Cargill To Cut Jobs

Agribusiness giant Cargill has announced plans to cut as many as 2,000 jobs worldwide and the company blames the economy.

The company, which employes about 138,000 people worldwide, informed employees Friday it plans to reduce its global workforce by about 1.5 percent over the next six months.

It is not yet known how many jobs might be lost in Kansas. Company officials have not returned phone calls seeking specific information.

Cargill employs nearly 4,000 people statewide, including about 1,100 in Wichita. A majority of Cargill’s Kansas employees work at a Cargill Meat Solutions beef processing plant in Dodge City and at the division’s corporate headquarters in downtown Wichita. Cargill also operates flour milling and soybean oil processing facilities in Wichita as well as grain elevators in Salina and Topeka.

In a company press release, Corporate Vice President of Cargill Corporate Affairs Mike Fernandez said the job reductions are in response to the continued weak global economy and were part of an effort to reduce expenses.