Smithfield Hog Production Division, formerly Premium Standard Farms, Inc. (PSF), is a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc. Premium Standard Farms was the second-largest pork producer and the sixth-largest processor in the United States until Smithfield Foods acquired it in 2007. In 2013, the company was acquired by Shuanghui International, China’s largest pork producer.

History

PSF was founded in 1988 in

Smithfield, Virginia Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, United States. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census. The town is most famous for the curing and production of ...

, with the aim of creating a standardized method to produce premium

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

. To accomplish this goal, the

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

decided to pursue full

vertical integration In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration, also referred to as vertical consolidation, is an arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each ...

—a first for pork producers in the United States. In 2007, Smithfield acquired Premium Standard Farms for $800 million in cash, stock, and debt.

Locations

Smithfield Hog Production is headquartered in Princeton, Missouri and owns a pork processing plant located in Milan, Missouri. At one time, the company operated 132 company-owned farms and 109 contract farms in the state of Missouri, in addition to a leased farm and eight feed mills. In July 2021, the company closed its original slaughter plant in Smithfield, Virginia. In February 2023, Smithfield Foods closed its meatpacking plant in

Vernon, California Vernon is a city south of downtown Los Angeles, California, the nearest separate city to downtown Los Angeles. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States census, the least of any incorporated city in the state. Its population nearly doub ...

. In May 2023, the company closed 37 sow farms in Missouri. In October 2023 the company shut down a pork plant in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. In December 2023 Smithfield ended contracts with 26 hog farms in Utah citing oversupply.

Methane harvesting

Valley View Farm, near Green Castle, Missouri, is a finishing site that houses more than 100,000 hogs at any given time. Half of the site's waste lagoons are covered to allow the harvesting of methane gas. Smithfield also has farms that engage in methane harvesting in

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of Lazarus (name), L ...

and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. Smithfield built a connection from its farms in northern Missouri to the pipeline that supplies natural gas to

Milan, Missouri Milan ( ) is a city in Sullivan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,819 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sullivan County. Geography Milan is located at the intersection of Missouri routes 5 and 6. Locust Cr ...

. Fuel produced by Smithfield is mixed directly into Milan's gas supply. This project took 18 months. Smithfield has formed a partnership with Roeslein Alternative Energy and Monarch Bioenergy, to help produce

biogas Biogas is a gaseous renewable energy source produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste, Wastewater treatment, wastewater, and food waste. Biogas is produced by anaerobic ...

. In early 2020, Smithfield and Roesleing Alternative Energy announced an additional $45 million investment in Monarch. This money will be used to expand Monarch's renewable natural gas capture and distribution to at least 85% of Smithfield's Missouri farms. Smithfield's gas harvesting efforts are part of its stated goal of reducing its greenhouse gas footprint by 25%. This is using the company's 2010 emissions as the base for calculation.

Litigation

In 2010, a

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (af ...

, jury awarded seven neighboring farmers $11 million in damages for odors emanating from a 4,300 acre finishing farm near Berlin in

Gentry County, Missouri Gentry County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,162. Its county seat is Albany. The county was organized February 14, 1841 and named for General Richar ...

where an estimated 200,000 hogs are processed annually. In 2006, six plaintiffs were awarded $4.6 million from the lawsuit (the largest in a hog farm odor issue), originally filed in 1999.Hog farm operators ordered to pay $11M for odor - St. Louis Bizjournal - March 5, 2010
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References

{{Reflist

External links

Archived official website of Premium Standard Farms
Agriculture companies of the United States Companies based in Missouri Food manufacturers of the United States Meat companies of the United States Smithfield Foods brands Food and drink companies established in 1988 1988 establishments in Missouri 2005 initial public offerings 2007 mergers and acquisitions 2013 mergers and acquisitions American subsidiaries of foreign companies