In a move to better serve its customers, The Maschhoffs is in the process of purchasing an operation presently owned by Smithfield Foods Inc. near Albin, Wyo.

Albin, a town of about 200 people in the southeast corner of Wyoming near the border of Nebraska, represents the first venture of The Maschhoffs into Wyoming, according to Josh Flint, associate director of Communication and People Projects. He says the transaction between the two pork production companies is planned to be completed by the end of the month.

According to National Hog Farmer’s “Global Mega Producer” report released in June, Smithfield Foods Inc. has 1.24 million sows while The Maschhoffs, based in Carlyle, Ill., has 196,000 sows throughout six states.

The Maschhoffs is looking to add a Wyoming operation that has 13,500 sows, as well as nursery and finishing space, a feed mill, office space and a truck wash. Flint says The Maschhoffs intends to retain the 50 employees currently on the ground.

“We have operations in southern Nebraska around Arapahoe, Neb., so the goal of this pending transaction is to line up our our Western footprint for our customers,” Flint says. “This would support our our strategy there. It’s not so much about growth, but more about serving our customers. This is a move to shore up that western footprint to make sure we’ve got the correct number of market hogs flowing to our customers in that area.”

Community involvement is important for The Maschhoffs company, and to that President Bradley Wolter, Jay Miller, veterinarian and vice president of health and operations and Rich Hollis, vice president of people strategy (i.e.: human resources), traveled to Albin earlier this week to serve the community a pork chop dinner and have a meet-and-greet with the people of the community.