ST. PAUL, Minn. – Following months of drought across the country that have left cattle herds smaller than they've been in decades, Dakota Premium Foods has closed its plant in South St. Paul, according to news reports. The facility employed approximately 300 people.

American Foods Group of Green Bay, Wis., parent company of DPF, hasn’t specified how long the plant might be idled. One union official said he's unsure the plant will ever reopen, according to a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal report.


DPF’s plant in Long Prairie, Minn., could accept up to 75 of the plant's workers, reports stated.