Gov. Dayton, state leaders attend event

Gov. Mark Dayton planned to arrive at The Hormel Institute this morning for its announcement of a partnership with officials from one of China’s largest provinces.

As of press time, a delegation from the Henan Province comprising Gov. Tie Wang and other Chinese dignitaries planned to meet Dayton and staff from The Institute at 10 a.m. to discuss the new partnership, which The Institute said will greatly support its continuing growth. Other state and local leaders also plan to attend, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, both D-Minn., and Minnesota Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester.

The partnership could accelerate medical research progress for both countries and will benefit Minnesota economically, The Institute said in a news release.

Dayton also planned to use the visit as a chance to see the site for The Institute’s upcoming $27 million expansion, a project he highlighted in January when he unveiled his proposed bonding bill. The Legislature set $13.5 million in bonding for Austin’s Port Authority to put toward the expansion. Construction will begin late this year or in early 2013.

The expansion will double The Institute’s size, adding 20 state-of-the-art laboratories and room for 120 more researcher jobs.

Look to austindailyherald.com this afternoon for full coverage of the event.