Tyson Joslin Closure Threatens Cattle Prices by $50-$200 a Head as 2,700 Jobs Vanish
Updated
Updated · KWQC · Aug 16
Tyson Joslin Closure Threatens Cattle Prices by $50-$200 a Head as 2,700 Jobs Vanish
3 articles · Updated · KWQC · Aug 16
Summary
$50 to $200 per head is what some local cattle farmers say they could lose after Tyson's Joslin beef plant shut and disappeared as a major bidder at sale barns in Kewanee and Walnut.
Fewer bidders matter because many producers already face tight margins, with high calf costs and longer hauls now expected as cattle must be trucked much farther than before.
Farmers say the hit could spread beyond livestock auctions, squeezing local incomes and potentially feeding through to more competition among direct sellers or higher grocery prices.
The Joslin shutdown is part of Tyson's broader beef restructuring, which also includes closing Eagle Mountain, Utah, and selling its Pasco, Washington, plant amid a historic U.S. cattle shortage.