Sanderson Farms, Inc. Announces Change in Plans for Second Plant Location in North Carolina

LAUREL, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:SAFM) today announced that Nash County, North Carolina, will not be the site for a new poultry processing complex. Sanderson Farms, who made this decision together with the officials of Nash County as a result of various timing issues, had previously announced that sites in Nash County had been selected for the location of a new poultry processing complex subject to various contingencies. The Company has also announced that construction of the new complex remains on hold pending improvement in market fundamentals, including the supply and price of corn and other feed grains.

Commenting on the joint decision, Robby Davis, a member of the Nash County Board of Commissioners who was responsible for recruiting Sanderson Farms to the area, said, “While we are disappointed that Nash County will no longer be considered for this project, we understand the need for certainty with respect to Sanderson Farms’ ability to move forward with construction in a timely manner once the other contingencies are met. Unfortunately, various legal challenges will not allow us to meet Sanderson Farms’ schedule without the possibility of delay. We are grateful for the very professional manner in which Sanderson Farms has negotiated with our board and staff during the entire process.”

Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Sanderson Farms, Inc., said, “We very much appreciate the hard work of everyone in Nash County who worked diligently to recruit us to the area. We also appreciate the support of the local community and the business and political leaders who welcomed us to Nash County. We remain committed to our growth strategy and, toward that end, have been evaluating and will continue to pursue alternative locations that will enable us to continue our pattern of steady growth as market conditions allow. Today’s announcement will affect the location, but not the timing, of the next poultry complex for Sanderson Farms.”

Sanderson Farms, Inc. is engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items. Its shares trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol SAFM.

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions about future events and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the views, beliefs, projections and estimates expressed in such statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, those discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31,2011 and its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC, and the following:

(1) Changes in the market price for the Company’s finished products and feed grains, both of which may fluctuate substantially and exhibit cyclical characteristics typically associated with commodity markets.

(2) Changes in economic and business conditions, monetary and fiscal policies or the amount of growth, stagnation or recession in the global or U.S. economies, either of which may affect the value of inventories, the collectability of accounts receivable or the financial integrity of customers, and the ability of the end user or consumer to afford protein.

(3) Changes in the political or economic climate, trade policies, laws and regulations or the domestic poultry industry of countries to which the Company or other companies in the poultry industry ship product, and other changes that might limit the Company’s or the industry’s access to foreign markets.

(4) Changes in laws, regulations, and other activities in government agencies and similar organizations applicable to the Company and the poultry industry and changes in laws, regulations and other activities in government agencies and similar organizations related to food safety.

(5) Various inventory risks due to changes in market conditions, including, but not limited to, the risk that market values of live and processed poultry inventories might be lower than the cost of such inventories requiring a downward adjustment to record the value of such inventories at the lower of cost or market as required by generally accepted accounting principles.

(6) Changes in and effects of competition, which is significant in all markets in which the Company competes, and the effectiveness of marketing and advertising programs. The Company competes with regional and national firms, some of which have greater financial and marketing resources than the Company.

(7) Changes in accounting policies and practices adopted voluntarily by the Company or required to be adopted by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

(8) Disease outbreaks affecting the production performance and/or marketability of the Company’s poultry products, or the contamination of its products.

(9) Changes in the availability and cost of labor and growers.

(10) The loss of any of the Company’s major customers.

(11) Inclement weather that could hurt Company flocks or otherwise adversely affect the Company’s operations, or changes in global weather patterns that could impact the supply of feed grains.

(12) Failure to respond to changing consumer preferences.

(13) Failure to successfully and efficiently start up and run a new plant or integrate any business the Company might acquire.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of Sanderson Farms. Each such statement speaks only as of the day it was made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or to revise any forward-looking statements. Most of the factors described above cannot be controlled by the Company. When used in this press release, the words “believes,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “should,” “outlook,” and “anticipates” and similar expressions as they relate to the Company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to) statements of the Company’s belief about future earnings, expansion plans, sales, production, and expenses, including feed grain costs.

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