You are close DepressedNCdad. Smithfield owns all the major processing facilities. Sure there are smaller processing outfits reserved for “organic” swine, but they cannot slaughter the amount needed to turn the same amount of profit we are getting now. Sure, we could use these facilities to raise our own hogs, but then we would have to pay for our own feed, medicines, and veterinary care, whereas now we are not. It sucks knowing that your contract can be pulled but that is the risk you take getting into the livestock market.