LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) -- Butterball LLC plans to lay off more than 200 workers at its Longmont turkey plant and nearby turkey farms because of high feed costs related to ethanol demand.
The layoffs, announced Tuesday, include 143 people who work at the plant and 66 who raise turkeys. The cuts will begin on Aug. 25 and take about three weeks to complete.
Butterball says feed costs are soaring because ethanol production is driving up the price of corn. The company says spring flooding in the Midwest is also pushing up corn prices.
Butterball employs about 800 people in the Longmont area. The company is owned by Smithfield Foods Inc. of Smithfield, Va.
