A fire broke out at a Michael Foods egg farm located north of Wakefield, Nebraska, at approximately 11:30 A.M.
Several fire departments were called to the farm, known as Husker Pride Farms, from surrounding counties and worked through the afternoon.
According to Siouxland Proud, Michael Foods’ Vice President of Farm Operations Pat Melena was thankful that the fire departments were able to limit the fire, and subsequent structural damage, to one of 10 barns on the property.
While no people were injured, an unknown number of birds died in the fire. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation.
Other fires
Michael Foods has experienced other fires at its facilities in the last few years.
In May 2018, one of the producer’s egg processing plants in Klingerstown, Pennsylvania, sustained more than US$2.5 million in damages after a fire started in the duct work of an oven and became uncontrollable. No injuries were reported.
In March 2020, a fire broke out at a Michael Foods facility located in Bloomfield, Nebraska, that caused approximately US$2.5 million in damages. At the time, Post Holdings, Michael Foods’ parent company, estimated that the fire impacted less than 5% of the producer’s layer population.
Michael Foods has seen growth, too
While Michael Foods has experienced loss, it continues to grow its operations.
In 2021, Michael Foods acquired Almark Foods facilities in Arizona and Tennessee. The acquisition expanded the producer’s hard-boiled and deviled egg product offerings.
The same year, Post Holdings announced that Michael Foods would begin managing a facility producing mostly protein drink products.
In March 2023, the producer announced expansion plans for its precooked egg manufacturing and distribution facility located in Norwalk, Iowa. The US$146 million expansion will add approximately 132,000 square-feet to the plant, which opened in 2019. The producer said construction is targeting completion in December 2024.
