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Excel Corporation: The Kansas Beef Packer Behind Cargill's Meat Business

A packer that moved from Chicago to Wichita became a Cargill subsidiary and, with IBP and ConAgra, handled most of the nation's grain-fed cattle.

Where did Excel Corporation come from?

Excel's roots trace to 1936, when Excel Packing Company was formed in Chicago, according to a Wikiwand history of Excel Corporation. In 1941 the company moved to Wichita, Kansas, placing itself in cattle country rather than beside the old Chicago stockyards.

That choice mirrored a wider shift. As the Living History Farm account of IBP and boxed beef explains, packers began moving plants next to feedlots after the war, buying cattle directly and shipping meat rather than live animals.

From Kansas Beef Industries to Excel

The corporate name changed several times. The company was incorporated as Kansas Beef Industries in 1970, merged with Missouri Beef Packers in 1974 to become MBPXL, and was acquired by Cargill in 1979. In 1982 it was renamed Excel.

Cargill, a family-owned agribusiness, gave the packer financial depth. The source does not name Excel's original founders, so this profile leaves them unnamed rather than guess.

The Living History Farm account describes the wider pattern these newer packers followed: they set up in rural states where land was cheap and labor was younger and mostly non-union, and they bought cattle near the feedlots. It also notes that many small cattle operators were squeezed out of business as the industry consolidated, a cost that came with the efficiency.

What Made It Work

Excel grew by pairing a Plains location with a deep-pocketed parent. Cargill's ownership from 1979 let the packer expand through acquisitions, and its plants sat in the grain-feeding region where cattle were fattened.

Expansion also brought scrutiny. A competitor challenged one deal in court, and later food safety recalls reached the Excel name.

  • Location: it moved to Wichita in 1941, in the heart of Plains cattle country.
  • Mergers: joining Missouri Beef Packers in 1974 created MBPXL, a larger regional packer.
  • Capital: Cargill acquired the company in 1979 and kept it as a subsidiary.
  • Acquisition: in 1983 Excel bought Spencer Beef from Land O'Lakes, adding plants in Spencer and Oakland, Iowa, and Schuyler, Nebraska.
  • Diversification: in 1987 Excel entered pork by acquiring plants in Ottumwa, Iowa and Beardstown, Illinois.
  • Limit to note: in 2002 its Emmpak unit recalled about 2.8 million pounds of ground beef linked to an E. coli outbreak.

The Spencer Beef deal and the Monfort case

Excel's 1983 purchase of Spencer Beef from Land O'Lakes drew a challenge from Monfort, a smaller competitor. Monfort won in the lower courts, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1986 that the sale was legal.

The case matters because it shows how consolidation was tested in this period. The old Big Four packers had been hampered by antitrust rules until they were amended around 1980, by which time newer packers had taken the lead.

Excel in the new Big Four

By 1988, a New York Times article cited in the Wikiwand history said Excel, ConAgra and Iowa Beef Processors together handled nearly three-quarters of U.S. grain-fattened cattle. The Living History Farm account likewise names Excel, a Cargill subsidiary, second among the newer Big Four packers behind Tyson, ahead of Swift & Company and National Beef.

In 2001 Excel bought Emmpak Foods, a maker of cooked and deli meats and ground beef products. That added the processed side of the business to fresh beef. The company timeline in the Wikiwand history also records the 2002 Emmpak recall of about 2.8 million pounds of ground beef linked to an E. coli outbreak, a reminder that scale carries food safety risk.

Cargill Meat Solutions and the Excel name today

In 2004 the division was renamed Cargill Meat Solutions. The Excel name was revived in 2005 as a brand for an everyday meat line. In July 2015 Cargill agreed to sell its U.S. pork processing business to JBS USA for $1.45 billion, narrowing the unit's focus.

To follow the beef chain from pasture to plant, see farm.FM on ranching, and a farm.FM story on Kansas beef plants.

Timeline

  1. 1936Excel Packing Company formed in Chicago
  2. 1941Company moves to Wichita, Kansas
  3. 1970Incorporated as Kansas Beef Industries
  4. 1974Merges with Missouri Beef Packers to form MBPXL
  5. 1979Cargill acquires MBPXL
  6. 1982Renamed Excel
  7. 1983Buys Spencer Beef from Land O'Lakes
  8. 1986Supreme Court rules the Spencer Beef sale legal
  9. 1987Enters pork processing
  10. 2004Division renamed Cargill Meat Solutions

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Excel Corporation?

Cargill acquired MBPXL, the predecessor, in 1979, and Excel was a Cargill subsidiary. The division was renamed Cargill Meat Solutions in 2004, and Excel was revived as a meat brand in 2005.

Where was Excel Corporation based?

Excel moved from Chicago to Wichita, Kansas, in 1941 and was associated with Kansas and the Plains beef region from then on.

What was the Monfort case about?

Monfort challenged Excel's 1983 purchase of Spencer Beef. Monfort won in lower courts, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1986 that the sale was legal.

What happened to the Excel name?

The division became Cargill Meat Solutions in 2004, and the Excel name was brought back in 2005 as a brand for its everyday meat line.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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