May 30, 2024

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Standard Nutrition Company (SNC), a privately held agricultural holding company in business since 1886, announced its launch of the newly formed Passel Farms, a reorganization of SNC’s investments, resources, and partnerships dedicated to pork production that will carry forward from SNC’s Pork Holdings established in 2004. 

This business shift also included collaboration with new investment partners, including an investment vehicle affiliated with Ospraie Management, to support the acquisition of Cactus Family Farms – the former pork production arm of Cactus Feeders, which will make a promising and complementary addition to Passel Farms’ production system. 

“We are excited to bring Cactus Family Farms into the fold of the storied success of Standard Nutrition Company and its evolution to Passel Farms,” said Brad Hastings, co-CEO, Cactus Feeders. “Our history as a strong, diverse agriculture business will complement Passel Farms’ strategies and desire to build a more integrated business built for the future.” 

“Since its launch, Cactus Family Farms has proven to be an innovative, data-driven and forward-looking company willing to invest in good people, assets, and technology,” said Pat Joyce, CEO, Passel Farms. “We welcome the addition of their expertise and knowledge as we look forward to continued growth in the pork industry.”

In 2022, pork was the most-consumed animal protein in the world, according to the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service. Of this global total, the U.S. produced 11 percent, exporting more than 2.5 million metric tons of pork to outside markets at a value of $7.7 billion. Mexico was the top destination market for U.S. pork last year, accounting for about $2.4 billion, followed by Japan, China, and Canada, according to the Pork Checkoff. 

Passel Farms will be a large-scale, farrow-to-finish production system with locations in Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Carolina. The business will be led by a team of professionals including experts in pork production, feed manufacturing, animal science and welfare, environmental and employee safety, information technology, finance, risk management, and accounting that together will take a multidisciplinary approach positioning Passel Farms for new opportunities during any and all production and marketing cycles.

“Our company has managed well through a challenging period in the pork industry,” said Joyce. “Our success is due to our wonderful team members, who have passionately served our farms, mills, and business, as well as our investments and partners in the business.”

“By reorganizing the investments and resources of SNC as Passel Farms and with the acquisition of Cactus Family Farms, we will be able to continue building upon this success through better alignment and integration.” 

When it was formed in 2004, SNC’s Pork Holdings provided investment in pork production partnerships and assets supporting its sow management services to partners and clients. Over the past 20 years, Pork Holdings saw much success, having created several partnerships that evolved into farrow-to-finish operations and thus resulted in broader management services and greater investments.

Passel Farms was selected as the organization’s new name because ‘passel’ means ‘group’ and represents the group of passionate people who serve farms and farmers through these expanding pork production investments. 

Passel Farms will now be a part of SNC’s wider nationwide business that employs more than 520 professionals through its family of companies: Standard Nutrition Services, Standard Dairy Consultants, Bluebonnet Feeds, Dairy Specialists, Ag Property Solutions, and The Dairy Solutions Group.

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and Agtech Intel News. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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