Smithfield Foods announced in November that 48 of its plants have been honored for their achievements in environmental management through the American Meat Institute's (AMI) Environmental MAPS award program. Nearly one-third of the 147 awards distributed in the industry wide program went to Smithfield Foods and its family of companies.

Thanks to its company wide ISO 14001 certification, Smithfield's 38 winners of the Tier 4 Environmental Star awards were the only ones in the industry to achieve the highest designation. The other ten Smithfield facilities all achieved the second-highest Tier 3 Environmental Pioneer award.

"Smithfield is proud to be actively participating in this very important industry wide program," said Dennis H. Treacy, vice president environmental and corporate affairs for Smithfield. "We are honored that so many of our facilities received AMI Environmental MAPS awards because these awards recognize our dedication to taking a proactive environmental approach through the use of environmental management systems."

The Environmental MAPS award program was created to increase the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) throughout the meat and poultry industry.

"[The program] provides a simple, step-wise approach to achieving a complete environmental management system," said AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle. "The implementation of this EMS program throughout the meat and poultry industry is helping us achieve continual improvements in environmental management."

The acronym MAPS refers to the four different levels that facilities can achieve: Master, Achiever, Pioneer and Star. Facilities participating in the awards program received points for their environmental systems and activities. The program is comprised of four tiers, which guide facilities on how to begin and improve upon their environmental management systems.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has praised the MAPS program for its proactive approach and its success in pointing the industry toward stewardship and innovation.

"I see the work that AMI has done with its MAPS Program as a fine example of how we can work together to define a 'better way' to achieve better environmental performance," said Stephen L. Johnson, acting deputy administrator of the EPA.

Congratulations to all Smithfield facilities. We are setting the standard for environmental excellence in the industry.

TIER 4 – ENVIRONMENTAL STAR

Quick-to-Fix Foods, Garland, TX
Quick-to-Fix Foods, Harlingen, TX
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Benson Distribution, Benson, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Independence, MO
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Golden Crisp Premium Foods, Sioux Center, IA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney, Hancock Old Fashion Country Hams I, Franklinville, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney Hancock Old Fashion Country Hams II, Staley, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney, Valleydale Foods, Salem, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney of Smithfield, Ltd., Smithfield, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney, Williamsburg Foods, Toano, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Gwaltney, Stadler’s Country Hams, Elon, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Ham and Products, Smithfield, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell – Curly’s Foods, Inc., Sioux City, IA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell, Great Bend Packing, Great Bend, KS
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell, Saratoga Specialties, Elmhurst, IL
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell, Mohawk Packing, San Jose, CA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell, Sioux City, IA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell, Sioux Falls, SD
Smithfield Foods, Inc., John Morrell, Springdale, OH
Smithfield Foods, Inc., MOPAC Rendering, West Babylon, NY
Smithfield Foods, Inc., MOPAC Rendering, Seaford Blending, DE
Smithfield Foods, Inc., MOPAC Rendering, Seven Valleys, PA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., North Side Foods Corporation, Arnold, PA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., North Side Foods Corporation, Cumming, GA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Packerland Packing, Green Bay, WI
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Patrick Cudahy Incorporated, Cudahy, WI
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Holbrook, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Landover Division, Landover, MD
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Lykes Division, Plant City, FL
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield Division, Smithfield, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield, Wilson, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield Packing, Tar Heel, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield Transportation Company, Smithfield Division, Smithfield, VA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield Transportation Company, Tar Heel Division, Tar Heel, NC
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Smithfield RMH Foods, Morton, IL
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Sun Land Beef, Tolleson, AZ
Smithfield Foods, Inc., The Ohio Feedlot, Inc., South Charleston, OH

TIER 3 – ENVIRONMENTAL PIONEER

Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Carroll, IA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Crete, NE
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Denison, IA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Dubuque, IA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Monmouth, IL
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., New Riegal, OH
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Springfield, MA
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Farmland Food, Inc., Wichita, KS
Smithfield Foods, Inc., Packerland Packing, Plainwell, MI

Nebraska honored one of its great citizens last month as he prepared to leave the state. Todd Gerken, plant manager of Farmland Foods' Crete facility, was given an Admiralship in the Nebraska Navy on his last day at work before leaving to take over as manager at the company's Denison, Iowa plant.

In a special ceremony, state Senator Jeanne Combs, who is a nurse at the Crete plant, presented Gerken with the Admiralship on behalf of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman.

During his time at Crete, Gerken has helped modernize the plant with more automation, guided it through bankruptcy and the sale to Smithfield Foods, and seen the workforce nearly double. He will be replaced by Troy Mulgrew, formerly of Farmland's Salt Lake City operation.

Gerken has had a long history with Farmland Foods. His first job out of high-school was as an hourly worker at the Crete plant in 1982. He left there to serve seven years in the Marine Corps, including eight months in the Gulf War. Upon returning, Gerken went back to school to study math and accounting. With degree in hand, Gerken then returned to Farmland, working at the Springfield, Dubuque and Carroll plants before settling in Crete in 2000.

It was an easy decision for Gerken to come back to Farmland after getting his degree, because of his family's extensive history with the company. In addition to his own service there, Gerken's father also had a long career with Farmland at both the Denison and Carroll plants.

"It was a good company with good people," said Gerken. "I wanted to be a part of what I've known."

Gerken will now get to know his fifth different Farmland plant as he takes over as plant manager in Denison. Gerken moved to Iowa last month with his wife Jodie, their 11-month-old son Alex and another baby on the way, due June 10th. He began work on Oct. 31.

Smithfield announced in August an $81 million expansion to the Denison plant that will include a state-of-the-art 165,000-square-foot addition and is expected to add 219 employees to the 1,500 that currently work there. Gerken said that the chance to help guide the plant through this expansion and the installation of new technology was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"It's a very good plant, with good people," he said. "It's a real exciting time."

His excitement about the future of the Denison plant, however, is somewhat tempered by the sadness that comes with leaving Crete. He said he had developed a soft spot for the town and the plant from his five years working there.

Good memories will remain, though. Gerken said the best parts of working in Crete were the investments made by Smithfield and Farmland, and the chance to teach his employees and managers and watch them grow.

"That's the fun about this job," said Gerken. "The employees are awesome. You walk into the plant and people are smiling. They want to work for Farmland Foods."