‘Once-in-a-generation’ announcement to include details about Smithfield’s Sioux Falls pork facility

A major announcement Monday by Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Gov. Larry Rhoden is expected to include details about Smithfield Foods, The Dakota Scout has confirmed.

Monday’s announcement at the Canopy by Hilton is being billed by the city as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

“People across the country will be paying attention to this defining moment in Sioux Falls and South Dakota,” the city said in a press release Friday.

Smithfield employs more than 3,100 people and is the fourth largest employer in the city behind Sanford Health, Avera Health and the Sioux Falls School District. The company has owned the pork processing facility since its purchase from the John Morrell & Co. in 1995. The original Morrell plant opened in 1909.

Smithfield sits on approximately 80 acres near Falls Park. In December, the city unveiled a proposed master plan for Falls Park that would make improvements and changes at the park over the course of the next three decades.

The presentation included the acquisition of more land next to Smithfield for an urban fishery. But Smithfield itself remained on the presentation slides.

“It takes decades for these sort of large grand visions to be established,” Mike Patten, the Parks Department planning and projects manager told the City Council. He noted that the current features at Falls Park were planned back in the 1990s.

Smithfield made news in January with its purchase of Nathan’s Famous, which makes all-beef hotdogs. Smithfield, based in Virginia, is a subsidiary of the world’s largest pork producer. Smithfield had held the exclusive license to manufacture, distribute and market Nathan’s Famous hotdogs, sausages, and corned beef in the United States and Canada.

Smithfield paid $450 million for all issued and outstanding shares of Nathan’s.

“The Nathan’s Famous acquisition is a meaningful step in the progression of Smithfield Foods allowing us to own all of the top brands in our packaged meats portfolio and unlock new growth opportunities for our largest segment,” said Smithfield President and CEO Shane Smith. “Since entering into our licensing agreement in 2014, we have made significant investments to build and grow the Nathan’s Famous brand. With our manufacturing scale, marketing strength, product innovation capabilities, and retail and foodservice channel expertise, acquiring Nathan’s Famous will allow us to take the brand to new heights.”

According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the Sioux Falls plant has been a historical manufacturer of Nathan’s hotdogs.

Besides its pork processing plant, Smithfield also owns nine farms in South Dakota, the company reported in its most recent annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company also warned in the report that proposed regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency could require investments into wastewater treatment systems at plants including Sioux Falls. The EPA was considering more stringent Effluent Limitrations Guidelines for meat processing facilities.

“Significant upgrades related to our direct and indirect wastewater discharge streams, including to treatment systems at our Sioux City and Denison, Iowa, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Tar Heel, North Carolina centers, would be required to meet the standards as proposed, which we estimate would require material capital expenditures in the aggregate,” the company wrote in its annual report.

TenHaken and Rhoden will be joined by state and local business leaders.

This story was originally published on

TheDakotaScout.com.