COMMUNITY ATTRIBUTES INFLUENCING LOCAL FOOD-PROCESSING GROWTH IN THE US CORN-BELT

This paper examines local and regional attributes associated with grow th in the food processing industry. The paper uses industrial location studies to develop a model of food processing plants' growth. Ordinar y least squares (OLS) models are estimated to analyze which local, reg ional and state attributes are associated with county level growth, me asured by a change in the number of establishments. The results sugges t that food processing growth is associated with factors similar to th ose influencing the location of footloose manufacturing plants. Howeve r, growth in food processing sectors is associated with different loca l attributes depending on a firm's industry type (demand-oriented supp ly-oriented, footloose).