WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, SportsNew agri-technology center coming to Clark County

New agri-technology center coming to Clark County

by Cami Mountain

OWEN (WAOW) --  The small city of Owen gets a big grant to expand the agriculture industry in Clark County.   They're building what they call an Agri-business Innovation Center.

It's an agriculture training facility of sorts that they say will create job growth and expand industry.

Just along Highway 29 outside of Owen sits a bean field.  But soon, that field will turn into an Agribusiness Park.  The heart of the park, an Agri-business Innovation Center, a magnet to draw in other businesses that revolve around agriculture.

"Clark County is over 50 percent agribusiness related. This fills that niche to educate the local businesses, to give them a place to start their business and then grow into the park."  Owen Mayor Tim Swiggum says the plan started more than 4 years ago and was jump started by a $4 million federal grant.

A grant that will not only expand agriculture in the county, it'll also expand the City of Owen and bring industry closer to the highway.

Swiggum adds, "It used to be that Highway 29, years ago, went right down through the heart of Owen and Withee. No, for the last 10 years, we're visible from Highway 29 but we weren't there."

The Innovation Center is expected to create more than 300 new jobs in a booming Agriculture/Technology field and generate $18 million in private investment says Clark County Development Corporation Executive Director, Sheila Nyberg.

"Our little towns need to bring in bodies. We want to bring our students back home and our alumnus back home. We need to offer them a diverse amount of jobs to do that."

For this project to really get started Owen city leaders need to match the $4 million grant.  They recently started some fundraising campaigns but still a ways to go.

Online Reporter:  Cami Mountain