Cargill

Meatpackers at Cargill in Fort Morgan have been locked out for 77 days after workers voted down a tentative union agreement. The prolonged lockout has caused multi-million dollar revenue loss to the city, impacting local planning. Both the union and Cargill are now awaiting next steps, with possibilities including modifying the last offer or returning to the bargaining table.

US beef exports are declining while imports are rising due to a shrinking cattle herd caused by drought and the New World screwworm. Ranchers oppose increased imports, arguing they harm profits, and the Trump administration's trade policies have led to higher imports from Argentina and Brazil, with JBS, a major Brazilian meatpacker, benefiting from the shift. Beef exports to China have also dropped significantly under Trump's tariff policies.

Cargill workers in Fort Morgan rejected a tentative contract to end a lockout. Over 1,700 meatpackers have been on strike since May 20 due to unresolved negotiations over wages and benefits.

Vitol Group and Cargill Inc. have stopped trading with Radiant World, a private firm that has become one of the world’s largest iron ore traders. Glencore Plc is also no longer doing new business with the company due to concerns over fake invoices.

A tentative agreement between Fort Morgan meatpackers and Cargill has been reached to end a 70-day lockout. The 1,700 beef processing employees were locked out since May 20 due to stalled contract negotiations.

Negotiations resumed after nearly 70 days of lockout for 1,700 Cargill meatpackers at the Fort Morgan cattle processing plant over a new contract.

JBS is accused of indirectly purchasing cattle from six farms on Brazil’s slave-labor dirty list between 2016 and 2023. The company denies the allegations, stating it does not buy from forced-labor-linked farms and has updated its monitoring systems. Labour prosecutors sued JBS and Cargill in April 2026 over the claims.

Fort Morgan is preparing its 2027 budget with a 15% cut due to Cargill's lockout, leading to potential $15 million revenue loss and layoffs. Local businesses, like El Jacal Mexican Grill, report economic impacts from the plant's closure.

State and local governments provided over $500 million in tax subsidies to meat processing companies since 2006, with eight companies dominating U.S. meat production. Subsidies aimed to create 69,037 jobs across 805 deals, but employment in the industry declined from 118,000 to 71,000 between 2006 and 2023.

Low U.S. cattle herd numbers, driven by drought, have led to concerns about beef packing plant closures. Tyson Foods recently shut down a Nebraska plant, causing job losses, and industry experts warn of further shutdowns due to declining cattle supplies and consolidated market control by four major companies.

Cargill is opposing the construction of townhomes and an apartment complex in Sarnia, an Ontario border city, by leveraging the province's Minister's Zoning Order in a manner contrary to its intended purpose. The dispute highlights a divide between urban housing needs and rural interests in the region.

Cargill's closure of its Menomonee Valley plant in Milwaukee, resulting in 221 job losses, marks the end of over 150 years of meatpacking in the area. The article attributes this decline to anti-union corporate policies and inadequate enforcement of anti-monopoly regulations, which allowed industry consolidation to harm workers and regional businesses.

The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division is investigating Cargill, JBS, National Beef, and Tyson Foods for potential criminal anti-competitive conduct, following allegations of price manipulation. The investigation, reported by Bloomberg, focuses on whether these major meatpacking companies engaged in practices that distorted market competition.

Cargill's Head of World Trading has left the company after three decades of service. The article references a Cargill plant located in Chambly, Quebec.