The owner of Prestage Farms says while he was disappointed Mason City, Iowa turned down his pork processing project he is looking at alternative sites. Ron Prestage says he still wants to locate his $240 million project in the Midwest because that’s where the hogs are located.

He says there are many other communities in Iowa interested in the Prestage Farms pork processing facility.

Prestage says finding a new location will delay groundbreaking on their plant at least a year.

Prestage says Mason City’s Mayor worked hard to get the Prestage Farms pork plant approved and there were many others in the community that wanted the facility located there. However, he says they weren’t able to overcome the objections of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement or ICCI.