Last week on September 11th, the Minnesota-based Bushel Boy Farms broke ground on its new 50-acre (20-hectare) facility in Mason City, Iowa. The new facility is estimated to increase production by 50%, and bring 50 full-time jobs to the area. The project’s building contract has been given to VB Greenhouse Projects from the Netherlands to create a modern greenhouse complex for the new facility. The groundbreaking ceremony begins phase one of the three-phase project, which includes the creation and development of 16.5 acre (6.8 hectare) high-tech greenhouse. In addition to the greenhouse, a modern packhouse and technical installations will be built. Tomatoes will be the initial crop of the Mason City facility.
A current construction project is underway in Bushel Boy’s Owatonna location for a 4.5 acre (1.8 hectare) research and development greenhouse, also being built by VB Greenhouse Projects. The Owatonna project is scheduled for completion in December of 2019, with production starting in early 2020. The Mason City project is slated to be completed by October of 2020, with the first harvest expected in December 2020.
“These expansions will not only allow us to serve our existing customer base but will provide us the opportunity to seek new business relationships and expand existing partnerships with retailers, wholesalers and food service distributors,” said Steve Irland, President of Bushel Boy Farms. “We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received from the city of Mason City and its government officials, as well as support at the county and state level and with the North Iowa Corridor EDC.”
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