Missouri Prime Beef will close the Pleasant Hope facility in April. This will impact 335 workers. At issue was the treatment of effluent to be discharged into the Pomme de Terre River. The Department of Natural Resources for the state of Missouri denied the company a water discharge petition. The application elicited over 1,000 negative comments from citizens of the state. Missouri 
Prime had a capacity of 750 head of cattle per day and was acquired in 2023 by SDX Beef Company based in Texas. According to press reports the new owners are now reviewing alternative treatment solutions to allow the plant to reopen and restore production and jobs.