On 21 November, Tyson Foods, one of the largest beef packing companies in the United States, announced it will close its cattle slaughter facility in Lexington, Nebraska, and reduce its beef operations in Amarillo, Texas, down to a single, full-capacity shift. Based on estimated slaughter at both facilities, it will reduce capacity to slaughter fed cattle by more than 7 percent. Although these moves reduce U.S. packing capacity to slaughter fed cattle, it may only slightly improve the capacity utilization rate at remaining U.S. packing facilities.  The December Cattle on Feed report showed that placements were down 11 percent in November and 10 percent in October, both record lows for the month since records began in 1996. Marketings w...

TAGS – Livestock, North America