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Pork processing expanding in Michigan

A new pork processing plant in the Eastern Corn Belt is bringing new expansion opportunities to the region.

Dale Norton, past president of the National Pork Board, tells Brownfield it had been almost 20 years since major updates were made to his family’s pork operation in Bronson, Michigan and after the Clemen’s Food Group announced in 2015 they’d be building a new processing plant nearby, it was time to re-think the future direction of their farm.  “The gestation stalls were wearing out, but also the need to move away from gestation stalls by 2020 had an impact.  Clemen’s building their facility close by, we’re 18 miles from the Clemen’s plant, that was a factor.  Succession plan, retirement considerations—that was a factor.  And, the farm economy, crop economy is pretty tough right now.”  He says the new sow farm is expected to birth about 3,000 piglets a week, or up to 160,000 a year.

Ernie Miley with Clemen’s tells Brownfield the plant, located near the Michigan, Indiana and Ohio border, is on schedule to open this September.  “The main reason that we’re here is that the hogs were already here.  There doesn’t need to be a lot of expansion in raw numbers, I think what we may see is more finishing opportunity for those animals.”

The Norton family hosted a public open house Friday to allow the community to tour their new Spartanwood sow facility and learn about modern pork production before pigs arrive in about two weeks.

AUDIO: Brownfield interview with Dale Norton during open house

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