Dakota Premium Fooods of South St. Paul, Minn., announced that it is temporarily shutting down due to an “extremely short supply of cattle.” The plant, which is owned by American Foods Group, has 300 employees that will be laid off until the plant restarts operations, reports the Pioneer Press.
"We regret that the current limited cattle supplies, the smallest number since the early 1950s, has forced us to make this very difficult decision," said Don Mehesan, president of the company's fresh meat division. "Our hope is that the available cattle supplies will increase in the coming months. ... We will be exploring all our options during this time including major plant renovations to improve productivity and profitability."
Minnesota state Reps. Dan Schoen and Rick Hansen as well as state Sens. Katie Sieben and Jim Metzen issued a joint statement to say they will follow up with the company officials to find solutions for the employees who are affected by the closure.
Source: Pioneer Press
