Dave Elkin started his career with Smithfield Hog Production in 1994 and has served as Director of Engineering for 25 years.  Dave’s team provides technical support for the livestock operations and support operations for Smithfield’s company-owned farms and its contract growers.

Dave has a bachelor of science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and was recognized in 2003 as an Outstanding Recent Alumni. He is very active in the Hope Community Church and scouts BSA.  Dave and his wife, Brandi, reside in Duplin County with their 16-year-old son.
His team works constantly to improve efficiency of the business. This includes farm innovations in swine buildings as well as utilization of technology to monitor feed to ensure just in-time delivery, as well as the utilization of survey-grade drone technology and GIS tools to optimize land utilization for Smithfield’s nutrient management, biogas production and upkeep of farm roads.

Dave and his team continue work to drive innovation with projects including digesters that capture methane from manure on farms for conversion to renewable natural gas, sanitation facilities and other process improvements to support Smithfield’s operations.