In early 2014, the Iowa Food Systems Council developed a list of resources and hosted an informational event about food processing and community kitchens in Southwest Iowa. Here are some of the resources they provided:
Iowa Food Protection Task Force - a group of individuals and organizations interested in food safety and defense. The Task Force members include federal, state, and local government agencies; commodity groups; food related trade associations; food producers; academia; and others.
List of Licensed Kitchens - This is a list of licensed kitchens in Southwest Iowa, excluding Pottawattamie County. Some of these may be willing to work with you but you will need to contact them first to ask.
Rental Agreement Considerations and Samples - If you are interested in processing at an existing licensed kitchen, here are some things to discuss with the kitchen owner/manager. It also lists some sample agreements and pricing examples.
Find A Local Inspector - For questions about local inspections and licensing, contact your local public health agency. This link provides contact information for all Iowa counties.
Iowa City Kitchen Connect - Based in Eastern Iowa, this website offers numerous resources that are relevant to Southwest Iowa, including information about regulations, licensing, labeling, pricing, food safety, and more.
Value Added Producer Grants - USDA has grants to help producers with processing and/or marketing of bio-based, value-added products.