The Tyson plant in Cherokee will close in three months.
In a prepared statement released today, a Tyson Foods executive said the plant in Cherokee, along with one in New York and another in New Mexico “have been struggling financially” and “it no longer makes business sense to keep them open.” The plant in Cherokee employs 450 people. It will be closed September 27.
The company says a “combination of factors” led to the decision, including “the age of the Cherokee facility” and the “prohibitive cost” to modernize it. The plant in Cherokee, which Tyson acquired from IBP in 2001, began producing processed meats in 1965. Hot dogs, deli meats, hams and Canadian bacon are being made there today.
According to the company’s website, Tyson currently operates 21 facilities in Iowa, including transportation hubs, nine plants that process pork and two that process beef.