Smithfield Foods plans to replace its 100-year-old South Dakota pork processing plant with a $1.3 billion automated facility in Sioux Falls, aiming to modernize operations and boost efficiency. The new plant, set to open by late 2028, will focus on packaged meats and fresh pork production, leveraging advanced automation to streamline workflows.

Located in Foundation Park, the project will retain the existing site’s infrastructure pending regulatory approvals, ensuring minimal disruption to the local workforce. Shane Smith, Smithfield’s CEO, emphasized the investment as critical to optimizing value-added pork operations and supporting regional agricultural supply chains, including hog farmers and crop producers. The move follows recent closures of Smithfield facilities in Massachusetts, Iowa, and North Carolina, raising questions about labor impacts and strategic shifts in the company’s U.S. footprint.