Cargill to shut down Carthage plant

Cargill, which in March bought Springfield's Willow Brook Foods and closed it six months later, announced it will shut down its Carthage shortening facility in December.

Minnesota-based Cargill met with the plant's approximately 30 employees today. The staff will be laid off in about two months, and production will transition to Cargill's Charlotte, N.C., facility, according to spokeswoman Nicole Reichert.

"We've made every effort over the last five years to make the plant profitable, but ultimately, it just hasn't been successful," Reichert said.

Laid-off workers will be offered transition and outplacement support, and Cargill will work to place qualified employees in other positions with the company, according to a news release. Cargill operates 10 other facilities in Missouri.