WAYNE FARMS
148 employees ,” Smith says , “ it still feels like a family atmosphere .” Externally , strong partnerships rooted in trust are important to ensure a steady , highquality supply chain . Omaha-based the Gavilon Group is Wayne Farms ’ top corn supplier , in terms of both volume and service . On the soybean meal side , Wayne Farms can turn to its longstanding relationships with Cargill and Riceland Foods Inc . “ These companies are the best at what they do as far as customer service and taking care of Wayne Farms ,” affirms Smith . “ It ’ s about working closely together every day .”
Understanding different levels of the industry allows Wayne Farms to be flexible towards change . Since Smith joined , the company went from running nine to seven feed mills , an adaptation to new demands by longterm railway partner CSX corporation . Wayne Farms had three feed mills on the CSX line when the railway company announced it would be upgrading from 65-car trains to 90-car trains and offered more streamlined service and improved rates for the latter . Wayne Farms was proactive in combining the three feed mills into one that not only
FEBRUARY 2020