Minnesota tomato grower looking to create 50 jobs in Mason City
MASON CITY — The City Council in Mason City tomorrow night will be asked to approve an application for a Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy program grant to assist with the construction of a road that could help a Minnesota tomato producer build a facility on the city’s south side that could mean 50 jobs for the community. Bushel Boy Farms of Owatonna produces hydroponic tomatoes, meaning that they are grown without soil but instead using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent.
Mayor Bill Schickel says Bushel Boy Farms has proposed an 80-acre development south of 43rd Street Southwest and east of Pierce Avenue. “This facility would create about 50 new jobs. Bushel Boy Farms was first founded in Owatonna Minnesota back in 1990. They’re known for using the very latest in design and technology of greenhouses to reproduce and grow locally grown tomatoes and supplying major grocery stores such as HyVee and Target are right here in Mason City.”
Schickel says the council is being asked to approve a RISE Grant application for a new road to provide primary frontage access to that facility. “This Tuesday, our City Council will be asked to act on a grant application for some state assistance to help build a road to service that new facility.”
City officials say the new road will also provide opportunities for future development in that immediate area. The cost of the road is estimated at just over $1.1 million, with the city’s contribution toward the grant funding being $222,000.
The council meets Tuesday night at 7 o’clock in the Mason City Room of the Public Library.
