Monett Milk Plant to Close

(AP) – A milk processing plant in Monett will close later this year, costing 86 people their jobs.Officials with the Dairy Farmers of America notified employees on Tuesday that the plant would close in September because it is losing money.Larry Purdom, a member of the DFA Board of Directors, says the high cost of corn has made it difficult for dairy farmers to produce enough milk to run the plant at full volume.The Monett Times reports DFA will offer employees transfers to other company facilities within a 70-mile radius and will hold a job fair for the employees.The Kansas City-based cooperative processes milk and cheese and sells it to wholesale buyers and through its store.