There’s been another big blow to the northeast Iowa town of Postville and the 350 people who lost their jobs in December when the Iowa Turkey Products plant in Postville burned down. The Minnesota company that bought the firm in March will open a new plant in Minnesota rather than rebuild in Postville. A spokeswoman for Iowa’s Department of Economic Development says state officials are disappointed. Tina Hoffman says local, state and federal officials tried to put together a package that would lead to the opening of a new turkey plant in Postville. Hoffman says “we’re deeply disappointed” about the company’s decision not to rebuild in northeast Iowa. Hoffman says it’s a hit to the plant’s workers as well as all the businesses in the northeast region of Iowa. Hoffman says the Department of Economic Development will do everything it can to explore other business opportunities for the area. The company that managed the Postville turkey plant was sold in March to Turkey Valley Farms, which is located in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The new turkey processing plant will be built in Marshall, Minnesota. Iowa Turkey Federation spokeswoman Gretta Irwin says the decision is an economic blow to Iowa. Irwin says every turkey born, raised and slaughtered in Iowa is worth about 16 dollars of economic activity, so the decision “is going to leave a hole” in northeast Iowa’s economy. Irwin says the Turkey Federation is “obviously disappointed” in the move, but they hope to take steps to strengthen the industry. There are two other turkey-processing plants in Iowa — in West Liberty and Storm Lake — and Irwin says turkey producers who’d been selling birds to the Postville plant may have already switched to one of the others, or may be able to contract with the new plant in Minnesota once it opens.Brownfield Network