always announcing these massive layoffs or closures right before or during the holidays. Heartless

they want to prop up their stock prices by cutting costs. It has happened to me before.

Add in family members, and you could be approaching half of the people who live there. This will turn that town into a major poverty center in the state.
Hopefully Tyson won't strip the plant bare like they did when they closed their Norfolk plant in 2006. At least leave the plant in a condition where the state might find a different company to come in and use it.

But we're talking dumb here so.........

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s CEO Colin Woodall provided his reaction to the Oklahoma Farm Report- “NCBA is disappointed by the closure of the beef processing facility in Lexington. Similarly, the reduction in operations at the beef processing plant in Amarillo. This raises concerns about the impact on family farmers and ranchers, but it is the unfortunate result of the industry experiencing excess processing capacity in the face of historically low cattle numbers. We are closely monitoring this situation and are working to ensure the beef supply chain continues to function properly.”

The announcement by Tyson reminds those in the cattle business of the shock that rumbled through the industry a little over a decade ago when we also had tight cattle numbers. The Cargill beef processing plant in Plainview, Texas shut down operations on February 1, 2013, due to tight cattle supplies from prolonged drought, and by 2015 Cargill had put the plant up for sale, leaving it permanently shuttered.

https://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/okfr/2025/11/21/tyson-to-shutter-lexington-nebraska-beef-plant-make-amarillo-a-single-shift-plant/

I know they are going to have to put steaks behind locked glass at today’s prices.

that is the main cause of high prices.

Probably several reasons. It’s just interesting beyond politics.

in my area it was massive sell-offs due to drought the last couple years, covid wierdness, and shut down of imported cattle from Mexico because of screw worm flies.

this year is first in my memory that drought sell-off happened with decent prices due to cattle shortage. usually it is a demoralizing glut and low prices when drought causes destocking.

local safeway has 5/lb top sirloin on sale fairly often. it can be hit or miss but when it is good it is pretty damn good.

Last edited Sat Nov 22, 2025, 07:20 AM - Edit history (2)

In a quick Google search I found that Lexington, NE is in Dawson County. In in 2024 the country vote was the following

"In the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Donald Trump (R) won Dawson County, Nebraska, receiving 6,312 votes (74.3%), while Kamala Harris (D) received 2,090 votes (24.7%).

Losing 3200 jobs in a small town like Lexington NE will probably kill the town. Sad, but they got what they voted for and have no one to blame except themselves.

workers and poor people usually suffer way more and earlier than politically active repukes ever do.

will suffer directly without the paychecks going back into their economy. Without the jobs, those immigrants will leave and only a shell of the town will remain.

The beef business is the nutritional equivalent of the fossil fuel industry.

We would all be better off if it were smaller.

Or closed altogether and remove giant corporations from agribusiness and return to family farms where feasible

Beef consumption per capita peaked in the US in 1974. Americans eat about half of what they did then. The odd thing to me is to reduce capacity in a time of higher prices. Cant say I understand economics but it must have something to do with all those cows the illegal immigrants are smuggling over the Bannon Barrier.
Anyway Nebraska, you voted for It, so now you can live with what It does. It has no further use for you, so you are hereby discarded like Its ex wives and lawyers.

Voted for Trump/Vance over Harris/Walz, rounding off, 6200 to 2000.

Ya pays yer money, ya takes yer chance.