Austin, Minn.-based George A. Hormel & Co.,...

Austin, Minn.-based George A. Hormel & Co., a major meat processor, posted a 15% rise in fourth-quarter profit on strong sales, despite a lingering labor strike. For its fiscal year, net income was slightly higher than in the same period last year on lower revenue. The reports were encouraging in light of higher raw material prices and a strike at the company’s Austin, Tex., plant and at FDL Foods in Dubuque, Iowa, which has a marketing agreement with Hormel.