Christensen Farms expands with Clarkfield operation

Christensen Farms of Sleepy Eye, Minn., one of the nation's largest pork producers, said Friday that it has purchased a Clarkfield, Minn.-based hog operator for an undisclosed price.

Christensen bought Exetare Partnership, a farrowing-to-finished pork production company with operations in western Minnesota. Exetare has about 50 employees, 15,000 sows and relationships with 30 contract hog producers.

"The acquisition of the Exetare business fits extremely well with our strategic growth objectives," Glenn Stolt, Christensen's CEO, said in a statement.

Christensen had 156,000 sows in 2013, according to Successful Farming, a trade publication. The company is a shareholder with other pork producers in Missouri-based Triumph Foods.

With 381,500 sows altogether, Triumph is the nation's second-largest hog operation after Smithfield, according to Successful Farming's 2013 "Pork Powerhouses" ranking.