Cargill shutters its doors in Plainview

PLAINVIEW, HALE COUNTY - The Cargill beef processing plant, Plainview and Hale County’s largest employer, is closing its doors and laying off nearly 2,000 people, which could mean a yearly loss of $1.1 billion in economic activity.

Cargill’s payroll was over $60 million and it is 38 percent of the industry output of Hale County, according to Steve Amosson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension economist.

About 120 of those losing jobs live in Amarillo, said company spokesman Mike Martin.

The plant will close at the end of business February 1. The company is required by federal law to give its employees 60 days’ notice that they will lose their jobs, so it will be paying them into mid-March.