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Tyson Foods to close Emporia, Kansas processing facility

Tyson Foods has announced it will close its Emporia, Kansas processing facility in early 2025.

In a letter to employees obtained by Brownfield, Vice President of Beef and Pork Operations Ernesto Sanchez said the closure will impact 809 employees. The company says the plant will cease operations by Feb. 14.  

In a statement to Brownfield, a Tyson Foods spokesperson says the company made the decision to close the Emporia facility to increase efficiency of its operations. They are encouraging employees to apply for other open roles within the company and say the company is working closely with state and local officials to provide additional resources to those impacted employees.

In a statement to Brownfield, Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking says city officials were informed 225 employees would be absorbed into Tyson’s operations elsewhere.

In a statement, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas says he was disappointed by Tyson’s decision and that his office is working with city administrators to help displaced workers find jobs.

The Emporia plant transitioned from cattle slaughter operations to food processing work in 2008 and ended its cold storage facility operations in 2020.