Overview
- Tyson says the Lexington, Nebraska beef plant will close around Jan. 20–21, 2026, and its Amarillo, Texas facility will move to one shift, cutting more than 3,200 and more than 1,700 jobs respectively.
- The new UNL analysis estimates roughly $3.3 billion in statewide economic impact, about $530 million a year in lost labor income across 7,000 jobs, and more than $30 million annually in lost income and sales tax revenue.
- Industry data show packers were running below capacity before the announcement, with processors at about 81.5% and Lexington near 75%, and an economist expects only modest effects on cattle and retail beef prices.
- Reporting estimates the closure and shift cuts will remove roughly 7% to 9% of U.S. beef processing capacity, yet local leaders are focusing on job fairs and town halls as uncertainty persists over the plant’s future use.
- Feedlot operators near Lexington anticipate higher freight costs of about $20 per head to ship cattle to other plants, with herd rebuilding expected to take years because of biological lags.