National Beef was formed in 1992 when Farmland Industries purchased a Dodge City, Kansas slaughterhouse.

[2][3] A year later, it purchased a location in Liberal, Kansas and named it Farmland National Beef LLC.

[5] In 2001, National Beef began consumer-ready production at plants in Hummels Wharf, Pennsylvania and Moultrie, Georgia.

National Beef stated the purchase would allow them to create new relationships with producers and expand their presence in the western U.S.[7] The Brawley plant was eventually closed in 2014.

[9] Five years later, National Beef announced plans to expand handling and shipping capacities to its Dodge City and Liberal, Kansas facilities.

[18] National Beef maintains international offices in Chicago, Illinois; Tokyo; Seoul; and Hong Kong.

[4] Pre-trimmed product is sourced from beef processing facilities in Liberal and Dodge City, Kansas and then shipped to consumer ready facilities in Hummels Wharf, Pennsylvania and Moultrie, Georgia where overwrap and vacuum-sealed packaging are used on a variety of cuts for retail channels.

From this facility in St. Joseph, Missouri, National Beef provides processed hides to finished leather processors worldwide for use in the automotive, luxury goods, apparel and furniture industries.

[28] In 2021 a Senate investigation found that 2,470 employees at National Beef become infected with COVID-19, 6 employees had died, and alleged that National Beef had conspired with other meatpacking companies to manufacture a false "protein supply crisis" to avoid extra safety measures.

[32] The lawsuit alleges that National Beef used cartel like tactics in coordination with JBS USA, Tyson Foods, and Cargill.

[34] In 2024, McDonald's Corporation sued JBS, National Beef, Cargill, and Tyson, along with their subsidiaries, for alleged price fixing.