TEXAN BY NATURE

With four poultry complexes located in Texas and over 6,000 employees working within the state, Sanderson Farms' Texas roots run far and wide including a recent recognition for promoting conservation in the state. The company was recognized for the second consecutive year by Texan by Nature, a Texas-led conservation nonprofit founded by former first lady Laura Bush and responsible for bringing together conservation and businesses to positively impact natural resources, prosperity and health across Texas. Sanderson Farms was among the honorees of their third annual Texan 20, an official ranking of companies with Texas operations that have made a demonstrated commitment to conservation.

"Our employees in Texas and our environmental team work hard to produce a quality product that is produced in an efficient and sustainable manner each and every day," said Pic Billingsley, director of development and engineering at Sanderson Farms. "I am happy to see organizations like Texan by Nature recognize the dedication and attention to detail our people exhibit in order to preserve the natural resources and environment entrusted to our care in the communities in which we operate."

As part of the Texan 20, the organization honors companies across 12 industries in the Lone Star State whose ingenuity cultivates impactful programs and forges new, beneficial paths in conservation. With 168 million acres of land and global leadership across multiple industries, the state of Texas benefits from having industry leaders who see the value in partnering with conservation initiatives while also developing innovative, sustainable methods and processes within their business.

"It takes commitment, collaboration and focus on continual improvement to achieve leadership in conservation," said Joni Carswell, chief executive officer and president of Texan by Nature. "It is an honor to showcase and celebrate these values in Texas-based businesses that pair our abundance of natural and business resources in their conservation efforts."

The Texan 20 honorees were selected based upon a stated dedication to conservation, demonstrated commitment to conservation through investment and volunteerism, measurement and reporting of spending and impact on conservation efforts, and employee engagement. Honorees were identified through submissions as well as researched through publicly available information on conservation and sustainability efforts. Each year, an esteemed selection committee of top industry leaders is formed to evaluate the top 60 companies and select the final honorees for the Texan 20.

"Congratulations to this year's Texan 20," said former first lady and Texan by Nature founder, Laura Bush. "Each year, I'm impressed by the leadership the Texan 20 honorees display. They are innovators, collaborators and changemakers. I am thrilled to celebrate their efforts, and I encourage other companies to follow their example. Together, we can secure a future where our economy, natural resources and communities thrive."

For 2021, the Texan 20 includes honorees such as Sanderson Farms, Alamo Group, Bank of America, BNSF, CEMEX, City of Antonio Office of Sustainability, Dell Technologies, Desert Door Texas Sotol, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Farmer Brothers, H-E-B, HDR, Shell Oil Company, Sysco, Texas Health Resources, Texas Instruments, The Beck Group, Ltd., Vistra Corp., Walmart and Waste Management.

A catalyst for thought leadership, innovative partnerships and community-led solutions, Texan by Nature works with the Texas business community to implement Texas-led conservation practices. The Texan 20 provides not only recognition to honorees, but a catalogue of best practices and metrics to industry peers.