SMITHFIELD, Va. – Michael Brown was named president and chief operating officer of Kansas City, Mo.-based Farmland Foods Inc., a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods effective Oct. 4.

Since 2008, Brown served as president of Armour-Eckrich LLC and has nearly 30 years of experience in the food industry. He is responsible for leading all aspects of the business, including sales and marketing, operations, quality, food safety, finance and accounting, human resources and procurement. He will report to George Richter, president and chief operating officer of the Pork Group.

"Mike is a tremendous asset to this organization and I am confident that his experience will allow the company to achieve its top objectives of margin expansion and brand growth,” Richter said in a release announcing the appointment. “We congratulate Mike on his new position and look forward to his leadership role at Farmland."

Brown graduated from the University of Missouri in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and joined Swift and Company as a sales representative in Kansas City. Swift was later acquired by ConAgra Foods, where he worked in a variety of positions in sales and general management of its business channels and distribution.