SULLIVAN COUNTY, MO. — A Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) posted by the state of Missouri showed that Murphy-Brown LLC, a division of Smithfield Foods Inc., plans to close some of its operations in northern Missouri, resulting in 92 employees being laid off.

Smithfield said in the notice that the company is “reducing its hog farming operations,” throughout Missouri, and it “must reduce its workforce accordingly.”

News of the closures comes as meat and poultry companies across the industry face declining profits as the result of inflation, higher input costs, including feed and labor. 

Data from WARN said layoffs would begin on Oct. 8. The state received the notice on Aug. 4.

As part of the move, Smithfield will also close 35 Missouri hog farms, including 13 in Newtown, 12 in Lucerne and 10 in Princeton. The company and the WARN notice did not identify which specific facilities would be closing.

A Smithfield spokesperson confirmed that the move was related to the company’s hog production (farm) operations in Missouri.