Smithfield Packing Company was founded in 1936 by Joseph W. Luter and his son Joseph W. Luter, Jr. in the Town of Smithfield along a tributary of the James River in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, USA to produce Smithfield hams. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Smithfield is a town located in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. ... The James River at Cartersville The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is 547. ... Location in the state of Virginia Formed 1634 Seat Isle of Wight Area  - Total  - Water 940 km² (363 mi²) 121 km² (47 mi²) 12. ... Smithfield ham is a variety of cured ham from the United States, associated with Smithfield, Virginia. ...

Growth

In 1962, with Smithfield already on its way to becoming the "Ham Capital of the World", Joseph W. Luter III became the company's leader. Expanding the plant's facilities and product line became the key to a growth cycle that promoted Smithfield Packing Company from a family business into a large, investor-owned and publicly-traded company. Today the company has become a worldwide marketer of pork products, the largest subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, a Fortune 500 company, and one of America's largest meat companies. It also owns the largest slaughterhouse in the world, located at Tar Heel, North Carolina and built in 1992 Two halves of a pig being delivered Pork is the meat taken from pigs. ... The Fortune 500 is a ranking of the top 500 United States corporations as measured by gross revenue. ... Workers and cattle in a slaughterhouse. ... Tar Heel is a town located in Bladen County, North Carolina. ...

Key acquisitions

• 1998 North Side Foods, a leading supplier of sausage meat to McDonald's
• 2000 Hog supplier Murphy Farms
• 2001 Packerland Holdings,the US's #5 beef packer
• 2001 Moyer, the #9 beef packer in US
• 2003 Farmland Foods, a hog farming cooperative
• 2004 UK food companies Norwich Food Co Ltd and Ridpath Pek
• 2004 Polish meat packeructs division of Sara Lee
• 2006 Certain brands of ConAgra, including Butterball turkeys and Rath ham and bacon

Smithfield has also announced it will buy Standard Farms, the #2 hog producer and #6 pork packing company in the US McDonalds in Times Square, New York McDonalds Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is the worlds largest chain of fast-food restaurants, selling primarily variations on meals consisting of hamburgers, french fries and carbonated drinks. ... Sara Lee Corporation (NYSE: SLE) is an American consumer-goods company based in Illinois. ... ConAgra Foods, Inc. ... Butterball is a brand of turkey and other poultry products produced by ConAgra Foods, Inc. ...

Pollution, labor problems

Smithfield Foods Inc. has the distinction of having been assessed the United States' highest water quality violation fine of $12.6 million dollars.

In 1997, the company's previously non-unionized workers in Tar Heel, North Carolina held labor union elections. Smithfield Foods operates with its own armed police force with authority to arrest and detain workers on its property. The company police force armed and with riot gear surrounded the plant on election day. After the vote, some union supporters were physically assaulted and falsely arrested by the Bladen County, North Carolina Sheriff's Deputies. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found Smithfield guilty of "egregious violations of federal labor law." The Administrative Law Judge found that Smithfield engaged in repeated labor law violations. However, the NLRB lacks the authority to impose fines on companies that violate labor laws. Assaulted workers are still awaiting backpay determinations from the NLRB Administrative Law Judge. Tar Heel is a town located in Bladen County, North Carolina. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Bladen County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ... The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the United States Government charged with conducting elections for union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. ...

External links

• Smithfield Packing Company corporate website