A northwest Iowa meat packing plant is cutting hundreds of jobs. Some 485 workers are being laid off at the John Morrell & Company hog processing plant in Sioux City on February 19th. Officials blame unfavorable market conditions for plans to halt the second shift at the plant later this month.

The workforce will be cut from nearly 14-hundred down to about 900. Company officials say they will work diligently to get the workers back on the job. The plant processes about seven-thousand hogs a day.

Audio:Tom Beightol report. :34 MP3