Letter to the Editor

Be careful with Prestage
To the editor:
    I am hoping our city council and our supervisors read the article in the Globe Gazette about ag experts wary of processors. If not, they do have to read it. It’s in the June 16th edition. John Ikerd, professor emeritus in agriculture economics at the University of Missouri told how industrial agriculture has taken over farming in the past 50 years, forsaking the love of the land for the love of money.
    He congratulated Mason City for turning down the Prestage Food development agreement. Donald Stull, anthropology professor at the University of Kansas, who has conducted extensive studies on the meat processing industry’s effects on rural America. Both men minced no words describing the negative impact of meat processing plants on the cities where they were located.
    I just want to say this, I do not know what our city council and supervisors are even thinking. I hope you give this a lot of thought and a lot more investigating before making any hasty decisions on the impact this might have on our community. Mr. Ikerd and Mr. Stull are experts in this field.
Ken Uhlenhopp, Hampton