LEXINGTON, NE — Tyson Foods will permanently close its beef processing facility in Lexington, Nebraska, eliminating 3,000 jobs. The company sent a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice to employees on November 21, 2025, setting the closure date for January 20, 2026. The notice, signed by Jason Poole, Vice President Operations for Tyson’s Beef Enterprise, confirmed that affected employees will have no bumping rights to transfer to other positions within the company. The closure will remove significant processing capacity from the region’s beef supply chain.
Cattle industry leaders estimate the Lexington facility processes approximately 5,000 head of cattle per day, serving ranchers and feedlot operators across Nebraska and surrounding states. The closure will require cattle producers to transport livestock longer distances to reach alternative processing facilities, increasing costs and creating logistical challenges. Ranchers may need to seek contracts with competing processors or adjust their operations based on available processing capacity in the region.
Tyson Foods indicated that operations from the Lexington plant will be consolidated into its beef processing facility in Amarillo, Texas. The company plans to transition the Amarillo plant to a single, full-capacity shift to absorb the production volume currently handled in Lexington. The company has not announced plans to offer relocation assistance or transfer opportunities to affected Lexington workers.
The closure represents a substantial workforce reduction in Lexington, a community with a population of 11,205. The plant has operated as one of the area’s largest employers for decades, providing year-round employment in the Dawson County region. The scale of the layoffs will have significant economic implications for the broader region as workers and their families adjust to the facility’s closure.
