IOWA BEEF LIFTS LOCKOUT AT DAKOTA CITY Iowa Beef Processors Inc is lifting a lockout at its Dakota City, Nebraska, processing plant and plans to resume operations March 16, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union spokesman Allen Zack said. Iowa Beef mailed a letter to members of UFCW Local 222 informing them a lockout imposed by the company December 14 would be lifted and meatpackers could return to work under Iowa Beef's "revised, last and best final offer," Zack said. Iowa Beef had closed the plant indefinitely in mid-December because it said it had no alternative to threats by meatpackers to disrupt operations. About 2,800 members of Local 222 are affected by the shutdown. A 3-1/2 year labor contract at the plant expired December 13.