SMITHFIELD, Va. – Last Friday, C. Larry Pope, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods Inc., purchased 15,000 shares of Smithfield common stock worth approximately $225,000 when shares were worth from $14.97 to $14.99 each, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

After the US Department of Agriculture reduced its harvest projection for corn, soybeans and wheat, Smithfield's shares fell below $16 each last week.