Iowa gained 1,929 manufacturing jobs between January 2011 and January 2012, according to the Iowa Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers’ News Inc. In the 2010-2011 survey period, the state saw a 1.4 percent loss in industrial jobs.

Bright spots for the state included the opening of Plumrose USA’s new pork processing plant in Council Bluffs; the opening of Vi-COR’s new livestock feed manufacturing facility in Mason City; Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels’ planned cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg; and the expansion of Green Plains Renewable Energy’s algae production facility in Shenandoah.

Alcoa plans to expand its rolled-products facility in Davenport; Pinnacle Food recently expanded its Fort Madison canned meat factory; and Deere & Co. plans an expansion of its Waterloo site.

Sectors that lost jobs over the past 12 months included lumber/wood, which is down 5.5 percent; printing/publishing, which is down 3.2 percent; and furniture/fixtures, which is down 2.8 percent.

Employment remained steady in electronics and instruments/related products, while gains were seen in primary metals, up 6.2 percent; transportation equipment, up 4.2 percent; and textiles/apparel, up 1.1 percent.