Midwest chicken farmers struggle to feed flocks after sudden closure of processor

Associated Press

Dozens of farmers in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are scrambling to feed their flocks after a struggling organic broiler chicken producer abruptly closed a year after getting a $39 million federal loan. Pure Prairie Poultry shuttered its Charles City, Iowa, processing plant after filing for bankruptcy in September. The company had provided chicks and feed to farmers in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin to raise until the animals were ready to be slaughtered. The company’s closure threatened to leave at least 1.3 million birds starving in Iowa alone. Iowa and Minnesota’s agriculture departments have stepped in to care for the birds. In Wisconsin, farmers are giving away chickens to anyone who can feed them.