JRN – by Amy BurkeMILWAUKEE – Cargill will close its Milwaukee beef harvest facility on Friday, the company said in a release today.
The company — which provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services — employs approximately 600 people.
Officials said the closure of the facility results primarily from the tight cattle supply brought about by producers retaining cattle for herd expansion.
“Closing our Milwaukee beef plant is taking place only after we conducted an 18-month-long analysis of the region’s cattle supply and examined all other possible options,” said John Keating, president of Cargill Beef. “It is unfortunate that we must close any beef plant because of the impact to good people, their families and the community. The harsh reality is that the U.S. beef cattle herd is at its lowest level since 1951, with any significant herd expansion being years away.”
Cargill’s six other U.S. beef harvest plants are unaffected.
Great. That’s 600 more people I have to compete with in finding a job.
The problem is reopening a meat plant once it has been closed. It can not stay open with out the animals comeing in. But with out the daily wash outs and maintaining very hard to reopen. Almost cheaper to rebuild than reopen one.