In a February 17th announcement, Hormel Foods Corp. confirmed that it will sell the Melrose, MN. Whole-bird plant and the Swanville, MN. feed mill and related assets including vehicles to Life-Science Innovations. The purchaser will assume contracts with growers and provide Hormel with turkey meat through to the end of Fiscal 2026. Hormel will retain the Jennie-O brand and will concentrate on further-processed and turkey-derived added-value products. As motivation for the transaction, Hormel noted concern over fluctuation in commodity markets and the losses associated with HPAI that have impacted central Minnesota.
In recent years, reorganization by Hormel has obscured any evaluation of the financial performance of the Jennie-O business. Hormel noted in their release that the 
divestment would have no material impact on FY 2026 earnings. In a preliminary first quarter 2026 release on February 17th, the company expects Q1 net sales of $3 billion, organic net sales growth of two percent and Q1 diluted EPS of $0.33. Jeff Ettinger, Interim CEO, stated “We are pleased with our preliminary first quarter results.” He added, “They reflect a solid start to the year and are aligned with our expectations and give us confidence that we are focused on the right initiatives to return Hormel Foods to profitable growth.”