Minnetonka-based Cargill Inc. will close a turkey processing plant in Arkansas that employs 1,100 workers on Aug. 1 and shift much of the production to processing sites in Missouri and Virginia, the company said on Wednesday.
Cargill to close Arkansas turkey processing plant, cutting 1,100 workers
The move comes as Cargill is cutting 5% of its global workforce.
By Karl Plume
January 31, 2025 at 7:31PM
The closure of the Springdale, Ark., plant comes as privately held Cargill is cutting its global workforce by 5% amid a sharp drop in earnings in its meat, grain and oilseed businesses. Thousands of U.S. workers at other poultry companies also have lost their jobs over the past two years due to plant closures.
“It is the right move to make for the future of our turkey business. Turkey remains an essential part of Cargill’s protein portfolio,” the company said in an email statement.
The Springdale plant produces fresh and frozen whole turkeys, bone-in turkey breasts and case-ready turkey products, a Cargill spokesperson said.
“We will honor contractual obligations to growers and continue to process turkey and other proteins at more than 40 primary, case-ready and value-added protein facilities in the United States and Canada,” the company said.
U.S. chicken producer Perdue Farms has said it will shut a Tennessee plant in March, eliminating jobs for 433 employees. Since 2023, Tyson Foods has shuttered six chicken plants employing thousands of workers.
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Karl Plume
The move comes as Cargill is cutting 5% of its global workforce.
