Process Improvement Engineer

Smithfield and Pabst Blue Ribbon kick off grilling season with a bold new Beer Brat. Apr. 7, 2026 at 10:08 am The new Beer Brat leads a lineup of three bold flavors, including Jalapeño & Cheddar and Chipotle & Cheddar, made for easy, flavor-packed summer grilling. SMITHFIELD, Va., April 7, 2026 - Smithfield is turning up the heat on summer grilling with the launch of its new bratwurst lineup, featuring three bold, flavor-packed varieties, including a limited-time Smithfield and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Brat, a Jalapeño & Cheddar brat, and a Chipotle & Cheddar brat. Designed for effortless summer entertaining, each brat is made with premium pork and crafted to deliver big, satisfying flavor. Served straight from the grill, tucked into a toasted bun, or shared at a backyard get-together, each brat rises to the occasion. The Smithfield and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Brat brings a nostalgic, all-American twist to the grill, pairing premium pork infused with the smooth taste of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer for a juicy bite with a satisfying snap - perfect alongside potato salad, corn on the cob, and an ice-cold can. The Jalapeño & Cheddar Brat strikes a craveable balance of heat and creaminess, while the Chipotle & Cheddar Brat layers smoky warmth with rich, cheesy flavor. "As the weather gets warmer, we know consumers are planning to gather over great food, and bold flavors are a must," said Marianne Radley, managing director of marketing for Smithfield Foods. "This new bratwurst lineup, including the innovative Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Brat, delivers premium, crave-worthy options that are easy to prepare and made for sharing, bringing bold, grill-ready flavor and good times to every backyard get-together." Conveniently packaged for easy preparation at home or on the go, all varieties are ideal for grilling, pan-searing, or simmering in beer for extra flavor. Each brat has a home at backyard barbecues, tailgates, and casual summer meals. "Beer and brats have always belonged together. We just teamed up with Smithfield to do it right with a seriously good brat," said Kat Mata, Director of Culture Marketing. "It's an easy win for anyone who believes grilling should come with a cold beer." Backyard enthusiasts can enter the Ultimate Backyard Bratluck Sweepstakes for a chance to win a complete backyard party kit, including a RTIC 72qt Cooler, a Weber Genesis Grill, a Solo Stove Yukon fire pit, a custom cornhole set, and more prizes totaling $4,365. From May 7 through July 6, fans can enter by visiting Smithfield online. For more information, recipes, and meal inspiration, follow @smithfieldbrand on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Smithfield's new bratwursts are available now at Publix, Walmart, and Kroger stores nationwide. Media Contact About Smithfield Smithfield(R) isn't only a leading provider of high-quality pork products. We're also a leading provider of the most important part of any meal: premium, high-quality meat. And we take our meat duties seriously. After all, the rest of the meal is just a side dish. Smithfield products were first introduced in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, by people who lived for the love of meat. Today, the Smithfield brand stands for craftsmanship, authenticity, and pure passion as we continue to give meat lovers across the country the deliciousness they crave: our classic bacon, slow-smoked holiday hams, hand-trimmed ribs, marinated fresh pork, smoked meats, and even more meaty magic. All Smithfield products not only meet our customers' high flavor standards but also meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry, all while being produced right here in the USA. To learn more about the Smithfield portfolio of products, please visit the website and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly known as Twitter). Smithfield(R) is a brand of Smithfield Foods, Inc. About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods (Nasdaq: SFD) is an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork products. With a diverse brand portfolio and strong relationships with U.S. farmers and customers, we responsibly meet demand for quality protein around the world. About Pabst Blue Ribbon Since its founding in 1844, Pabst Blue Ribbon, the original American lager beer, has been connecting with local communities across America. Pabst Blue Ribbon engages and supports individuals who are passionate about forging their own path in life, and will continue to empower new generations who believe in the future of America. Pabst Blue Ribbon is owned by Pabst Brewing Company. American-owned and operated since its founding in Milwaukee in 1844, Pabst is one of America's largest privately held brewing companies. Unlock the articles, expert interviews, and data reports that power the beer and beyond industry. Join our community and stay ahead with exclusive insights from Brewbound.

