KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Farmland Industries is celebrating 50 years as a pork co-operative. Fifty years ago, Farmland Industries, owned by 1,700 co-ops representing more than 600,000 agricultural producers, began its foray into the pork business with the purchase of a struggling plant in Denison, Iowa and the launch of the “Farmbest” label.
Farmland Foods, a subsidiary of the co-op, was officially launched in 1970, and began producing ham, sausage and bacon marketed under the Farmbest, Country Manor and Farm-King labels. By 1989, Farmland was the nation’s tenth largest pork producer. In 2003, Farmland Foods was purchased by Smithfield Foods. Since then, Farmland Foods has strengthened its brand and commitment to the production of pork products. Farmland Foods currently is a leading global supplier of premium farm raised pork, reaching n South America, Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
The company will celebrate its anniversary with a special event at the corporate headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri on October 16, 2009.