And for 50 years, the cans of that food have come from a plant in Fort Dodge. The golden anniversary of the Nestle Purina PetCare plant at 2400 Fifth Ave. S. was celebrated Saturday during a special event held at the Community Orchard.

Plant workers and their families spent the afternoon enjoying the food and activities offered at the orchard. And since cats generally are not inclined to catch things or jump on command, the canines of the Purina Incredible Dog Team stepped in to provide some entertainment during two afternoon shows.

The celebration was about much more than a facility, according to Trever Morgan, the Nestle Purina factory manager.

“It’s really about people,” he said Saturday.

-Messenger photo by Bill Shea
Cory Buscher, vice president of manufacturing for Nestle Purina PetCare, speaks Saturday afternoon during a celebration marking 50 years of the company’s Fort Dodge plant. Buscher began his career in 1997 at the plant. After working at another company facility, he returned in 2010 to serve as factory manager for five years.

Factories, he said, are more than walls and machinery. It’s the relationships and commitment of the people who work in them that make them successful, he said.

“What we do, we do as a community, as a family,” he said.

Representatives of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance presented Morgan with a plaque marking the 50th anniversary of the plant.

“For half a century, Nestle Purina has been a cornerstone of Fort Dodge and our regional economy,” said Astra Ferris, the chief executive officer of the Growth Alliance.

Cory Buscher, who is vice president of manufacturing for Nestle Purina PetCare, started his career in the Fort Dodge plant in 1997 as a quality assurance technician. He worked there until 2001.

Then he returned to Fort Dodge in 2010 to serve as factory manager, a post he held through 2015.

On Saturday, he was back in Fort Dodge again.

“For me, this is just such a moment of pride,” he said.

He said he’s proud of the plant’s safety record, efficiency, quality and service to customers.

The anniversary celebrated Saturday almost did not happen, however. In fact, there was a time when it appeared the plant was doomed because of a 1995 Federal Trade Commission ruling.

That year, the Federal Trade Commission issued a ruling that would have effectively shut down the plant, then owned by Carnation. Carnation wanted to buy Alpo. The Trade Commission issued an order directing Carnation to unload a portion of its wet cat food production before it would approve the sale. The only practical way for the company to do so would have been to sell the Fort Dodge plant, which would basically doom it.

State and local officials and average citizens pushed back with a massive effort. A stream of letters, petitions and appearances before the commission paid off, prompting it to reverse its ruling. In fact, the Fort Dodge case is the only one in which the commission has ever reversed itself.

Since then, the plant has seen steady growth.

Morgan said it is the largest volume producer of Friskies brand food in the United States.

The plant is now undergoing a $175 million expansion that will enable it to produce a new wet cat food under the Fancy Feast label. Morgan said production is expected to begin in 2027.

Buscher and Morgan praised the support of the community.

“Obviously, it is such a business-friendly community,” Buscher said. “They help develop the workforce of the future. They partner with us to understand our needs.

“We’re committed to Fort Dodge,” he said.