Tyson Foods announced it will close its Emporia meat processing plant, which employs 800 people. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said the decision will have a major impact on the local economy. Tyson Foods employs more than 5,000 people at its Kansas plants. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said he is disappointed that Tyson Foods will permanently close its Emporia meat plant, which employs more than 800 people.
Tyson Foods announced it will close its ground beef and value-added marinated protein plants in February 2025 to improve the company’s operational efficiency.
In the fiscal year ending September 2023, the company’s beef division had revenue of $233 million. The division reported a loss of $291 million in fiscal year 2024, which ended in September.
“I am heartbroken to hear the news that Tyson is closing its plant in Emporia,” said Marshall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. “This is shocking news for these families and communities, especially at Christmas time.”
Marshall said the Tyson Foods facility is one of the largest employers in the Emporia area. His office has been in contact with the city of Emporia and “we are committed to doing everything we can to help these people find good jobs.”
Tyson Foods employs more than 5,000 people at a series of plants in Kansas.
Formal notification of Emporia’s decision was triggered by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notification to the state. Ernesto Sanchez, vice president of Tyson Foods’ beef and pork operations, sent a letter to Emporia officials saying the decision was part of “the company’s business strategy to operate more efficiently.” .
The major meat processor said in a statement that the plant closure will have a significant impact on the Emporia community and its employees. Up to 200 Emporia plant workers could be absorbed into Tyson’s operation in Holcomb, officials said.
“Taking care of our team members is our top priority and we encourage them to apply for other open positions within the company,” Tyson Foods said in a statement. “We are also working closely with state and local governments to provide additional resources to those affected.”
Tyson Foods has struggled with market forces such as declining numbers of cows to feed and rising costs of processing livestock. The company did not suggest that the Emporia plant closure was related to President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
Emporia will lose 800 jobs, following layoffs involving thousands of Tyson workers as six U.S. chicken plants and an Iowa pork plant close after early 2023.
In 2017, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Leavenworth County officials awarded Tyson Foods a $320 million investment in a new 1,600-employment chicken processing plant, hatchery and feed mill near Tonganoxie. announced an agreement to do so. Following public backlash, Tyson Foods abandoned the development project.