Smithfield's $1.3B Sioux Falls facility: strategic commodity play or profitability driver? Smithfield's growth fueled by commodity momentum. Smithfield is accelerating its expansion plans, powered by favorable commodity trends. The company's financial results for fiscal 2025 highlight a strong profit performance, with operating income reaching a record $1.3 billion and an adjusted operating margin of 8.6%. This marks the fourth year in a row that Smithfield's packaged meats division has surpassed $1 billion in operating profit. The company's ability to balance increasing input costs with steady demand has been key to this sustained success. Industry-wide, this balance is evident. According to USDA projections, U.S. commercial pork output is expected to hit 28.3 billion pounds in 2026, a 2.5% rise from 2025. Despite this growth in supply, average hog prices are forecasted to climb to $70 per cwt in 2026, up 2.1% year-over-year, reflecting strong demand from processors. Smithfield's business model allows it to manage rising hog prices by passing costs onto consumers through higher pork prices, while maintaining enough demand to support increased volumes. The company's integrated operations and broad product range help it navigate cost challenges, turning potential obstacles into opportunities for margin stability. This equilibrium in commodity pricing is providing Smithfield with the financial resources to invest in its next phase of growth. Expansion strategy: boosting efficiency amid commodity fluctuations. Smithfield is committing $1.3 billion to construct a new, highly automated plant in Sioux Falls, replacing an aging facility. Production is slated to begin in late 2028, with the new site expected to deliver substantial efficiency improvements. This investment is a calculated effort to counteract rising input costs through advanced technology, aiming to safeguard future profitability in a cost-sensitive market. The timing of this project is significant. While Smithfield's strong profits provide the capital, the broader industry is feeling the squeeze from escalating hog prices. In February 2026, processor margins narrowed each week, signaling tighter profitability. Spot hog prices also shifted to a premium, indicating that processors are paying more to secure supply. Smithfield's investment in automation is designed to lower per-unit processing costs and buffer against this volatility once the new facility is operational. This approach is consistent with Smithfield's long-standing strategy of vertical integration. By controlling more of its supply chain, the company has historically managed supply security and input cost swings. The new plant extends this control further into processing, enhancing operational resilience and efficiency. This mirrors the strategy behind Smithfield's $4.7 billion deal with Shuanghui, where supply reliability and quality were critical. In essence, Smithfield is leveraging its current commodity-driven earnings to build a more resilient future. The expectation is that automation will eventually deliver cost savings that outweigh the initial investment, providing a cushion against future price spikes and turning today's cost challenges into a strategic advantage. Demand drivers and export momentum. Smithfield's expansion is not just about managing costs - it's also underpinned by robust demand, both domestically and internationally. Recent data shows that export markets and U.S. consumption are both on the rise, supporting the company's growth plans. U.S. pork exports play a pivotal role in this demand picture. The USDA anticipates 2026 pork exports will reach 7.2 billion pounds, up 3.1% from the previous year. Early 2026 figures already show a 3% year-over-year increase in January exports, with Mexico and several Asian markets leading the way. This export growth helps absorb increased domestic production, maintaining market balance and supporting processor margins. On the home front, demand remains solid. The USDA projects first-quarter 2026 pork production at 7 billion pounds, slightly higher than the previous year. Per capita pork consumption is also expected to rise by 1.84% in 2026, indicating that Americans are eating more pork, partly due to higher beef prices prompting consumers to seek alternatives. Smithfield is capitalizing on this demand by expanding its portfolio of branded, higher-margin products. The company's recent $450 million acquisition of Nathan's Famous packaged meats is a strategic move to capture more value from the packaged goods sector. By focusing on branded and convenience-oriented products, Smithfield aims to enhance its margins and reduce reliance on volatile commodity pricing. In summary, strong demand - both at home and abroad - is providing a solid foundation for Smithfield's expansion. The company's integrated operations and push into branded products position it to benefit from market growth, making its expansion not just a defensive move, but a proactive strategy for long-term success. Key factors, risks, and what lies ahead. The outcome of Smithfield's $1.3 billion investment will depend on several critical factors. The most important is the health of processor margins, which could shrink if input costs rise faster than pork prices. The weekly decline in processor spreads observed in February 2026 is a warning sign, highlighting the need for Smithfield's new plant to deliver on its promise of greater efficiency. There is also execution risk. The ambitious timeline - targeting production by late 2028 - means any delays could postpone the anticipated cost relief. With up to $1.3 billion committed over three years, timely completion is essential. Smithfield's track record of streamlining operations, such as closing its Massachusetts dry sausage plant, suggests it has the discipline to manage large projects, but the market's patience for delays is limited. On the demand side, continued export growth is crucial, especially in key markets like Mexico and Asia. The early momentum in 2026 must be sustained to absorb the increased output from the new facility. Domestically, rising pork production and per capita consumption provide a stable base, but Smithfield's recent entry into beef through the Nathan's Famous acquisition introduces new risks tied to the cattle market's volatility. Ultimately, Smithfield's future hinges on timing and resilience. The company is betting that its new plant will deliver cost savings just as hog prices are expected to peak. Its integrated structure offers a competitive edge, but the real test will be in quarterly margin trends, the on-schedule completion of the Sioux Falls plant, and the durability of export demand. These indicators will reveal whether Smithfield can maintain its commodity balance or face new challenges ahead. Disclaimer: All content in this article represents the author's views only and is not related to this platform. Users should not use this article as a reference for investment decisions.

