North-central Indiana update: the region's top business stories.

• Author: Mayer, Kathy
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT: NORTH CENTRAL

AGRIBUSINESS REIGNS in north-central Indiana as ethanol and biodiesel plants go up and pork processing and seed producers expand. And despite some blips and uncertainties in manufacturing, that industry, too, is posting high scores.

Ag raises the bar, Eight of l0 counties in the region are touting economic boosts from the agriculture sector.

Next March, The Andersons will bring a 110-million-gallon ethanol plant on line near Logansport that will employ about 50. The $145 million dry-mill facility will process 40 million bushels of corn annually and "possibly increase the price of corn in the area by an estimated seven to 20 cents a bushel," says Nolan "Skip" Kuper, president of the Logansport/ Cass County Economic Development Foundation.

By spring or early summer, Indiana Clean Energy will be producing biodiesel in Frankfort. Its groundbreaking is slated for late fall, with plans to hire about 60, says Gina Sheets, director of economic development for the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce and Partners in Progress.

In Carroll County, where Indiana Packers Corp. forever changed the small community of Delphi, the pork processing plant has announced it will spend another $43 million on an expansion, on top of a $69 million project already under way Currently employing 1,500 and processing up to 14,000 hogs a day, the company owned by Mitsubishi Corp. and Iotham Corp. will hire another 125 and boost production by 15 percent.

In Tipton, Pioneer Hi-Bred International is investing $1.6 million to expand its seed testing facility The company employs about 135 full time and is adding several more, reports William Keir, executive director of the Tipton County Economic Development Corp..

Negotiations are also under way for a $125 million Tipton County ethanol plant that could begin construction this fall. ASAlliances Biofuels LLC of Dallas hopes to build adjacent to Tipton's Cargill grain elevator. If it proceeds, the plant would employ about 60 and produce 100 million gallons of ethanol and 315,000 tons of dry distillers grain annually.

Fulton County, too, is hoping for more good news in the ag industry. Indiana Renewable Fuels is eyeing Rochester for an ethanol plant that would employ 52.

Manufacturing deepens Its roots. The region's biggest manufacturing prize is headed for Lafayette, where Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is spending more than $230 million to ready its plant for production of the Toyota Camry beginning in spring 2007. Currently...