001116 Swift Cancels Saturday Hog Kill in MinnesotaNovember 4, 2000Chicago, IL – The ConAgra unit of Swift and Co. cancelled hog slaughter last Saturday at the Worthington, Minn., plant due to slipping operating margins and tighter hog supplies. “They called it off because they couldn't get the hogs,” one source said. The plant has a daily capacity of about 16,000 hogs when two shifts are operating, industry statistics showed. The Worthington plant had scheduled one shift for Saturday slaughter but slipping operating margins fuelled by lower pork prices and a slow hog run Wednesday and Thursday triggered the cancellation, another cash hog source said. Swift's other hog plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, reportedly will continue its Saturday hog slaughter plans, the sources said. Official confirmation of the cancelled shift and plans for Marshalltown Saturday were being checked by a company spokesman. Market sources earlier had expected Saturday hog slaughter in a range of 160,000-190,000 head, compared with 114,000 last week and 166,000 last year.
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