Cargill to shutter Missouri plant, move work to Nebraska, Texas

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Agricultural conglomerate Cargill Inc said on Friday it will shutter its turkey and cooked meats processing plant in Springfield, Mo., and move the operations to Nebraska City, Nebraska, and Waco, Texas.

Cargill [CARG.UL] said it will close its Springfield plant, which employs 118 people, on March 11.

The decision came about after Cargill assessed its turkey and cooked meats businesses, the company said.

Cargill - one of the largest turkey producers and processors in the United States - is trying to move the work closer to where the raw materials are located. The Springfield plant slices and packages meat products produced at other Cargill locations, including its facilities in Nebraska City and Waco.

In addition, "we believe this move better positions us for future growth in a highly competitive environment," Ruth Kimmelshue, president of Wichita, Kansas-based Cargill Turkey & Cooked Meats, said in a statement.

The Springfield plant was one of a number of facilities and other assets Cargill acquired in 2008 from meat and turkey producer Willow Brook Foods.

The company said workers at the plant will be offered severance packages and the chance to move to other Cargill positions in the region.

(Reporting By P.J. Huffstutter. Editing by Andre Grenon)