Tyson Foods to close beef processing plant in Lexington, Nebraska
By Jake Anderson
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Nebraska (KHBS, KHOG) — Tyson Foods is closing a beef processing plant in Nebraska, the company announced Friday.
The beef facility in Lexington, Nebraska, will end operations, and the company will shift its beef facility in Amarillo, Texas, to a single, full-capacity shift, officials said.
“Tyson Foods recognizes the impact these decisions have on team members and the communities where we operate. The company is committed to supporting our team members through this transition, including helping them apply for open positions at other facilities and providing relocation benefits,” Tyson Foods said in a statement.
The company did not provide a timeline for the plant to end operations.
The Springdale, Arkansas-based meat processor has five other plants in Nebraska, including one in Omaha.
In a statement, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said the state’s cattle industry is “resilient and the envy of the world.”
“Our workforce can outwork anybody. Big picture – our excellent cattlemen and cattle feeders have emerging opportunities and will still have the Tyson market to sell into as its planned re-organization will boost capacity and jobs at other Nebraska plants. Tyson leadership has also promised to continue to work on future value-added opportunities here in the state. The state of Nebraska is ready to build for the future and do what it can do to support employees affected by this change,” Pillen said in a statement.
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement that she is “extremely disappointed.”
“As the single largest employer in Lexington, Tyson’s announcement will have a devastating impact on a truly wonderful community, the region, and our state. Nebraskans are nothing if not resilient, and Lexington has a robust workforce. I hope their skill and experience will be sought after by other employers. Nebraska is the beef state, and we know better than anyone the highs and lows of the cattle market. It’s no secret that just a few years ago, packers like Tyson were making windfall profits while the rest of the industry was continuously in the red. As we head into the holiday season, I call on Tyson to do everything in its power to take care of the families affected by this short-sighted decision,” Fischer said.
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts called the decision “heartbreaking.”
“I will do everything I can to support the Nebraskans who are impacted by this decision. We must help them stay in our state and find work close to home. This news is especially heartbreaking around the holidays. I ask for Nebraskans to keep the community of Lexington in their prayers,” Ricketts said in a statement.
Rep. Mike Flood released a statement, saying Nebraskans will overcome this hardship.
“This is devastating news for our beef producers, for Lexington, and the whole State of Nebraska. Ranchers have dutifully raised cattle even when times were hard. Now, they are being abandoned. After Tyson closed their Norfolk plant in 2006, they stripped the plant bare so it couldn’t be used as a beef processing facility. That plant still sits empty today. As they wind down their Lexington plant, Tyson needs to preserve it, so it can remain a beef processing operation and keep good paying jobs in Dawson County that support our ag communities. No matter what, I know that Nebraskans will work together to pull through this,” Flood said in a statement.
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