IDALS takes over control of approximately 1.3 million birds in Iowa after owner closes processing plant.

A troubled Charles City poultry processing plant is once again closed after its owner filed for bankruptcy in late September. Minnesota-based Pure Prairie Poultry Inc. was the facility’s fourth owner since 2010 after purchasing the facility from Simply Essentials in 2021.

In the wake of Pure Prairie’s bankruptcy filing, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) received an emergency court order Oct. 2 to take over...