Sanderson Farms

Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer which is based in Laurel, Mississippi. It is the third largest poultry producer in the United States and produces 13.65 million chickens per week.

On July 22, 2022, it merged with Wayne Farms to form Wayne-Sanderson Farms. The new company is controlled by a joint venture between Cargill and Conti (also known as Continental Grain Co. or ContiGroup).

In 2021, it was included in the Fortune 500 list.

History
The company was founded in 1947 by D.R. Sanderson, Sr.

In 1961, the company merged with Miss Goldy’s Chicken company.

In 1987, it became a publicly-listed company.

In 2020, the company made more than $3.5 billion, processing more than 4.8 billion pounds of meat. In 2021, the company employed more than 17,000 people.

In August 2021, it was announced that Sanderson Farms was sold to global food corporation Cargill, in a joint venture with Continental Grain Co. for $4.5 billion. The sale will combine Sanderson Farms with Continental subsidiary Wayne Farms to create a new, privately held chicken production company.

In March 2022, the finalization of the sale was uncertain due to the investigations from the United States Department of Justice; but on July 22, 2022, Wayne Farrms merged with Sanderson Farms to form Wayne-Sanderson Farms.

Plants

 * Mississippi
 * Louisiana
 * Texas
 * Georgia
 * North Carolina