A proposed $240 million pork processing plant in Mason City, Iowa will include a buffer zone and payments to the local school district. The Des Moines Register reports that Prestage Farms will not build, operate any hog confinements or buy animals from a facility within a 2.5 mile buffer zone around Mason City, Clear Lake and the lake itself.
"The city's most pressing concern, as it relates to the proposal, was the potential introduction of confinement operation facilities in proximity to the lake watershed," said Scott Flory, Clear Lake City Administrator. "Prestage Farms' willingness to respect the city's concerns is very helpful and appreciated."