December 20, 2013

Smithfield Food's livestock production subsidiary, Murphy-Brown LLC's Circle 4 Farms, and Alpental Energy Partners, LLC are producing electricity via two methane digesters that Alpental put into operation in November 2012 at the Circle 4 facility just outside Milford.

The two methane digesters are operational and are producing renewable energy.

In 2012 Circle 4 Farms and Alpental Energy Partners entered into a strategic partnership to take hog manure from Circle 4 Farms and convert it into electrical energy, which will be placed on the power grid to provide electricity for residential and commercial customers in Utah.

"Murphy-Brown is excited to be the engine driving this latest form of renewable energy that will allow citizens to turn on the lights in their Utah homes, while at the same time protecting the environment from greenhouse gases such as methane," said Jim Webb, director of environmental and public affairs for Circle 4 Farms.

"All of us at Smithfield Foods are tremendously proud of all the people at Murphy-Brown, Circle 4 Farms and Alpental Energy Partners, who have worked very hard to provide renewable energy for Utah's residents," said Dennis H. Treacy, Smithfield's chief sustainability officer.

Webb explained that the two methane digesters installed at Milford convert some of Circle 4's hog manure to energy, providing enough electricity to power about 3,000 homes and businesses. The manure-to-energy project has had a significant impact on Circle 4's lagoons. That's because converting manure to energy means that solid waste will be reduced, which is stored in lagoons at the farms, which greatly changes the dynamics of lagoons for the hog operations involved in this project.

"It's a pleasure to be part of this special project. We are thrilled about our partnership with Smithfield Foods, Murphy-Brown and Circle 4 Farms, and we are looking forward to getting this project fully ramped up and to provide another source of electricity for the citizens of Utah," said Brady Olson, vice president of Alpental Energy Partners.

Alpental is the principal funder of this project. Funding for these projects is not being provided by Smithfield Foods, Murphy-Brown or Circle 4 Farms.