Cargill and Continental Grain Company, two of the world's biggest food conglomerates, announced Friday that they have bought Sanderson Farms.
They will merge it with Wayne Farms, a major chicken producer and subsidiary of Continental, in a new venture called Wayne-Sanderson Farms. The headquarters will be in Oakwood.
Sanderson Farms is the country's third-largest chicken producer according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The new company will be operating chicken plants and manufacturing prepared foods across multiple states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana North Carolina and more. According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture, Georgia was the top producer of broiler chickens in the country.
Clint Rivers, the CEO of Wayne Farms is set to lead Wayne-Sanderson Farms and tells the AJC that the new company will continue to provide high-quality and affordable products.