Des Moines Register: A major beef processor has halted its eastern Iowa expansion. Blaming increased construction costs, Iowa Premium spokesperson Marcy Johnson said Thursday that the company has “indefinitely paused” building a new factory in Tama. She said the company will decide whether to resume the project later and will continue operating its current factory in town, where 830 employees work. Iowa Premium announced plans to replace its current factory with a bigger plant in March 2021. It said it would hire 400 workers there by the end of 2024, bringing its total employment to more than 1,200.