The Bush Hog manufacturing plant in nearby Washington County will close by mid-July unless the plant is sold before then, the company has informed local officials.

Nearly 150 workers, a number of them Greene County residents, would lose their jobs in such a closing of the six-year-old plant, which is not far from Jonesborough next to U.S. 11E six miles from the Greene County line.

Word of the potential closing came through the company as part of the 1988 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires companies to inform local governments of pending mass layoffs.

The 360,000-square-foot Bush Hog plant manufactures rotary cutters, finishing mowers, zero-turn mowers, front-end loaders and backhoes.

Duane Prentice, Bush Hog's president, recently said, "Bush Hog is currently in negotiations with several potential buyers for the sale of all parts of Bush Hog LLC (and) is also in negotiations with several entities regarding the sale and/or leasing of the company's facility located at 101 Bush Hog Blvd., Telford."

Alan Bridwell, director of marketing for the Johnson City-Washington County Economic Development, said in an interview this morning that what happens next depends on whether Bush Hog sells the plant to another manufacturer, or closes.

In the latter case, Bridwell said, Washington County officials "will redouble our efforts" to find a company that can make good use of "a very attractive site."

Bush Hog's headquarters are in Selma, Ala. The company has three manufacturing plants in Alabama and another in Great Bend, Kan.

Bush Hog is owned by CC Industries Inc., of Chicago, a corporation which, in turn, is owned by Henry Crown & Co., also of Chicago.

The $27 million Bush Hog factory suspended operations during January as a result of slow sales nationally of Bush Hog agricultural and mowing equipment. The plant resumed operations in early February.

However, Bush Hog's president announced in January that the company could be sold.