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growing local<br />
Moore Local, Rockdale Locker to fill<br />
ag niche in Jackson County<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Trevis Mayfield<br />
Heather and Brandon Moore and Chad Thompson, along with his wife Kimberly (not pictured), partnered to form Rockdale Enterprises.<br />
They are renovating the building at 605 Birch Drive, Maquoketa, into Moore Local and Creamery and Rockdale Locker.<br />
Following a movement to source milk, meat and eggs locally,<br />
two families join forces to create a new business model<br />
BY Kelly Gerlach<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Like the Naeve family, two<br />
Jackson County couples also<br />
saw a need for local, expanded<br />
meat processing. But they’re<br />
adding a local creamery into<br />
the mix, along with a retail outlet that’s<br />
already open.<br />
Chad and Kim Thompson are partnering<br />
with neighbors Heather and Brandon<br />
Moore to form Rockdale Enterprises.<br />
Through that partnership, they are renovating<br />
the former blue tin Woodform<br />
building at 605 Birch Drive, Maquoketa,<br />
into Moore Local and Creamery and<br />
Rockdale Locker.<br />
Moore Local will include an expanded<br />
and locally sourced grocery and gift<br />
retail store. It also will feature a creamery<br />
where the Moores will churn their locally<br />
produced milk into cheddar cheese.<br />
They’re also developing some special<br />
cheese creations to meet local demands<br />
during a time period in which demand<br />
for most products outstrip the available<br />
supply, Heather Moore said.<br />
Meanwhile, Rockdale Locker will handle<br />
a 1,200-head beef equivalent livestock<br />
procession operation. Tentative plans<br />
include custom processing beef, hogs,<br />
sheep and goats to order.<br />
“Our goal is to help get the food people<br />
want and need to them, and now I think<br />
we’re poised to do that,” Heather explained.<br />
Creation of the local food production<br />
and processing hub in Maquoketa<br />
will positively impact the community,<br />
according to Nicolas Hockenberry, former<br />
director of the Jackson County Economic<br />
Alliance, who assisted the Thompsons<br />
and Moores at the genesis of the project.<br />
“Agriculture is a pillar of the Jackson<br />
County economy and this business will<br />
bring back processing capability to the<br />
90 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong><strong>Iowa</strong><strong>Farmer</strong>_<strong>Fall</strong><strong>2021</strong>.indd 90<br />
9/15/21 10:25 am
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