There is a new hog processing plant going up in Sioux City, Iowa that makes for good news, not only for hog producers in that area of the United States, but maybe for hog producers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, especially when the U.S. government does the right thing on resolving M-COOL.
Seaboard  Foods  and  Triumph  Foods will build a  new  pork  processing  facility  in Sioux  City starting this summer with completion targeted for  July  2017.
The  plant will  process about three million market hogs annually operating a single shift and employ approximately 1,100 persons, including about 200 salaried positions and 900 hourly production positions. The new company is building the plant north of the Sioux Gateway  Airport  along  the  Missouri River.
When contacting a company spokesman to request an interview, David Eaheart, APR Director of Communications and Marketing gave this response as to whether this new plant would take hogs from Canada.
“As of now, the plan is to follow a similar model to the other two plants which is integrated pork production. Right now all of our pork is born, raised and slaughtered in the United States,” said Eaheart. “For the new plant, Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods farms will supply the hogs with possible opportunities for other pig farmers to align with our genetic, feed, and animal care practices under contract as part of the integrated food system.”
Nevertheless, having another plant 800 km from the North Dakota / Manitoba border is good news for hog producers.
As one hog producers says, giving Maple Leaf Foods some competition, even perceived competition is a good thing.
The company expects to produce a full line of fresh pork products for international, retail, food service, and further  processing markets. Seaboard Foods will market and sell the pork produced by the plant. Currently, the company markets and sells fresh pork processed by Triumph Foods’ in St. Joseph, Mo., and Seaboard Foods’ Guymon, Okla., plants to domestic markets under the Prairie Fresh® Premium Pork brand and international markets under the Seaboard Farms® and St. Joe Pork® brands.
“Today’s announcement marks another step in strengthening our business partnership and position as a leading integrated food system providing customers domestically and throughout the world with premium pork focused on the highest standards for food safety and pork quality consistency,” says Terry Holton, Seaboard Foods president and CEO.
“We look forward to the new opportunities the plant will bring to our customers as well as the Sioux City region.”
Mark Campbell, Triumph Foods CEO, says when they started inquiring about expanding their business, they recognized the strong commitment and willingness to welcome Triumph  Foods and Seaboard Foods to the city.

“Local leaders have built a business environment poised to bring growth to the region. We look forward to the new pork processing facility being part of that growth, and its staff being actively involved in the Sioux City community.”
Triumph Foods is owned exclusively by pork producers and Seaboard Foods is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seaboard Corporation.  Triumph Foods and Seaboard Foods are integrated food companies, with farm operations and pork processing, controlling the entire process every step of the way from before the farm to the plate. Together, Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods have aligned their farm operations and pork processing, including  genetics, pig nutrition, animal care, food safety and product quality, to ensure consistent, wholesome premium pork products to its  customers. If taken as a single combined entity, they would comprise the second largest hog producer, a top five U.S. pork processor, and a leading exporter of  U.S. pork.
In addition to the new  plant, Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods own  Daily’s® Premium Meats that has bacon processing plants in  Salt Lake City and Missoula, Mont., and a third plant under construction in St. Joseph, Mo.
Daily’s markets and sells a variety of processed pork items from signature honey cured bacon to applewood smoked bacon to naturally smoked hams to breakfast sausages. The new pork processing plant will supply raw materials for  Daily’s operations in addition to the Guymon and St. Joseph plants.  •
— By Harry Siemens