Due to a downturn in the industry, construction is being halted on an ethanol plant near Fort Dodge. Despite the construction halt, there are no layoffs planned for the 90 employees at the Fort Dodge Tate and Lyle facility.

Community and government relations director Chris Olson said the company wants to be in a position to start up the Fort Dodge plant when market conditions improve. Once the plant begins operations, the corn wet milling plant will produce 100-million gallons of ethanol and 300-million pounds of industrial starch per year using 150,000 bushels of corn each day.

Olson said the Tate and Lyle company will continue to monitor the ethanol market and will make a decision on when construction at the Fort Dodge plant will resume.