The State of Illinois will make money available from its Invest in Illinois Fund to attract a buyer for the former Tyson Foods beef facility at Joslin, Governor JB Pritzker and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced on 17 September. The aim is to return the plant to production, support jobs in the Quad Cities region and restore beef processing capacity for consumers.

Tyson Foods said last month it would end operations at Joslin, Illinois, and Eagle City, Utah, in a restructuring of its beef business that it blamed on historic cattle shortages. The Illinois closure affected nearly 2,500 employees. The US cattle herd has fallen to its lowest level in roughly 75 years, pushing packers across the industry to consolidate plants.

"The closure of the Tyson plant in Joslin was a serious blow to farmers in Illinois and across the Midwest," said Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Illinois Beef Association executive vice president Josh St. Peters said the state has more than 14,000 family farms raising cattle "and we need this market reopened to keep our industry growing across rural Illinois."

The state has not committed to any company or to a specific sum. Officials argue the site remains a significant asset, with large-scale infrastructure, an experienced workforce, access to farm supply chains and proximity to major transport routes, and could support food production or other industry under a new operator.

Meanwhile the state has mobilised workforce support. A rapid-response event in Moline earlier this month drew more than 1,000 affected workers, employers and workforce partners from Illinois and Iowa, with information sessions run in French, Swahili, Burmese and Arabic through interpreters.

"Making the Invest in Illinois Fund resources available gives us another tool to strengthen the search for a buyer and position this facility to once again support jobs and bolster the region's economy," Pritzker said. State legislators from Rock Island County, where the plant sits, welcomed the move and said the abrupt closure had left thousands of families facing an uncertain future.

Source: Morning Ag Clips