$450 million plant needs funding and workers, candidate for governor has plan to raise pay for best teachers – WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather

The Insiders Segment 1

DES MOINES, Iowa A new project could keep more beef in Iowa, bring another major employer to the state and pay hundreds of workers a better-than-average paycheck, the owner of a Des Moines cattle industry construction firm said.

Cattlemens Heritage Beef Company owner Chad Tentinger said his beef-processing facility in Mills County near Council Bluffs could process 1,500-head-per-day and approximately 400,000 per year.

Because of the states current limited capability, nearly one million head of cattle has to go outside the state to get processed. That increases costs for producers. Tentinger has requested $150 million from the state to help with the costs of the proposed facility.

COVID-19 has amplified issues with the food supply chain across a variety of industries. Tentinger believes that his operation could ease some of the issues by saving producers both time and money to get their beef processed.

If he can secure funding, he hopes to have his plant fully operational by late 2023 or early 2024.

Tentinger said that he isnt concerned about finding the 750 workers that his plant will require, despite a national workforce shortage. He said that he believes the plant can draw employees from the nearby Council Bluffs and Omaha markets. And since his positions will average $55,000 annually plus benefits, he said that should make them appealing to the rural Mills County area.

The Insiders Segment 2

Rick Stewart collected the signatures, now he needs to gather the support to be a competitive candidate in the 2022 race for governor. Stewart is a Libertarian and has previously unsuccessfully run for office four times. Libertarians lack the structure statewide that Republicans and Democrats have, which can make fundraising and organization challenging.

But Stewart claims that he will be much better funded during this campaign and sees an opportunity.

The Insiders Segment 3

Rick Stewart said that he supports using tax dollars to help some students attend private school. He also has an idea that he said will help the most successful teachers. He wants to see districts pay teachers based on the number of students who choose to be in their class.

The Insiders Segment 4

Libertarian candidate for governor Rick Stewart takes this weeks Insiders Quick 6.

Follow The Insiders host Dave Price on Twitter: @idaveprice

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$450 million plant needs funding and workers, candidate for governor has plan to raise pay for best teachers - WHO TV 13 Des Moines News & Weather