Tyson Restores Amarillo Shift After Prior Layoffs Amid Cattle Shortage

Tyson Foods said it will close two beef facilities and seek a buyer for a third while keeping its Amarillo beef plant central to U.S. operations amid a severe cattle shortage. The company previously laid off 1,761 Amarillo employees in January when it reduced the plant to a single shift; Tyson now plans to restore a second shift as cattle become available. Tyson cited historically low cattle supplies and large losses in its beef business as the reason for earlier cuts and the network consolidation, and said it will shift capacity from closing plants to more strategically located facilities. The company also said it will help workers affected by the changes apply for openings at other facilities.

Tyson Foods, Inc. disclosed this layoff in an official WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice recorded by the TX state workforce agency on January 26, 2026. The notice covers 1,761 employees in Amarillo, TX (Potter County), with the layoff effective February 24, 2026.

That is roughly 1.3% of the 138,000 people Tyson Foods, Inc. employs.

LayoffTalk has tracked 26 layoff events at Tyson Foods, Inc. since October 2023, including 5,777 jobs documented in official WARN filings, with 22 additional events known from news reporting.