CHARLES CITY, IOWA — As part of the US Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), Charles City, Iowa-based premium chicken integrator Pure Prairie Farms Inc. is receiving a $6.9 million grant.

Pure Prairie Farms purchased its shuttered state-of-the-art processing facility last December. After years of sitting idle, the plant was given new life through the efforts of a small group of farmers and local maintenance crews, said Brian Roelofs, chief executive officer and president at Pure Prairie Farms.

The MPPEP grant will help Pure Prairie Farms continue improvements and achieve its vision for team member welfare, the quality of its facilities and the quality of equipment.

“It wasn’t so much that we matched our company to the grant, but that the grant was tailor-made for smaller food companies like ours who are partnering in ownership with growers in a unique way for the industry,” Roelofs said. “It will allow us to reach our state-of-the-art processing plant’s full potential much quicker and restore a market for area jobs and regional farmers.”

The grant will go toward a $51.7 million project for expansion and upgrades, including an 18,000-square-foot addition. The space will include a warehouse and distribution center, an improved employee wellness area and a redesigned second-processing area.

In addition, Pure Prairie Farms recently received a $2.3 million training grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and a $38.7 million USDA-backed loan.

“All of this allows us to maintain a beneficial and safe work environment for our team members in a post-pandemic environment and to become the regional employer of choice because of our strong training programs and commitment to developing our people,” Roelofs said. “It also helps us provide a premium choice for a growing interest in locally and responsible sourced chicken products.”

Pure Prairie Farms plans to run its first production mid-November with the support of around 40 farmer-partners and 50 team members. The company anticipates growing to full capacity by 2024 with over 100 farmer-partners and 400 team members, processing approximately 600,000 chickens per week.