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'Quadruple Win' Says Rhoden of Smithfield Move
The $1.3 billion investment will create a highly automated pork facility replacing a century-old plant and support 3,200 jobs and regional agricultural suppliers, Smithfield said.
- Sioux Falls leaders announced on Feb. 16, 2026, that Smithfield will relocate to Foundation Park, with construction starting in early 2027 and operations in 2028.
- City planners identified Smithfield as a constraint, prompting discussions to create the Sanford District, backed by a $50 million donation, after the $100 million Falls Park master plan was approved earlier this month.
- The company noted more than 3,200 local employees, over $200 million in annual wages, and processes over 20,000 pigs daily.
- Officials said the relocation will add higher-skilled positions and improved workflow for employees, while city leaders plan to tear down the existing Sioux Falls plant on 80 acres, with no timeline for demolition yet.
- Historically, the Sioux Falls plant endured the April 2020 Covid outbreak and the 1935 'Bloody Friday' strike, while the city installed a wastewater management facility in 2023 to cut nitrate flows nearly half.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Deal to move pork plant from downtown to northern Sioux Falls includes $50 million Sanford gift
Smithfield Foods in Sioux Falls, as seen from the city bike trail. (Photo by John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)SIOUX FALLS — Smithfield Foods plans to move its pork processing facility from downtown Sioux Falls to a new plant on the northern edge of the city that will be built by the end of 2028, according to a Monday announcement of a deal that includes a $50 million gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford to help make it happen. Sanford is …
'Quadruple win' says Rhoden of Smithfield move
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden says Smithfield's decision to move out of downtown Sioux Falls is a "quadruple win" for South Dakota. According to Smithfield CEO Shane Smith, they currently process around 20,000 hogs a day. The new facility will increase the number of hogs processed. Rhoden says that's good [...]
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