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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K/A
(Amendment No. 1)
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 29, 2009
SANDERSON FARMS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
         
Mississippi   1-14977   64-0615843
         
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
  (Commission File Number)   (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
     
127 Flynt Road    
Laurel, Mississippi   39443
 
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)
(601) 649-4030
 
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
     Check the appropriate box if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
o     Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o     Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o     Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o     Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 

 


 

EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Registrant is filing this amended Form 8-K to correct the statement in the original Form 8-K that the form of Restricted Stock Agreement relating to the grants of restricted stock made on January 29, 2009 were “substantially similar” to the form of agreement that was filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K on December 2, 2005. In fact, the form of agreement used for the January 29, 2009 grants and signed by the Registrant and the restricted stock recipients differed from the prior form, in that it provided that the shares would become fully vested upon the holder’s death, disability or retirement. That form of agreement was used by the Registrant in error. On August 6, 2009, the Compensation Committee of the Registrant’s Board of Directors ratified the form of agreement that was used for the January 29, 2009 grants, which the Registrant filed as Exhibit 10.2 to its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2009 and incorporates herein by reference.
Section 5 — Corporate Governance and Management
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangement of Certain Officers.
On January 29, 2009, the Compensation Committee of the Registrant’s Board of Directors took the following actions:
(1) The Committee adopted a Bonus Award Program for the Registrant’s salaried employees and accounting trainees effective November 1, 2008. If the Registrant meets net income per share and minimum return on average stockholders’ equity goals for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009, the program provides for the award of bonuses to eligible participants equal to a percentage of their base salary. The total award a participant can receive has two components: a percentage based on the Registrant’s earnings per share, and a percentage based on the Registrant’s operational performance. A copy of the Bonus Award Program is filed herewith as Exhibit 10 and is incorporated herein by reference.
(2) The Committee ratified the payment of certain miscellaneous items of compensation during fiscal 2008 to the Registrant’s executive officers, as follows:
                                 
    Joe F. Sanderson,             D. Michael     James A.  
    Jr.,     Lampkin Butts,     Cockrell,     Grimes,  
Type   Chairman & CEO     President & COO     Treasurer & CFO     Secretary  
 
Personal Use of Company and Charter Aircraft
  $ 58,607     $ 0     $ 0     $ 0  
 
                               
Reimbursement of Estimated Income Tax Liability
    16,282       82       20       0  
 
                               
Other Travel Related Expenses
    991       2,797       0       0  
 
                               
401(k) Plan Matching Contribution
    6,973       8,470       9,036       5,079  
 
                               
Life Insurance
    233       233       233       233  
 
                               
Total
  $ 83,086     $ 11,582     $ 9,289     $ 5,312  
 
                       
(3) The Committee adopted changes to its long term equity incentive program, as follows: (a) In the past, the Committee had granted long term incentive awards every other year composed of a combination of performance shares and restricted stock, at a ratio of 75% to 25%, respectively, for the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and at a ratio of 65% to 35%, respectively, for the Secretary. The Committee decided to change the mix of performance shares and restricted stock for future awards to all program participants to 50%/50%. (b) The Committee changed the length of the performance cycle for future performance share awards from three years to two.

 


 

The Committee then approved incentive awards under the Registrant’s Stock Incentive Plan for the COO, CFO and Secretary, incorporating the above changes, as follows:
                 
Name and Title   Performance Shares   Shares of Restricted Stock
Lampkin Butts, President & COO
    9,800       9,800  
D. Michael Cockrell, Treasurer & CFO
    9,800       9,800  
James A. Grimes, Secretary
    1,450       1,450  
The CEO previously indicated to the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors that he does not intend to accept any additional grants of stock under the Stock Incentive Plan at this time.
The form of Performance Share Agreement relating to the grants of performance shares will be filed with the Registrant’s next 10-Q report and, except for the length of the performance period, as described above, will be substantially similar to the form of agreement that was described in the Registrant’s 8-K report filed on October 31, 2007 (which report is incorporated herein by reference) and filed as Exhibit 10.19 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2007. The form of Restricted Stock Agreement relating to the grants of restricted stock will also be filed with the Registrant’s next 10-Q report and will be substantially similar to the form of agreement that was filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K on December 2, 2005 (which report is incorporated herein by reference), except that it provides that the restricted stock will vest fully upon the holder’s death, disability or retirement.
Section 9 — Financial Statements and Exhibits
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(c) The following exhibit is filed with this Current Report:
     
Exhibit No.   Description
   
 
*10  
Sanderson Farms, Inc. Bonus Award Program effective November 1, 2008.
 
*   Filed previously.

 


 

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this amended report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
         
  SANDERSON FARMS, INC.
(Registrant)
 
 
Date: August __, 2009  By:   /s/ D. Michael Cockrell    
    D. Michael Cockrell   
    Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer   

 


 

EXHIBIT INDEX
     
Exhibit No.   Description
   
 
*10  
Sanderson Farms, Inc. Bonus Award Program effective November 1, 2008.
 
*   Filed previously.