But the town – now 12,400 according to the 2023 census – will grow significantly once workers begin construction, and later operation, of a 750,000 square foot facility.

It will produce cottage cheese and sour cream, said Stines in a telephone interview with the Times-Republican. In April 2024, Daisy Brand, LLC — a fifth-generation family-owned company headquartered in Dallas, Texas — announced it had selected Boone as the location of the facility.

It will be constructed in the town’s Industrial Park adjoining U.S. Highway 30. Daisy is scheduled to invest more than $626 million in construction and machinery alone. Once operational, the plant is scheduled to employ 106 according to Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) documents.

They will be paid wages second-to-none according to Dan Culhane of Ames, director of the Ames Alliance – an area economic development group which was responsible for convincing Daisy that Boone and Iowa could best meet the company’s needs for the project.

T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY  A vintage locomotive, coal car and passenger coach (not pictured) of the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad greet visitors to the town on a site near South Marshall Street.

Boone — approximately 18 miles west of Ames — and other communities in the area along with businesses are members of the Ames Alliance. Boone and Alliant Energy contributed direct and indirect incentives totaling more than $50 million, making the project estimated expenditures $676 million.

Even before the first shovel of dirt has been turned on a planned groundbreaking later this year, the project has the reputation of being one of the largest economic development projects in central Iowa and the state in recent years according to Culhane.

A comparable project in central Iowa in terms of cost and construction time is the Marshalltown Generation Station. The natural gas-fired plant became operational April 1, 2017.

It was nearly 10 years in the making, required two and one-half years to build and cost $645 million. According to T-R archives. The breakdown of investors and project cost estimates for the Daisy project contained in documents sent to the T-R via email by Kanan Kappelman – an IEDA spokesperson are as follows:

State of Iowa

investment

The IEDA is directly investing $11,185,000 in the project. according to Kappelman.

$1-million is an investment tax credit.

$10,185,000 is sales and use-tax refund.

A $7 million forgivable loan to Daisy is also part of the assistance package, according to IEDA documents. The loan will be forgiven if Daisy completes employment and investment contractual obligations to IEDAs satisfaction.

City of Boone

The city is providing $49 million in local property tax exemption over 20 years through the high-quality jobs program. The property tax exemption is 100 percent from years one through three, and 74 percent beginning year four and continuing through year 20. Beginning in year 21, Daisy has no property tax exemption.

Alliant Energy

Alliant Energy – headquartered in Madison, Wis, but with its Iowa headquarters in Cedar Rapids – will provide electricity and natural gas to the site and building. It will contribute $1,014,150 in assistance, according to the IEDA.

Project Budget

• Land acquisition: $3,975,180

• Site preparation: $10,000,000

• Building construction: $339,500,000

• Manufacturing machinery and equipment: $273,100,000

IEDA is the state agency charged with economic development in Iowa and headquartered in Des Moines.

The project will allow Daisy to better serve existing customers in the Midwest with locally sourced milk supporting Iowa farmers and strengthening the Iowa dairy industry, according to project documents provided by Kappelman.

Daisy is a national leader in the production of cottage cheese and sour cream. It claims in promotional material its sour cream is the number one selling brand in the U.S. It has production facilities in Casa Grande, Ariz., Garland, Texas and Wooster, Ohio, according to media sources.

Culhane said he and a team of 18 others spearheaded the effort to “close the deal” once Daisy made their initial inquiry.

Boone was the winner over sites in other states, he said.

“Everyone on the team contributed significantly.”

Culhane said Daisy was attracted to Boone because of its rural setting and the reputation of a diligent and efficient Iowa workforce. Another major factor was its close proximity to a highway transportation network featuring a four-lane U.S. Highway 30 and Interstate 80 and Interstate 35 – the latter two are nearby.

“We are ecstatic,” said Stines. “The project is on schedule and we expect to have a ground-breaking in May or June of this year. The company estimates construction will be completed by 2027 and the facility will be fully-operational by the fourth quarter (Sept. 1 through Dec. 31) of 2028.”

“This project is fabulous,” Culhane said. “The Daisy project will truly have a significant ‘ripple’ impact on communities in the Boone area. We are eagerly awaiting the ground breaking and construction to start.”

In State Center – 40 miles east of Boone — Marshall Ridge Farms announced to the Marshall County Board of Supervisors in January its intentions to expand with an additional 7,000-head of mature dairy cows and a new proposed confinement, free stall, barn and milking parlor, according to the T-R.

The operation is owned by Kevin and Holly Blood.

Stines – who was elected mayor in November 2023 — said the city will also experience a major boost to its tax base.

Culhane said the project will stimulate construction, retail and tourism sectors significantly in the Boone area. Stines said the announcement of the project sparked the current construction of a 350-housing unit complex. Also, a study has been authorized for a new hotel, he said.

The city is in the process of upgrading its water supply and wastewater services to the construction site, Stines said. The city has also applied for a Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) grant to the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) to improve critical roadway access to the site.

Construction workers and Daisy employees will impact the Boone area economy significantly during construction and once the plant is operational.

“Officials with the Boone Community School District are thrilled with the proposed increase in number of students,” Stines said.

Iowa allocates school funding to districts based on enrollment.

In Boone – historically – the rural community has been known as the birthplace of Mary Geneva “Mamie” (nee Doud) Eisenhower – the late and former first lady of Dwight Eisenhower – the 34th president of the United State and the commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II.

A museum honoring Mamie who died in 1979 at age 92 continues to maintain her legacy. It is at 709 Carroll St. and is open June through October.

The town has also served as a railroad hub for nearly 170 years – first for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Co. (1866) and then the Union Pacific Railroad Co. The two merged in 1995. The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad also operates passenger train rides and operated a railroad museum in Boone.

Another Boone icon is Fareway Stores Inc., which was founded in Boone by Paul Beckwith and Fred Vitt in 1938. The first store opened May 12, 1938 at 624 Story St.

Their transportation, warehouse and other operations are in the Boone Industrial Park. The company’s corporate offices recently moved to Johnston according to the company’s website.

The company has nearly 140 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota. Fareway remains a family-owned business, with Dr. P. Sue Beckwith serving as board chairperson, according to the company website.