Is Smithfield Foods one of the largest meat processing plants?

The Smithfield Foods meat packing plant near downtown Sioux Falls is among the highest-capacity pork producing facilities in the country.

The plant employs about 3,200 people, which puts it third in the top Sioux Falls employers not accounting for public institutions. It’s Smithfield’s second-largest processing facility and the largest producer of packaged meats in the country, processing about 20,000 hogs each day. 

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Smithfield officials announced Feb. 16 that a new plant would be built in northwestern Sioux Falls, freeing up about 120 acres of prime real estate near Falls Park.

The new facility will be even larger, with an estimated $1.3 billion price tag on 200 acres.

Denny Sanford is donating $50 million to transition the existing land downtown to community ownership. The plant, which was built in 1909, is also one of the oldest in the country.