Pork Plant Expansion in Pennsylvania Offers Opportunity for Hog Farmers

The association representing 2,700 Pennsylvania hog farmers is praising a Clemens Food Group plant expansion announcement that could increase the facility’s space by nearly two-thirds space and provide other opportunities.

Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council Executive Director Courtney Gray told American Farmland Owner in a statement, “The expansion of the Clemens Food Group processing facility in Hatfield, PA showcases an exciting time for pork and pork production in Pennsylvania.”

The $130 million expansion would eventually increase the 60,000 square-foot facility to 100,000. It allows Clemens Food Group to build on its systems for sausage, bacon, and value-added pork.   

Clemens Food Group Pennsylvania Expansion

Clemens defines its overall mission:

“We aspire to operate in a way that honors the Lord Jesus Christ as demonstrated through Ethics, Integrity, and Stewardship.”

And the company describes its vision:

“To be a provider of wholesome, sustainable food for our families and customers with a world class team practicing Ethics, Integrity and Stewardship.”

Hatfield, a town of approximately 3,500 people 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia, has provided the home for production since 1895.

Gray said the expansion of the operations in the months ahead for Clemens Food Group is an “integral part of the pork supply chain in PA, where nearly 2,700 pig farm families help to make up the industry. Pork is top of mind for producers and consumers with the new Taste What Pork Can Do ™ campaign launch, aligning perfectly with the increase in value-added product production at Clemens Food Group." 

Pennsylvania Pork Processing Grows

A Clemens spokesperson told MeatingPlace, “We are investing in this project to continue our commitment to the highest levels of safety and food safety, and to improve product flow. This expansion will also allow us to increase capacities and capabilities in our value-added product line.”

RELATED: Some agricultural producers have concerns about potential labor challenges with a proposed pork plant in another state after the Trump administration told about 200 migrants to leave. The employees previously received temporary legal permission to work in the United States.

SwineWeb focused on the potential benefits of the Hatfield expansion. “For pork producers and the broader supply chain, Clemens’ investment sends a clear signal: demand for value-added pork products like bacon and sausage is strong and growing.”

The publication added, “As Clemens continues to scale, the ripple effect will be felt across farms, feed mills, transporters, and rural communities tied to pork production.”

Pennsylvania Hog Production

Pennsylvania is the 12^th largest hog-producing state in the United States, according to the USDA. The state raises about 1,470,000 hogs annually. That is roughly 2% of the nation’s total.

For comparison, Iowa is the top-producing state with 24,400,000 hogs annually, which is nearly one-third of the country’s total.

RELATED: While Pennsylvania looks at the potential for more pork, one company is looking at the possibility of green methanol with producers. “I discovered that ethanol plants are the motherload of biogenic CO2. You could get more of it in really clean form. And right now, they’re just throwing it away,” Dr. Jeff Bonar, CEO of CapCO2 Solutions, told American Farmland Owner about what his Ridgewood, New York company was thinking in the fall of 2024.