U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [_] Check box if no longer subject of Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* Sanderson William R. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 225 North 13th Avenue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) Laurel Mississippi 39440 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol SAFM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. IRS Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an Entity (Voluntary) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Statement for Month/Year February/March 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) ================================================================================ 6. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer (Check all applicable) [X] Director [X] 10% Owner [_] Officer (give title below) [_] Other (specify below) Director of Marketing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check applicable line) [X] Form filed by one Reporting Person [_] Form filed by more than one Reporting Person -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================================ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned ================================================================================ 6. 4. 5. Owner- Securities Acquired (A) or Amount of ship 3. Disposed of (D) Securities Form: 7. Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Direct Nature of 2. Code ------------------------------- Owned at End (D) or Indirect 1. Transaction (Instr. 8) (A) of Month Indirect Beneficial Title of Security Date ------------ Amount or Price (Instr. 3 (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) Code V (D) and 4) (Instr.4) (Instr. 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share 2/27/02 30,000 D $25.41 2,824,672 I (1) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cust. for Common Stock, par value minor $1.00 per share 28,134 I Children ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Director Common Stock par value of private $1.00 per share 150,604 I foundation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock par value Owner of $1.00 per share 128,835 D record ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Stock par value ESOP $1.00 per share 9,256 I Allocation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock par value $1.00 per share 8,460 I Wife owns ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The amount reported on Form 4 includes 2,824,672 shares of common stock benefically owned by Mr. Sanderson as co-executor of the Estate of Joe Frank Sanderson, deceased. The co-executors share voting and investment power with respect to the 2,824,672 shares owned directly by the Estate. The amount in the table also includes 150,604 shares owned directly by a private foundation established by Joe Frank Sanderson for which William R. Sanderson serves as a director, and as such, shares voting and investment power with the other directors of the foundation with respect to such shares. With respect to the 9,256 shares shown as indirect ownership by virtue of their allocation to Mr. Sanderson's account under the Employee Stock Ownership Trust established by Sanderson Farms, Inc. Mr. Sanderson has sole voting power over such shares, but the investment power in such shares are exercised by the trustees of the ESOP. This Form 4 includes 28,134 shares of common stock held by William R. Sanderson as custodian for his minor children over which he exercises sole voting and investment power. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ==================================================================================================================================== * If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see Instruction 4(b)(v). Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. (Print or Type Responses) (Over) (Form 4-07/99) FORM 4 (continued) Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) ================================================================================ 10. 9. Owner- Number ship of Form 2. Deriv- of Conver- 5. 7. ative Deriv- 11. sion Number of Title and Amount Secur- ative Nature or Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ities Secur- of Exer- 4. Securities Date Securities Price Bene- ity: In- cise 3. Trans- Acquired (A) Exercisable and (Instr. 3 and 4) of ficially Direct direct Price Trans- action or Disposed Expiration Date ---------------- Deriv- Owned (D) or Bene- 1. of action Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative at End In- ficial Title of Deriv- Date (Instr. (Instr. 3, ---------------- or Secur- of direct Owner- Derivative ative (Month/ 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity Month (I) ship Security Secur- Day/ ------ ------------ Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. 3) ity Year) Code V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Incentive Common Stock Options $10.875 3/07/02 D 7,500 7/25/97* 7/25/02 Stock 7,500 $22.62 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common $15.00 7/24/98* 7/24/07 Stock 7,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common $13.00 4/23/99* 4/23/08 Stock 2,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common $ 7.46875 4/21/01* 4/21/10 Stock 7,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common $ 7.188 5/01/01* 5/01/10 Stock 7,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common $11.10 4/28/02* 4/28/11 Stock 7,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== Explanation of Responses: *The options reported became 25% vested on the date indicated, and continue to vest at 25% on each anniversary date thereafter until fully vested. /s/Wiliam R. Sanderson March 7, 2002 --------------------------------------------- ----------------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.