Jan 2, 2005 3:09 PM, from staff and wire reports

Hormel Foods has acquired, for the purchase price of about $186 million, all of the stock of Clougherty Packing Co, a privately held Southern California pork processor and creator of the Farmer John brand of pork products sold in the southwestern United States.

"Clougherty has built a very strong business in the Southwest, and projects sales of $420 million in 2004. We expect it to be immediately accretive to our Refrigerated Foods business segment," said Joel W Johnson, chairman of the board and chief executive officer.

Clougherty operates a facility in Vernon CA that should increase Hormel Foods' production of further-processed foods.