IBP (OXY) PLANT REOPENS WITHOUT INCIDENT Iowa Beef Processors Inc said "hundreds" of its employees returned to work at its Dakota City, Nebraska beef processing plant without incident. Last week, Iowa Beef said it would lift a lockout in effect at the plant since mid-December, which affected 2,800 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Both union and non-union meatpackers who returned to work, agreed to comply with Iowa Beef's last contract offer. "Start-up went well today and operations will continue to pick up as employees return and others are hired," according to a company statement. Picketing UFCWU members at the plant did not disrupt operations, a company spokesman said. "Our employees are asked to continue to return to work at 8AM unless otherwise notified," he said. Iowa Beef, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corp, said it is beginning to take applications for permanent positions at the plant.