GUYMON, Okla. -- The Oklahoma panhandle has been home to Seaboard Foods for nearly three decades, and the company’s recent expansion at its 950,000-square-foot pork processing plant there follows up a major expansion completed at the site during the Kansas City metro-area based company’s 25th anniversary in 2021.

Seaboard Foods raises about 7.1 million market hogs annually in the five states where it has farm operations that supply both the Guymon processing plant and the company’s Sioux City, Iowa, processing plant. Seaboard Foods’ Guymon farm operations -- which includes the four-state region of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Colorado -- raises more than 5 million market hogs annually.

After the recent upgrades at the facility, Seaboard Foods will process about 5.6 million market hogs annually or about 1.6 billion pounds of pork products at its in Guymon operation.

Employing more than 3,300 workers between the processing plant and nearby hog farm operations, Seaboard Foods has with its latest expansion focused on addressing one of the meat processing industry’s most stubbornly challenging issues: employee recruitment, wellness and -- ultimately – retention.

While the latest facility expansion project focused on improving employee welfare areas and didn’t directly impact total production for the plant, Seaboard Foods also has converted existing space to open up expanded production capacity and greater flexibility in producing seasonal ground pork products, said Rick Sappington, vice president and general manager of plant operations.

Along with Seaboard Foods’ investing in its people and production capabilities at tis Guymon location, Seaboard has named Chad Groves as its next president and chief executive officer of its Pork Segment, succeeding Peter Brown, who is retiring. Groves has served as senior vice president of global sales, marketing and innovation at Seaboard Foods since July 2021, leading retail, foodservice, export, processor sales, marketing, sustainability and innovation efforts.

Seaboard Foods’ prioritizing its workforce well-being, on-trend growth in its capacity to market ground pork products and new executive leadership  for the category have earned the company The National Provisioner’s 2024 Processor of the Year recognition.

Growing demand for pork grinds

The Guymon facility’s retooling for ground pork production is ramping up as consumers are increasingly finding value in that product category.

The expanded capacity and flexibility for producing ground pork products at the Guymon plant meshes with Seaboard’ Foods’ move to meet growing consumer demand for pork grinds, allowing Seaboard Foods to expand its production and offer retail ground pork items for the Prairie Fresh and Daily’s brands.  Before the upgrade in the ground pork room, only larger foodservice and some export ground pork items had been produced, Sappington said. The new expansion will allow Seaboard Foods to offer 1-pound retail ground pork and sausage chubs.

According to Seaboard Foods’ market research in conjunction with Circana, ground pork, and sausage chub dollars have grown about 30% in the past four years, with 57% of consumers saying they either “love” or “like” ground pork products.

The ground pork room will produce (beginning later this year) Prairie Fresh Natural Ground Pork, Prairie Fresh Signature Nashville Style Hot sausage, and Italian Style Mild sausage, as well as Daily’s Original Recipe and Vermont Style Maple breakfast sausages.

Automation at the Guymon plant has improved overall efficiency and allows Seaboard Foods to produce more consistent products and cuts, while improving yields because of the consistent cuts for products including ribs, Sappington said.

Centering the employee experience

Seaboard Foods’ expansion included about 30,000 square feet in its employee welfare areas. The goal for the expansion effort was to provide a more comfortable and vibrant area for Seaboard Foods’ employees, including new locker rooms, employee cafeteria dining space, restrooms, training rooms, nurse care offices, and administrative offices.    

 “The whole design helped us become stronger,” said Jennie Watkins, director of human resources plant operations at Seaboard Foods' Guymon plant.

The expansion includes an additional 200 parking spaces, Watkins said, and the employee break area and cafeteria features a more open floor plan with an expanded dining area that seats about 500, Watkins said.

The staff at Seaboard Foods’ Guymon operation is 70% Latino, Watkins said, with an additional 15% hailing from African nations including Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The flags of multiple nations hang in the employee dining area to represent the many nationalities who work at the plant.

Employees have access to an on-site nurse care manager, which in addition to caring for workers’ minor on-the-job injuries also provides diagnostic and preventive care such as flu/COVID checks, mammograms, mental health services, and vision and dental checkups.

For recruitment, Watkins said word-of-mouth from current employees (78% have been at their job a year or longer) has been a recurring source for new employees. With other major meat processors operating plants within 40 mile of Seaboard Foods’ Guymon operation, the company has taken steps to ensure it is the employer of choice in the region, Watkins said. Wages start at $20.50 an hour, with a $1 differential for workers on the B shift, she said.