Prestage Farm plant turned down by Mason City, IA

In a stunning turn of events, the City Council early Wednesday rejected Prestage Foods of Iowa’s proposal to build a $240 million pork processing plant in Mason City. Its plan was to hire more than 1,700 workers over the next four years but it met with protests from citizens concerned about environmental and quality-of life issues.The vote was a 3-3 tie with council members Travis Hickey, Janet Solberg and Brett Schoneman voting in favor of a development agreement with the company and Alex Kuhn, Bill Schickel and John Lee voting against. A tie vote on a motion represents a loss. Prestage, headquartered in Clinton, North Carolina, issued a statement Wednesday morning saying, “While we are disappointed, we believe in a bright future for agriculture and wish the people of Mason City all the best.”