IARN — One of the largest pork processing facilities in the United States shuttered its doors. The recent move adds to a long list of challenges U.S. pork producers currently face.
Smithfield Foods on Sunday announced plans to close its Sioux Falls, South Dakota plant. The plant, which represents four- to five-percent of U.S. pork production, will remain closed until further notice.
The “sudden” action shocked Marv Vandentop. Vandentop, who farms near Boyden, Iowa, use to deliver hogs there.
“That’s where I take hogs to be harvested,” Vandentop said. “The plant had been running slower the past couple of weeks because of sickness on the line, with employees. Hogs got backed up and (they) couldn’t stay on schedule. Some that were scheduled a couple weeks ago were pushed back and now we have this.”
Vandentop says he does not know where to go from here, as other processing facilities struggle to operate at full capacity.
“All other plants are full. Some plants, of course, have sickness issues. They’re down on their head per day. We are still putting them on nutritious feed, but it’s slowing down so they don’t gain weight. (I’ll) hang on to them for now, and see what happens in the next week or two,” Vandentop said.
Vandentop cannot recall a similar moment in his 35-year career.
“In 35 years of farming, I’ve never seen anything like this. I thought ’98 was bad, but that’s stacking up to be nothing compared to what this is,” Vandentop said.
Recent plant closures put pork producers in a bind. Vandentop says farmers will need to make hard decisions moving forward.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
