BUSINESS NOTES Tyson's Denison plant gets good news Tight supplies of slaughter-ready cattle have spelled di- But steady downsizing of the US cattle herd compound- saster for some beef-processing plants. But Tyson Foods ed by periods of sharp declines in cattle numbers due to Inc. had good news for the employees of its Denison, Iowa, drought meant fewer cattle sent to slaughter. Also having processing facility - the Denison plant will continue pro- an impact on cattle numbers is the decision by some ma- cessing cattle. jor processors to no longer accept cattle for slaughter that In 2012, Tyson announced that upgrades to the com- have been fed Zilmax, a feed additive. pany's Dakota City, Neb. beef plant could lead to the clo- Declining supplies of fed cattle forced some of Tyson's sure of the Denison facility. The improvements will add competitors to close processing facilities. But those same roughly 200 production jobs and increase the number plant closures - coupled with reduced prices for feed - of cattle to be processed at the Dakota City plant. At the saved the Denison facility. time, Tyson said there would be no need for supplemental beef supplies from the Denison plant. 14 * Meat&Poultry * April 2014 * www.MeatPoultry.com Nearly 400 employees work at the Denison plant, which is a slaughter-only facility. ■http://www.dhenryandsons.com http://www.MeatPoultry.com