What Smithfield's move could mean for environment, economy. By Molly Wetsch, South Dakota News Watch via AP - March 17, 2026 Besides 120 acres of prime downtown real estate, Sioux Falls city leaders got something that has sometimes been elusive over the history of the Smithfield pork plant: an assurance that it's not leaving. That's also good news for hundreds of farmers in three states that supply the 20,000 hogs slaughtered each day at what is one of the oldest and largest meatpacking plants in the country. On Feb. 16, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Smithfield Foods CEO Shane Smith announced that Smithfield's pork processing facility would move out of its century-old campus just north of Falls Park to a new location in an industrial park in northwestern Sioux Falls. The downtown Sioux Falls site opened as John Morrell & Co. in 1909 and was purchased by Smithfield Foods in 1995. The plant employs about 3,200 people, which puts it third in the top Sioux Falls employers not accounting for public institutions. It's Smithfield's second-largest processing facility and the largest producer of packaged meats in the country. The new facility will be even larger, with an estimated $1.3 billion price tag on 200 acres. The move, which will be possible in part thanks to a $50 million gift from billionaire Denny Sanford, raises questions for both Sioux Falls and South Dakota residents, especially for those familiar with the company's long history and deep impact in the area. What is Smithfield's environmental impact? Not surprisingly, any operation that slaughters thousands of head of livestock every day has an impact on the environment, and the plant has had issues with air and water pollution. Residents of the area are familiar with Smithfield's signature smell, which often wafts across downtown when the wind blows the wrong way. The new plant will be markedly less smelly, Smithfield representatives said to city council, thanks to air-scrubbing technology that can be housed in a newly constructed facility. The current site sits directly on the Big Sioux River, the state's most populated river basin. More than 40% of South Dakota's population lives in the river's watershed, which stretches across an area the size of New Jersey. The new location will place it about 3 miles away from that waterway and a mile from the nearest tributary, which is Willow Creek. Smithfield uses an estimated 3 million gallons of water a day, according to Friends of the Big Sioux River. Under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act, the company must acquire permits for its wastewater discharges and emissions from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Smithfield has run into compliance issues for those permits in the past. In 2018, DANR fined Smithfield $55,382 for violations of its discharge permit stemming from a wastewater treatment failure. In 2011, the company was fined $44,000 for numerous permit violations, including for ammonia release violations. At one point in time, it ranked first in the nation for total releases in the food industry. But the company has reported vast improvements in its adherence to environmental guidelines. The city of Sioux Falls plans a $90 million tax increment financing (TIF) district for the new campus, which Smithfield said would go toward funding a new wastewater treatment facility. The company previously spent $45 million on the construction of a wastewater treatment facility at the current site just three years ago. Ray Atkinson, senior director of external communications for Smithfield, told News Watch in 2024 that the new facility had resulted in a 47% decrease in nitrate discharge to the Big Sioux River. "The $45 million investment we have made in Sioux Falls is one of the largest infrastructure projects to have a direct impact on water quality in the Big Sioux River and has significantly reduced nutrient discharges and improved water quality in the Big Sioux River basin," Atkinson said at the time. Sioux Falls city councilors were briefed on the TIF district proposal by the Planning and Development Department on Feb. 17. City staff will formally bring the proposal to the city planning commission on March 4. If it passes there, it will see hearings in front of city council later in the month. On Tuesday, Minnehaha County commissioners said that the TIF was "absolutely necessary." DANR did not respond to multiple requests for comment over the past week by the time of the story's publication. Travis Entenman, executive director of Friends of the Big Sioux River, told News Watch that while the plant has historically been associated with river quality due to its high levels of wastewater discharge, the facility's move will not likely have a major impact on the river's quality. That's because of agricultural runoff at farms farther upstream, which contribute to the majority of harmful elements, Entenman said. "This won't solve all