Tyson Foods will be closing one of its plants across from the Huffman Center by May 31, 2026. The plant serves as a prepared-food plant, making Nature Valley Granola Bars. The plant has been on Darlington Drive since 1972, opening under the Coosa Baking Company. Its purposes and ownership have changed over the last 5 decades, falling under large-scale companies such as Sara Lee, and producing products like cookies, pies, macaroons and wafers. The transfer to making granola bars was made in the early 2000s. Tyson Inc. purchased the plant in 2014 as part of its 8.5 billion dollar purchase of Hillshire Farms, in order to produce a wider range of goods. The factory closure will lay off approximately 168 workers. The company operates under a single customer system, serving only one company.

Tyson has been closing numerous factories across the country, hitting many small towns very hard. Lexington, Nebraska, is facing a significant unemployment crisis after Tyson closed a factory in the town, firing 3,200 workers, in a town of only 11,000. The impact of the factory closure in Rome will not have nearly the same effect, but it will still affect numerous families negatively. 

The reason for many of these closures is cited as due to downsizing to “right-size” operations, and financial strains due to a shortage of cattle.

The factory is well-known among the community because of its strong, sweet aroma that can be smelt across campus. Students often refer to the scent as the cookie smell, dating back to when the plant still produced cookies.

Tyson Inc. promised to assist laid-off workers in finding new jobs, both within and outside the company. For the hardest hit areas, state and national government will become involved in order to expedite the job-finding process for newly unemployed workers. Before the final day of work, Tyson hosts a Rapid Response day, a career finding workshop helping their employees work on their resumes, job-searching, and counseling. Federal grants are even given to aid the process.

The community has rallied around the families in Rome affected by job loss due to the factory closure, with Dr. Miniyar Pediatrics offering free checkups and other medical needs.