After an extensive search, the company came back to its first and number one candidate, who has been filling the role as interim CEO and is already familiar with the organisation.

Walter Pelletier, president of Maxwell Farms, LLC, which shares equal ownership of Butterball with Seaboard Corporation, commented: "I am pleased to welcome Rod to the helm of Butterball, and I look forward to utilising his valuable knowledge and vision in corporate leadership to continue to build the Butterball brand. As one of America's most recognised and respected brands, our number one priority is to produce the highest quality of healthy, wholesome turkey products for consumers. Rod will provide instrumental strategic corporate insight to strengthen Butterball's business operations while helping the company maintain committed to its core goals."

Mr Brenneman brings a wealth of corporate experience in both the pork and poultry industries to the Butterball team. In his role as chief executive officer at Butterball, he will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Butterball's business strategy and operations.

Steve Bresky, president and chief executive officer of Seaboard Corporation, said: "Rod has done exceptionally well in developing Seaboard Foods into the business it is today, and we are excited that he will bring his proven management skills and business expertise to Butterball, our most recent acquisition. With his strategic and customer orientated approach, we are optimistic that Rod will bring significant value to Butterball products, the brand name and the company overall. We are also encouraged that the Maxwell Group has expressed the same optimism."

Prior to joining Butterball, Mr Brenneman had been at Seaboard Corporation since 1989 – serving in various financial management capacities throughout his tenure including director of tax and business development; vice president, finance and administration; senior vice president, live production; and most recently, as president and chief executive officer of Seaboard Foods. Throughout his time at Seaboard Corporation, he was involved in many of the company's acquisitions and joint ventures, and was instrumental in building the company from its start-up to be one of the top hog production and pork processing companies in the United States.

Mr Brenneman serves on the Board of Directors and is on the Executive Committee for the American Meat Institute. Additionally, in 2011 he was inducted into to the Oklahoma Pork Hall of Fame.

He said: "I am honoured to be chosen to lead Butterball through this next chapter. It is important to continue to build upon the principles that have made this company so strong, while ensuring our operations remain flexible in this challenging economy."