Rep. Randy Feenstra (Iowa’s 4th District) made a stop in Eagle Grove at Lewright Meats on Friday, August 27, as part of his 39 County Tour. He has made a commitment to visit these counties at least twice each year.
In meeting with Ethan Bubeck, owner of Lewright Meats, Feenstra was interested in a variety of topics including, but not limited to, employee count and whether or not he had trouble finding the help he needs, their partnership with Prestage Foods of Iowa, the effects of COVID, and of course, processing and processing availability.
Bubeck was happy to share information on all of these topics, starting with processing.
“We are scheduled out (for processing animals for customers) through 2022,” he said. “It sounds good, but there are some challenges that come along with that as well.”
Bubeck also explained to Feenstra that he has a USDA inspector on hand every day. It’s not mandated, but that’s the way they choose to do it for their business. According to Bubeck, they are only one of two in the state that do it that way.
As Feenstra learned more about their processing procedures, he and Bubeck agreed that “there are a lot of people who don’t know where their pork and beef come from.” They don’t realize how it gets from the farm to the dinner table. Part of the process, Bubeck explained, is having the right employees.
“We have really good employees that do a great job,” he said.
One of the things Feenstra was perhaps most curious about seemed to be the relationship between Lewright Meats and Prestage Foods of Iowa, if they worked with or against each other. Bubeck explained how they have formed a working relationship that is beneficial to both sides. In fact, Bubeck gets his hogs from Prestage to process and sell in his own in-store meat cases.
Feenstra is somewhat familiar with Bubeck’s business, saying “Working at a processing plant helped put me through college.”
Bubeck was honored to be able to have a listening ear in Representative Feenstra, and Feenstra was pleased that Bubeck took time out of his day to show him around, answer questions, and voice any concerns he may have with how things are currently operating in Iowa.
Feenstra made three other stops on Friday. They included the Shell Rock Soy Processing Plant construction site tour, a West Fork Food Bank visit, and a facility tour of the Youth Shelter Services of Hamilton County in Webster City. If you would like to reach Feenstra, please visit his website at https://feenstra.house.gov/contact and follow the directions.
