Congressman Cory Gardner to visit Cargill Fort Morgan beef plant

FORT MORGAN, Colo., Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. House of Representatives member Cory Gardner, who represents Colorado's 4th congressional district, and is a resident and native of Yuma, Colo., will meet with Cargill executives, Fort Morgan city officials, Morgan Community College and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services representatives at Cargill's Fort Morgan beef processing facility to tour the plant's adult education classrooms and discuss continuing adult education initiatives, 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012 (see plant location information below).  Congressman Gardner will also present a U.S. flag to plant general manager Nicole Johnson-Hoffman at a 9:15 a.m. flag-raising ceremony.  Media are welcome to attend.

The Cargill beef processing facility employs 2,000 people, with representation from nearly 20 nations.  Ninety percent of the employee population working at Cargill's Fort Morgan facility fall into minority categories, some of them refugees relocated to the U.S. with support from the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies.  Fort Morgan's 2010 census bureau population was 11,315. 

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services works with federal agencies to help settle newcomers to America, and Morgan Community College and the City of Fort Morgan have collaborated with Cargill to help them assimilate.  Cargill makes available to all Fort Morgan employees, and their families, continuing education opportunities such as courses in English as a second language, U.S. citizenship and earning a GED, as examples.  

Established in 1966, and purchased by Cargill in 1987, the Fort Morgan facility is one of 10 Cargill beef processing plants in North America.  The plant has the capacity to process 1.2 million head of cattle annually – equating to approximately 600 million pounds of beef -- the majority of cattle coming from within 150 miles of the facility.  Beef and by-products produced at Fort Morgan are sold through the U.S. and exported to numerous foreign countries, including Japan, South Korea, Russia, Egypt, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines.  Seventy-five percent of the cattle harvested at Fort Morgan are for beef that goes into branded beef products and programs, while 20% of the cattle processed there are done so using renewable energy.

An employee staffed Cargill Cares Council manages local charitable donations and volunteerism, which is part of the company's long-standing cultural philosophy for investing in communities where it has a presence.

Congressman Gardner currently serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and has three subcommittee assignments for Energy and Power; Environment and Economy and Oversight and Investigations.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 140,000 people in 65 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit Cargill.com and its news center.

Plant location:
Cargill Beef
1505 East Burlington Avenue
Fort Morgan, CO  80701
970-867-8223

SOURCE Cargill