Today, January 20, marks the official closure date of the Tyson Foods beef processing facility in Lexington. While some moves have been made by various officials to prevent the closure, none appear to have resulted in saving just over 3,200 jobs in the central Nebraska community of 11,000 people.
In December, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Agricultural Profitability released a study estimating the annual statewide economic impact of the Tyson plant closure to be 3.283 billion dollars. Among other losses to the community and state, this includes lost wages of both the 3,212 positions directly eliminated at the plant, as well as an estimated additional 3,791 jobs expected to be cut in areas supporting those workers in Dawson County and surrounding communities.
While Nebraska’s elected leaders have voiced their support for the workers and community, advocacy is also coming from unexpected corners in the last days before the closure. Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Friday wrote to Agriculture Secretary Brook Rawlins to block the plant closure using the 1921 Packers and Stockyards Act…