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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A rise in overseas pork sales — due partly to concerns over the safety of beef — and the popularity of diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates have helped fuel big gains in the U.S. pork industry.
The top three hog producers — Smithfield Foods Inc. of Smithfield, Va.; Kansas City-based Premium Standard Farms; and Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based Seaboard Corp. — each reported large jumps in sales and profits during 2004.
The benefits even trickled down to individual hog farmers who for years have coped with rock-bottom livestock prices.
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