Poultry processor Willow Brook Foods has been in Springfield since the 1930s, but company executives say rising corn costs are putting a squeeze on profits.

Food Manufacturing

Posted online August 5, 2007 | 11:00 pm

Industries classified as food manufacturing make livestock and agricultural products into products for intermediate or final consumption. Most make products to sell to wholesalers or retailers, but companies that make candy or bakery products also are in this category. Beverage manufacturers are not included.

Employees: 3,615

Businesses: 61

2006 employee wages: $131.1 million

Example companies: Kraft, Willow Brook Foods, American Dehydrated Foods

Mike Briggs, president of Willow Brook Foods Inc., said southwest Missouri has historically been a strong food producer because of the area’s agricultural roots.

“A company like Willow Brook, we’ve had a presence in some form since the 1930s,” Briggs said. “American Dehydrated Foods is an outcrop of the poultry business as well.”

He said the area’s transportation network and central location make shipping to major centers such as Chicago and Dallas easier.

The sector does face issues, notably increasing production costs. Briggs said that Willow Brook is fighting rising costs for corn, which the company feeds to its turkeys and chickens. So far in 2007, the company has spent $10 million more on corn than during the same period in 2006. [[In-content Ad]]