EAGLE GROVE — Prestage Foods of Iowa has formed a new joint venture with a Nebraska-based pork processor to establish Prestage Wholestone LLC, the companies announced on Wednesday.

The collaboration is with Wholestone Farms of Nebraska, which is a farmer-owned pork processing facility in Fremont, Neb.

“We will form a Joint Venture Company to market pork and work together on our pork processing plants,” said Jere Null, CEO of Prestage Foods of Iowa. “It strengthens both companies in the marketplace to be more efficient, have a broader product line and better meet our customer needs.”

Prestage Wholestone will operate the two plant locations in Eagle Grove and Fremont with a daily single shift harvest capacity of approximately 21,000 head per day, according to a press release from the companies.

“Operations in Eagle Grove will largely remain unchanged with the exception of Wholestone providing additional livestock to the operation,” Null explained. The Eagle Grove facility will remain managed by the Prestage family, he added.

Prestage Wholestone is expected to start joint operations within the next 12 months.

“The Prestage family is excited to partner with Wholestone Farms, a company comprised of like-minded American farmers and producers that reflect our collective core values from farm to market,” said Ron Prestage, a Prestage family representative.

Wholestone Farms was founded as a cooperative of 200 Midwest family farms in 2018.

“We are excited and honored to partner with the Prestage family,” said Luke Minion, chairman of Wholestone Farms. “This is an extremely important next step for the 200+ farm families that own Wholestone Farms. We look forward to demonstrating the benefits of this partnership to our customers, consumers and our owners.”

Prestage Foods of Iowa opened its $350 million pork plant south of Eagle Grove in 2019.