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Light rain brought out the umbrellas at the ground-breaking site for a new Monsanto plant in Independence Monday morning.
BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer
BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer
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Ground broken for new Monsanto plant
By JOSH NELSON, Courier Staff Writer
INDEPENDENCE — After months of planning and preparation, the first spade of dirt was turned Monday on a $90 million corn seed plant on the west edge of town.
Monsanto announced it’d be landing the plant in Buchanan County in April. Area residents welcomed the plant with open arms. On Monday, company had the opportunity to return the favor.
"Monsanto is a company that our sole focus is agriculture, so we love corn, we love Iowa, we love farmers and we love good weather at harvest," said Mark Leidy, an executive vice president for global manufacturing.
Leidy said the facility, which will be growing and packaging seed under a subsidiary brand name Dekalb, is located in the heart of "the nation’s most bountiful corn producing region," which will better help the company connect with growers and customers.
The facility is expected to come with state-of-the-art equipment, Leidy said. There will be a 24,00-square-foot research area on site, along with a team of seed breeders. The plant is expected to bring 47 full-time jobs and up to 1,000 seasonal jobs to the area.
Lt. Gov. Patty Judge also applauded Monsanto’s move as a major step toward reinventing Iowa’s economy. Judge said the state has been heavily dependent on the agriculture sector, but it’s also been slowly moving toward a new "bio-economy," where technology will change products to do more than just provide food.
"We know this technology, with improvement and refinement, we will be develop and we here in Iowa will be at the center of absolute revolution where we are going to use bio-based products were we will not only feed but fuel the world," Judge said.
The Independence project is part of a larger expansion plan in the state. The company intends to invest $231 million in four sites, including Grinnell, Boone and Ankeny.
Monsanto originally planned to locate south of Waterloo in rural Black Hawk County. The company backed out in late January after a public meeting Monsanto organized in response to opposition from neighbors and a 4-2 vote by the Black Hawk County Planning and Zoning Commission rejecting a rezoning request.
The Independence plant is scheduled to be open in Fall 2010, company officials said.
Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.
Monsanto announced it’d be landing the plant in Buchanan County in April. Area residents welcomed the plant with open arms. On Monday, company had the opportunity to return the favor.
"Monsanto is a company that our sole focus is agriculture, so we love corn, we love Iowa, we love farmers and we love good weather at harvest," said Mark Leidy, an executive vice president for global manufacturing.
Leidy said the facility, which will be growing and packaging seed under a subsidiary brand name Dekalb, is located in the heart of "the nation’s most bountiful corn producing region," which will better help the company connect with growers and customers.
The facility is expected to come with state-of-the-art equipment, Leidy said. There will be a 24,00-square-foot research area on site, along with a team of seed breeders. The plant is expected to bring 47 full-time jobs and up to 1,000 seasonal jobs to the area.
Lt. Gov. Patty Judge also applauded Monsanto’s move as a major step toward reinventing Iowa’s economy. Judge said the state has been heavily dependent on the agriculture sector, but it’s also been slowly moving toward a new "bio-economy," where technology will change products to do more than just provide food.
"We know this technology, with improvement and refinement, we will be develop and we here in Iowa will be at the center of absolute revolution where we are going to use bio-based products were we will not only feed but fuel the world," Judge said.
The Independence project is part of a larger expansion plan in the state. The company intends to invest $231 million in four sites, including Grinnell, Boone and Ankeny.
Monsanto originally planned to locate south of Waterloo in rural Black Hawk County. The company backed out in late January after a public meeting Monsanto organized in response to opposition from neighbors and a 4-2 vote by the Black Hawk County Planning and Zoning Commission rejecting a rezoning request.
The Independence plant is scheduled to be open in Fall 2010, company officials said.
Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.
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momwhocares wrote on Sep 9, 2008 4:00 AM:
" I agree NRSBUBBLES, If this Monsanto plant would of come to Waterloo, maybe people could of gotten better jobs and provided for their families better. Monsanto obviously intends to invest in the communities they build in and its a shame Waterloo citizens decided to oppose the request. Also 1000 seasonal jobs would of been great for our teenagers putting themselves through college. I am sure their pay would of been higher then any other local business is offering. Maybe the local residents need to think before denying future requests. "
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NRSBUBBLES wrote on Sep 8, 2008 2:35 PM: