Cargill shifts animal nutrition operations to Guymon, affecting jobs

Cargill announced on Jan. 14, 2026 that it will close its animal nutrition business in Garden City and move those operations to its facility in Guymon, Oklahoma. The company said the move responds to changes in market conditions and customer needs, and it set the Garden City shutdown for the end of August 2026.

The immediate, concrete impact is small but salient: 10 positions in Garden City are expected to be affected. Cargill also said it will work to find other opportunities within the company for those employees. For Texas County, where Guymon is the county seat, the relocation concentrates more of Cargill’s regional animal nutrition work inside the county and could modestly increase throughput at the Guymon facility and related logistics activity.

This consolidation follows a broader pattern in agribusiness where firms centralize processing and support functions to cut costs, streamline supply chains, and align capacity with changing demand. For local labor markets that pattern creates mixed effects: job losses in one community and added hiring pressure or workload in another. Texas County’s economy, which relies heavily on meatpacking, livestock services, and feed supply chains, is likely to feel operational effects even if the company has not announced specific hiring targets for Guymon.

For businesses that serve plant operations—trucking, bulk feed suppliers, equipment maintenance and local trucking firms—the move can translate into steadier demand at the receiving facility and potential shifts in routing or contract volume. Public agencies and workforce partners should expect to monitor Cargill’s staffing announcements and be ready to support any recruiting or training needs that arise. Conversely, officials in Garden City will need to address the transition for affected workers and local suppliers.

Policy implications are practical and local. Economic development officials in Texas County can view the transfer as an opportunity to press for infrastructure and workforce investments that lock in longer-term operations, such as targeted training in animal nutrition manufacturing and incentives for transportation improvements. State-level trade and agricultural policy that affects feed ingredient prices, export demand, and cattle feeding economics will continue to shape where companies consolidate operations.

What comes next: residents should watch for formal hiring notices from Cargill at the Guymon facility and for outreach from county workforce offices. For Texas County, the immediate outlook is cautious optimism—a potential uptick in industrial activity tied to the Guymon plant, tempered by the need for local coordination to turn that capacity into stable jobs and expanded economic benefit over the long run.