Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Announces Expansion Plans for Additional Cage-Free Production Capabilities
October 07 2024 - 4:05PM
Business Wire
Company Updates Progress on Dexter, Missouri
Conversion
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) today announced that on
October 4, 2024, its Board of Directors approved $40 million in new
capital projects to further expand the Company’s cage-free
production capabilities. The Company plans to fund the projects
through a combination of available cash on hand, sales of
investment securities and operating cash flow.
The projects will include the addition of five new cage-free
layer houses across the Company’s locations in Florida, Georgia,
Utah and Texas. The Company plans to start construction by the end
of calendar 2024 and expects the projects to be completed with
additional production capacity for approximately 1.0 million
cage-free layer hens by late summer 2025. These additions will
primarily replace recently retired caged facilities and add to the
Company’s cage-free capacity.
The Company also provided an update on its conversion of the
former Tyson Foods facilities in Dexter, Missouri, acquired on
March 14, 2024. Following the closing, the Company began work to
remodel and repurpose these assets for use in shell egg production.
Cal-Maine Foods has also been working with local contract growers
and has commitments that would result in approximately 1.2 million
additional free-range hens by fall 2025, with plans to add more
capacity in the future.
Sherman Miller, president and chief executive officer of
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., said, “We are pleased to announce these new
expansion projects, which support our strategy to increase our
free-range production in line with customer demand and expanding
state requirements for cage-free eggs. The additional capacity will
further enhance our ability to serve our growing customer base. We
have made considerable progress with the conversion of the Dexter
facilities and look forward to the additional production and
distribution capabilities from this location. We greatly appreciate
the support we have received from the existing network of local
contract growers. As we continue to expand our operations, we
remain committed to being the most efficient and sustainable
producer of fresh shell eggs and egg products, and we will look for
additional opportunities to further advance our growth
strategy.”
About Cal-Maine Foods
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production,
grading, packaging, marketing and distribution of fresh shell eggs,
including conventional, cage-free, organic, brown, free-range,
pasture-raised and nutritionally enhanced eggs. The Company, which
is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, is the largest producer
and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the nation and sells most of
its shell eggs throughout the majority of the United States.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current
intent, belief, expectations, estimates and projections regarding
our company and our industry. These statements are not guarantees
of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions
and other factors that are difficult to predict and may be beyond
our control. The factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements
include, among others, (i) the risk factors set forth in the
Company’s SEC filings (including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K,
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K),
(ii) the risks and hazards inherent in the shell egg business
(including disease, pests, weather conditions and potential for
recall), including but not limited to the current outbreak of
highly pathogenic avian influenza affecting poultry in the U.S.,
Canada and other countries that was first detected in commercial
flocks in the U.S. in February 2022 and that first impacted our
flocks in December 2023, (iii) changes in the demand for and market
prices of shell eggs and feed costs, (iv) our ability to predict
and meet demand for cage-free and other specialty eggs, (v) risks,
changes or obligations that could result from our recent or future
acquisitions of new flocks or businesses and risks or changes that
may cause conditions to completing a pending acquisition not to be
met, (vi) our ability to complete our pending and anticipated
construction projects on time and on budget, (vii) risks relating
to changes in inflation and interest rates, (viii) our ability to
retain existing customers, acquire new customers and grow our
product mix, (ix) adverse results in pending litigation matters,
and (x) global instability, including as a result of the war in
Ukraine, the conflicts in Israel and surrounding areas and attacks
on shipping in the Red Sea. SEC filings may be obtained from the
SEC or the Company’s website, www.calmainefoods.com. Readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements
because, while we believe the assumptions on which the
forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be
no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be
accurate. Further, the forward-looking statements included herein
are only made as of the respective dates thereof, or if no date is
stated, as of the date hereof. Except as otherwise required by law,
we disclaim any intent or obligation to publicly update these
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241007124521/en/
Sherman Miller, President and CEO Max P. Bowman, Vice President
and CFO (601) 948-6813
Cal Maine Foods (NASDAQ:CALM)
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