Smithfield buys ConAgra’s Carthage plant

The business includes packaged meats and turkey products sold under the Armour, Butterball, Eckrich, Margherita, Longmont and Lunchmakers brands, totaling combined annual sales of about $1.8 billion.

Smithfield, the largest U.S. hog and pork producer, plans to separate the Butterball turkey business from the nonturkey packaged meats business and acquire and operate the business through Carolina Turkeys, a partner of Smithfield and Maxwell Farms Inc.

The Carthage plant employs approximately 800 workers.

Other plants to be sold include Junction City and Kansas City, Kan.; Huntsville, Ozark and Jonesboro, Ark.; Longmont, Colo.; Peru and St. Charles Ill.; Mason City, Iowa; Quincy, Mich.; St. James, Minn.; Hastings and Omaha, Neb.; and Lufkin, Texas.