ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — According to a report from The Associated Press, the Petit Jean Poultry Inc. chicken-deboning plant in Arkadelphia will close April 1, as the result of the company losing a contract with Tyson Foods. Ronnie Farham, plant manager, said efforts to find another company to fill in the production void weren't successful and that 385 jobs would be lost.

The plant has a total payroll of more than $3.5 million annually. Over the years, employment at the plant had dropped, Farham said. At one time it employed more than 700 people, but that number was reduced by an increase in automated equipment.