Tyson Foods announced Monday the imminent closure of several food production plants across the Midwest, including the poultry production plants in Dexter.
These closures are the result of several quarters of a struggling industry, according to Tyson Representative Jeff Wood. This has forced the Tyson corporation to reevaluate the asset utilization of its production plants, he said.
From a corporate standpoint, it makes sense to downsize the older plants and keep the bigger, newer plants, the company has reported.
The Dexter community has been home to an active poultry production industry since the 1890s and the current plant location has been active since the Swift Poultry Company opened in the 1930s.
This loss will negatively affect the city’s workforce, economy and the Dexter community as a whole, according to city officials. The closure is expected to impact 683 Tyson employees, as well as a vast network of chicken growers, farmers, truckers and more.
This plant closure comes from the corporate level, and local administration had no control over the decision, officials have said.
“We need to remain positive about our local Tyson Management and local Tyson employees,” said Dexter City Administrator Dave Wyman.
“They had zero input on the decision and we have enjoyed a tremendous relationship with them for years.”
“Recognizing that the Tyson facility is a significant part of the local economy, the city administration of Dexter will be focusing on how to encourage economic development following the shut-down,” said Wyman. “We need to worry about the families here in town, and we need to be extremely smart about our expenses.”
Tyson’s current plan — which is subject to change — is to continue the current hatch and processing cycle, then clean everything and shut the plants down. They expect to lock the factory doors by Oct. 13.
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