Hormel asks Doyle to help with ethanol dispute

Friday, July 13, 2007

From an article by Steve Calahan in the La Crosse Tribune:

SPARTA, Wis. — Hormel Foods Corp. has asked Gov. Jim Doyle to help resolve the dispute between its Century Foods International subsidiary and Coulee Area Renewable Energy LLC, which plans to build an ethanol plant near Century Foods’ largest Sparta plant.

Century Foods released a letter Thursday that Joe Swedberg, Hormel vice president of legislative affairs and marketing services, sent Doyle this week.

In the letter Swedberg said, “Century Foods has come to a stalemate in negotiations with the city of Sparta and Coulee Area Renewable Energy relating to the proposed ethanol plant site contiguous with our Century Foods plant.”

He also said, “Century Foods is at a point where we feel long-term strategic decisions have to be made relating to our employees, our facilities and future in Sparta. Given the longstanding relationship we have had with the state, we would like to ask for your help in finding a solution. We believe our concerns should be shared directly with you as governor of Wisconsin rather than continue to have the issue played out in the press.”