Tyson Foods shutters Joslin, Illinois beef plant, laying off 2,500 workers

Tyson Foods closed its beef processing plant in Joslin, Illinois, on August 14, 2026, abruptly laying off approximately 2,500 primarily immigrant meatpacking workers with little or no advance notice. The company cited a historic 75-year low in the U.S. cattle herd as a primary reason for the closure, while workers and advocates point to drought, rising input costs and industry consolidation as contributing factors. The United Food and Commercial Workers union represents more than 2,000 of the affected workers; Tyson said it will continue severance pay until October and a plant-closure agreement provides an additional one to four weeks of severance depending on tenure. Laid-off workers have been protesting and demanding improved severance, and some called on Illinois officials to intervene or reopen the plant under state ownership.

Tyson Foods, Inc. cut 2,500 jobs in IL affecting its beef processing (Joslin beef plant) team as of August 14, 2026.

That is roughly 1.8% of the 138,000 people Tyson Foods, Inc. employs.

LayoffTalk has tracked 27 layoff events at Tyson Foods, Inc. since October 2023, including 8,272 jobs documented in official WARN filings, with 22 additional events known from news reporting.