Questions Aplenty in the Wake of Pure Prairie Poultry’s Closure

Iowa’s US Senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, are demanding answers from US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding distribution and oversight of grants and loans following Pure Prairie Poultry’s (PPP) recent bankruptcy filing and subsequent shutdown.

The Minnesota-based poultry processor received more than $45 million in USDA grants and loans intended to help PPP start or expand processing capacity of the chicken processing plant in Charles City. Pure Prairie began operations in November 2022, but less than two years later the facility is out of operation and leaving some 140 employees out of work.

Grassley says the plant’s abrupt closure brings key questions.

Grassley, Ernst, and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson have joined both the House and Senate Agriculture Committee chairs as well as Minnesota congressman Brad Finstad in sending a letter to Vilsack seeking answers to PPP’s situation, which also left some 50 farmers with more than two million chickens across three states without feed.

Though he’s unsure of what he can do to assist workers and farmers, Grassley says, “whatever we can do we’re going to do.” 

Meanwhile, Iowa ag officials announced over last week that, after taking over the care and feeding for about 1.3 million chickens in Iowa, many had to be euthanized after they were unable to find a buyer for the birds.