Rising beef prices have been spurred by a continuing decline in the U.S. beef cattle herd, with the total cattle and calf count reaching a 75-year low of 86.2 million head, down from 86.5 million a year ago, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data reported by the Texas Farm Bureau.
As consumer demand for beef declines because of rising prices, the nation’s meat companies are cutting costs to protect their profits. Among their cost-cutting efforts has been plant closures.
Tyson closes Georgia granola bar plant
Giant meatpacking company Tyson Foods is closing its Hillshire Brands Company plant in Rome, Ga., and laying off 168 workers by May 31, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice that the company sent to the Georgia Department of Labor on March 26.
The nation’s largest meat company said that it needed to permanently close its facility after losing its contracts to manufacture Nature Valley Granola Bars at the plant for General Mills, according to the notice.
Company sends workers WARN notice
The Springdale, Ark.-based meat company said it informed the Rome plant’s employees on March 26 that they would be permanently terminated on May 31, more than 60 days from the date of the WARN notice.
The notice acknowledged the union workers’ collective bargaining agreement, which allows bumping rights, but since the plant is permanently closing, there is no opportunity for bumping.
Tyson purchased the Rome plant as part of its 2014 acquisition of Hillshire Brands. The plant had been used to produce baked goods for companies, such as the Sara Lee Corporation, Food Dive reported. It began producing granola bars in the early 2000s.
Factory is no longer viable
“The facility has operated under a unique single-customer model, but recent changes have made continued operations at the site no longer viable,” a Tyson spokesperson said in a statement to WUPA-TV. “We recognize the impact this has on our team members and the Rome community.”
“Supporting our people is our top priority, and we are encouraging impacted team members to apply for other roles within the company, while working with state and local partners to provide support during this transition,” the statement said.
Other plants have closed
Tyson has closed other plants in recent months, as it shuttered its beef processing plant in Lexington, Neb., which employed 3,200 workers, on Jan. 20, 2026, Nebraska Public Media reported.
The Lexington facility, which had the capacity to process about 5,000 cattle a day, had reportedly been operating at below capacity in the months before closure. The company said it would increase capacity at other plants to maintain supply, Tyson said.
Plant closing leads to $3.3 billion in losses
An economic impact analysis from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln estimated that the closure of the Lexington plant would cost the state nearly $3.3 billion in annual economic losses from reduced tax revenue, lost income, and decreased spending in communities.
Tyson also closed a pork plant in Perry, Iowa, and laid off 1,276 workers in June 2024, according to Food Dive.
Among the reasons given for closing meat plants has been a decrease in consumer demand for meat because of higher prices.
The Springdale, Arkansas, meat company’s product brands include Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farms, Ball Park, Wright, State Fair, Aidell’s, and ibp.
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