idle talk, or how serious it could be, but I’ve been hearing the word ‘expansion’ for a while,&uot; Peterson said.

The plant sits on Monmouth’s north side on the edge of the city limits. The plant site itself appears to have enough remaining acreage for an expansion, he said.

As a Monmouth native, Peterson has been aware of the plant’s role in the community. Farmland is Monmouth’s largest employer with 900 to 1,000 workers at any given time. The city has felt the effects of a tumultuous meatpacking industry, much like Albert Lea.

In the early 1980s, in particular, layoffs and change in ownership of the plant created uncertainty and confusion in the town, Peterson said.

&uot;I think the town has had its ups and downs with the plant as the big employer. But people seem to be fairly happy with Farmland right now,&uot; he said.

The Farmland plant, one of three hog slaughter facilities owned by Farmland, also supports local hog producers who are members of the cooperative, he said.

&uot;We raise a lot of hogs around here. I understand that’s why the plant was originally built,&uot; Peterson said.

Farmland officials say they will announce the site of their new plant in early October.

&uot;I’m guessing they wouldn’t build an entirely new plant in the Monmouth area. It would probably be a renovation or a big expansion,&uot; he said.