Tyson Foods is making strategic changes to its beef operations to position the company for long-term success. Tyson Foods will anchor its beef business around three strategically located beef facilities in the central United States: Dakota City, Nebraska; Holcomb, Kansas and Amarillo, Texas, to create a more competitive footprint amidst one of the most historic cattle shortages the country has ever experienced. Recent USDA cattle inventory data, which included continued evidence of limited heifer retention, indicates these supply constraints are likely to persist, requiring strategic action.
The company will end operations at its Joslin, Illinois, beef facility and its Eagle Mountain, Utah, case-ready facility. Capacity from these locations will be moved to more strategically located facilities with ample capacity to grow. Additionally, Tyson Foods is pursuing the sale of its Pasco, Washington, beef facility. With these changes, the company will ramp back up a second shift at its Amarillo, Texas facility as cattle become available. Collectively, these changes will allow the company to maintain a similar level of cattle harvesting across a more efficient and modern network.
The changes represent another adjustment to the footprint of Tyson’s beef segment as the industry contends with limited cattle availability and pressure on processor margins. These latest shifts come after Tyson closed their Lexington, Nebraska beef procsessing plant at the starty of 2026- a plant that could process 5,000 head of cattle daily. They also reduced the Amarillo plant from two shifts down to one at the same time.
In their news release- Tyson says “With these changes, Tyson Foods is ensuring that it will continue to deliver high-quality, affordable, and nutritious protein for generations to come.”
Source- Tyson Media Release 8/13/2026