of our river issues in terms of quality. I always hammer on that there's upstream and downstream things we need to be doing to really have a large scale impact," he said. "It's just a small drop in the bucket compared to everything that's going into it." That doesn't mean that the move is unwelcome, though, Entenman said, if unexpected. When speaking to News Watch in 2024, he said that he did not think it was likely that Smithfield would move out of its downtown location. "It's something I don't think I was expecting anytime soon. The idea that now they are going to go to a completely new facility, it's just a wonderful surprise," Entenman said. Now, the dreaming can start for increased access to the river for pedestrian and recreation activities, Entenman said. Those access improvements will take time. The site will first need to be demolished and its environmental conditions assessed. Mayor TenHaken said the development process would take "several decades." What is Smithfield's statewide impact? Though Smithfield's operations in the state have shifted vastly - ranging from cattle, pork and sheep processing at its inception to its current output of more than 20,000 hogs a day - it has remained a key figure in the state's agriculture industry. The plant works with more than 500 independent farmers in the region. Emma Davis, a representative for Smithfield Foods, told News Watch in a statement that most of the livestock comes from local farmers. "The vast majority of hogs we process in Sioux Falls are from independent hog producers in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa," Davis said. There are also eight contract farms in the state, which are those that have exclusive agreements to provide hogs to Smithfield. Nationwide, the company has 250 contract farms. Pork is far from the biggest moneymaker in the state's large agricultural industry, which makes up nearly 14% of the state's GDP. That title belongs to cattle, corn and soybeans. But Davis said that the local farming and agriculture economy gets a net benefit from the facility operating in the state. "The proposed combined fresh pork and packaged meats facility will be the most modern of its kind in the United States and will support independent hog farmers, corn and soybean producers (that provide the grain we use to feed our animals) and other agricultural sectors that fuel the pork supply chain in South Dakota and the surrounding region," Davis said. The new campus' impact will largely be felt in Sioux Falls, as the 120-acre site vacates and begins the slow redevelopment process in the next few years. The downtown land will be purchased by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation using Sanford's donation and will essentially double the current downtown area, TenHaken said. Other, smaller communities might also see changes, though. The neighboring town of Crooks, which sits about 12 miles outside of Sioux Falls with a population of 1,679, will soon be next-door neighbors with Smithfield. The town's city limits sit just at the edge of the new plant, and the Crooks City Council is hosting a public meeting March 9 to discuss the move, according to the meeting agenda. What is Smithfield's economic impact? The plant has long been an economic heavy-hitter: Smithfield said the Sioux Falls facility generated $4.4 million in taxes in 2024 and pays about $200 million in wages yearly. Smithfield was notably purchased by China-based WH Group for $4.72 billion in 2014. Smithfield retains its headquarters in Virginia, and its website states that "Smithfield has not, does not, and will not import any products from China to the United States. No Smithfield products come from animals raised, processed or packaged in China." In 2020, the facility closed for about three weeks after COVID-19 broke out among employees. During that time, the company said that the plant processed 4-5% of the country's pork. It employs more than 3,200 people in Sioux Falls, making it one of the area's largest employers - just behind health care giants Sanford Health and Avera Health and the Sioux Falls School District. Smithfield plans to spend $1.3 billion to construct its new facility. The new plant will sit in Foundation Park, an industrial park that houses an Amazon distribution warehouse, FedEx and the future site of CJ Schwan Foods' production facility. TenHaken said in his speech Feb. 16 that had the company chosen to move out-of-state rather than stay in Sioux Falls, the state would likely have seen a multi-billion dollar economic loss. He cited the closure of a similarly-sized Tyson beef processing plant in Nebraska, which the University of Nebraska said cost the state $3.3 billion. "I don't want to just take for granted that it was assumed that Smithfield would stay here, because it wasn't," TenHaken said. This story was originally published by South Dakota News Watch and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.