The Clarion Locker is still a hopping place. When the Monitor visited with owners Manie and Elmarie Nel in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in May of 2020, they were booked out for months and processing a record number of animals. About a year ago, we caught up with them as they were working on an expansion. And now in 2022, they haven’t slowed down at all. In fact, they are busier than ever with more new opportunities, exciting accomplishments and noteworthy visitors.
The Nels have owned the Clarion Locker since 2009. Last week, they explained to an important visitor all about their journey building the business into such a successful operation. Iowa State Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig paid the Locker a visit on Thursday on his annual 99 county tour.
Naig asked the Nels how their business has changed the past couple of years. They said that business has basically doubled since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. For instance, they explained before that they were processing 8 to 10 beef per week and now it’s around 20 to 24 per week. They added that at one point, they processed 100 hogs in a single week. “It has been stressful,” said Elmarie. “But it’s a good kind of stress.”
With the increase in business, Naig asked the Locker owners if they have enough employees to keep up with demand. Manie said, “Labor is always an issue. It’s a top problem for small processors like us. We’ve doubled our production but have the same labor force.”
The Nels noted that they have used the H-2A Visa program to hire temporary foreign workers. They explained that that is a difficult and time-consuming process to work through all the red tape. They implored Naig for the state to take steps to make that process easier and allow more workers to come over.
They also spoke to the secretary about labeling. By state law, whether they sell their own products or process for someone else, the Locker must get all labels approved through a state system. “Labeling is a huge stumbling block. Right now, it’s complicated, unsecure, and time consuming,” said Elmarie. Manie added that in the past they have had to wait as long as a year to have a label approved.
Naig agreed that improvements in that system must be made. “We want to improve that turnaround time.” He added, “If there are things the state can do to make your lives easier, let us know. We want to help.”
As they gave the secretary a tour of their facility, the Nels also shared with him many exciting developments they are working on. One new product that they are very excited about is a new raw dog food line they are marketing. They are already licensed to produce the dog food and are working on recipes. Manie explained that this is a great way for them to use parts of animals that normally get thrown out after processing such as organ meat. They also will be offering bones and animal chews.
In other developments, the Nels added that they qualified for a federal grant that will also help them acquire new equipment. Though they have not received the funds yet, they are purchasing a new smoker with it that has some impressive built-in technology that will make the smoking process easier.
Naig’s visit came only a couple of weeks after some other exciting developments for the Nels. At the Iowa Meat Processors Association’s Convention and Trade Show recently, the Clarion Locker took home a few impressive awards. They received Reserve Grand Champion for their jerky-restructured and Reserve Champion for their flavored snack sticks. This was among 213 meats entered by 21 processing plants across the state.
And perhaps even more exciting, Manie Nel assumed the position of President of the Iowa Meat Processors Association. This comes after a number of years serving on the Board of Directors.
As they look to the future, the Nels and the Clarion Locker have big things on the horizon. They have recently acquired even more space next door and are looking to use that for some exciting food operations. This includes catering and further down the road, possibly even a dining establishment.
In all, Secretary Naig was very impressed with everything going on at the Clarion Locker. “You are doing a great job connecting producers with food and consumers,” he said. “This is all fantastic.”
