Kansas beef plant shuts down after fire

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: March 22, 2024

Photo: National Beef/Facebook

National Beef Packing Company, one of four major U.S. beef processors, said it suspended production at its Liberal, Kansas, plant for a second day on Friday, after a fire.

The company said it plans to resume production on Monday, following a blaze Wednesday night in the facility’s loading dock area. The plant processes about 6,000 cattle per day, which accounts for roughly five per cent of daily U.S. production.

Local media outlet KSN News reported the fire began in loading trailers and spread to the building. All employees were safely evacuated. Most of the damage was to trailers loaded with boxed beef, however overhead doors in the loading dock and the building’s exterior walls were also affected.

About the author

Geralyn Wichers

Geralyn Wichers

Digital editor, news and national affairs

Geralyn graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2019 and launched directly into agricultural journalism with the Manitoba Co-operator. Her enterprising, colourful reporting has earned awards such as the Dick Beamish award for current affairs feature writing and a Canadian Online Publishing Award, and in 2023 she represented Canada in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists' Alltech Young Leaders Program. Geralyn is a co-host of the Armchair Anabaptist podcast, cat lover, and thrift store connoisseur.

 

explore

Stories from our other publications