date:Apr 10, 2013
cattle supplies andraising production costs.
In February, Cargill idled a beef plant in Plainview, Texas,as the U.S. cattle herd fell to its lowest level in 61 years.Some of the plant's 2,000 employees were laid off.
Cargill took a one-time financial charge from the closure,but does not expect it to have a material adverse impact on2013 performance, Clemens said.The company reported net earnings of $445 million for thefiscal 2013 third quarter ended Feb. 28, compared with a record$766 million