AP and staff reports

Farmland Foods said Friday it will temporarily reopen its pork processing plant in Carroll, Iowa, to produce cook-in-bag hams.

Monday, August 27, 2001

Farmland Foods said Friday it will temporarily reopen its pork processing plant in Carroll, Iowa, to produce cook-in-bag hams.

The Carroll plant, shut down in June, will reopen in October. But the plant will not remain open permanently and will close again within 18 months, Farmland said.

&uot;It makes economic sense to temporarily operate Carroll in order to meet out customer’s needs for cook-in-bag hams products,&uot; said Farmland Foods President George Richter. &uot;We do not intend to operate this plant for the long term.

Farmland needs another pork plant after the Albert Lea plant was heavily damaged by fire July 16, which put about 500 people out of work.

The Carroll plant’s closing cost another 150 people their jobs.

Farmland has not yet decided how to replace the Albert Lea plant permanently, the company said in a statement. Farmland president George Richter said the company maintains strong ties the city.

&uot;We have a strong history in Albert Lea, and that means something to us,&uot; he said.

But Richter admitted other cities have expressed interest in a new plant.

&uot;We’ve been approached by other areas as well, and we are looking at a number of opportunities,&uot; he said.

The company will make it’s decision by Oct. 1 and announce its final plans sometime in the weeks after that, Richter said.

”Our goal is to build a state-of-the-art processing facility that is the best in the industry,” he said. ”But the decision is purely an economic one, and at this time we are evaluating which course of action we will take.”