DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – One of the nation’s largest egg producers says it plans to build a new cage-free egg-laying farm in eastern South Dakota that will house 3 million hens. Rembrandt Foods will build the facility in Lake Preston, South Dakota. Construction is expected to begin this year and it will be ready for hens next year.

Spirit Lake, Iowa-based Rembrandt Foods supplies egg products to food manufacturers, food service providers, restaurant chains and retail grocers. It announced plans to increase the number of its hens housed in cage-free barns last year. Rembrandt president Dave Rettig says growing consumer demand for cage-free eggs has pushed more than 100 food companies including Walmart and McDonalds to switch to cage-free eggs in the next decade.

Rembrandt has facilities in Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Alabama.