Document:

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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.1

                            ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

                                       OF

                              SANDERSON FARMS, INC.

                            [Filed October 31, 1978]

         We, the undersigned natural persons of the age of twenty-one years or
more, acting as incorporators of a corporation under the Mississippi Business
Corporation Act, adopt the following Articles of Incorporation for such
corporation:

         FIRST: The name of the corporation is SANDERSON FARMS, INC.

         SECOND: The period of its duration is 99 years.

         THIRD: The specific purpose or purposes for which the corporation is
organized stated in general terms are:

         1.       To purchase, own, and hold the stock of other corporations,
                  and to do every act and thing attendant to the ownership of
                  such stock and to direct the operations of other corporations
                  through the ownership of the stock therein;

         2.       To serve in an advisory, managerial, and consultative capacity
                  to corporations, associations, partnerships, individuals, and
                  others, and to establish and maintain departments and
                  laboratories, if necessary, for industrial, financial,
                  statistical, inventory, and other research work, and to engage
                  generally in the business of providing, promoting, and
                  establishing systems, methods, and controls for industrial and
                  managerial efficiency and operations.

         3.       To investigate systems, methods, and controls of
                  manufacturing, plant operations, packing, storing, shipping,
                  marketing, inventories, accounting, and other operations
                  integral to any and all types of businesses and to make
                  recommendations, revise, adapt, modernize, and establish
                  economies to effect industrial and managerial efficiency and
                  in connection therewith to take over the entire operation and
                  business of any type of industry or other forms of endeavor
                  and to do all such things and to perform all such services as
                  may be necessary to carry out the foregoing purposes.

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         4.       To devise, develop, create, inaugurate, and contract for the
                  establishment, installation, and sale and rental of systems,
                  methods, and controls for efficient operation and management
                  of industrial manufacturing, mercantile, commercial,
                  agricultural, or other business concerns, firms, partnerships,
                  associations, and corporations and to provide, make available,
                  and furnish maintenance and supervision and to train and
                  instruct individuals in the operation, installation, and
                  maintenance of such systems, methods and controls.

         5.       To provide computer services to corporations, associations,
                  partnerships, individuals, and others and to establish
                  programs necessary for the proper operation and functioning of
                  such services.

         6.       So far as authorized by the law under which this certificate
                  is drawn: to examine and inspect the books and accounts of
                  others, to devise and install financial, checking,
                  correspondence, filing, and other office and business systems;
                  to take inventories; to make appraisals; to compile statistics
                  as an aid to the officers of the corporations and other
                  persons in the making of reports and statements; to do all
                  such things and perform or supply all such services as are
                  commonly done, performed, or supplied by business management
                  experts; and to warrant the accuracy of the work done or
                  services performed by it.

         7.       To do all the things necessary, convenient or desirable for
                  the accomplishment of any of the purposes or the attainment of
                  any of the objectives herein set forth and to do all things
                  incidental thereto which are not prohibited by law.

         It is the intention that the objects and purposes specified in the
foregoing clauses of this Article Third shall also be construed as powers and
that the forgoing enumeration of specific objects, purposes, and powers, shall
not be held to limit or restrict in any manner the powers of the corporation but
shall be in furtherance of and in addition to, and not in limitation of, the
general powers conferred by the laws of the State of Mississippi under the
Mississippi Business Corporation Act.

         It is also the intention that except as otherwise expressed herein the
objects, purposes, and powers specified in any of the foregoing clauses shall
not in anywise be limited or restricted by reference to or inference from the
terms of any other clause of this certificate, and that the

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objects, purposes, and powers specified in each of the clauses of this Article
Third shall be regarded as independent objects, purposes, and powers.

         FOURTH: The aggregate number of shares which the corporation shall have
authority to issue is Three Million (3,000,000) of the par value of One Dollar
($1.00) each.

         FIFTH: The corporation will not commence business until consideration
of the value of at least $1,000 has been received for the issuance of shares.

         SIXTH: The post office address of its initial registered office is 208
Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi, 39440, and the name of its initial
registered agent at such address is JOE FRANK SANDERSON.

         SEVENTH: The number of directors constituting the initial board of
directors of the corporation, which must be not less than three (3), is six and
the names and addresses of the persons who are to serve as directors until the
first annual meeting of shareholders or until their successors are elected and
shall qualify are:

<Table>
<Caption>
                  NAME                                       STREET AND POST OFFICE ADDRESS
<S>                                                  <C>
         D. R. Sanderson, Sr.                        208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         Joe Frank Sanderson                         208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         D. R. Sanderson, Jr.                        208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         J. Odell Johnson                            208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         Wyatt J. Davis, Jr.                         208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         Thomas R. Ward                              Broadmoor Mart, Meridian, Mississippi 39301
</Table>

         EIGHTH: The name and post office address of each incorporator is:

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<PAGE>

<Table>
<Caption>
                  NAME                                       STREET AND POST OFFICE ADDRESS
<S>                                                  <C>
         Joe Frank Sanderson                         208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         Wyatt J. Davis, Jr.                         208 Beacon Street, Laurel, Mississippi 39440
         Dated October 19, 1978.
</Table>

                                       /s/ Joe Frank Sanderson
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       JOE FRANK SANDERSON

                                       /s/ Wyatt J. Davis, Jr.
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       WYATT J. DAVIS, JR.

                                 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
COUNTY OF JONES

         This day personally appeared before me, the undersigned authority, JOE
FRANK SANDERSON and WYATT J. DAVIS, Incorporators of the corporation known as
the SANDERSON FARMS, INC., who acknowledged that they signed and executed the
above and foregoing Articles of Incorporation as their act and deed on this the
19th day of October, 1978.

                                       /s/ Barbara C. Robinson
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires:

September 22, 1981
------------------
(NOTARIAL SEAL)

                                       4<PAGE>
                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.2

                              ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT

                                     TO THE

                            ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

                                       OF

                              SANDERSON FARMS, INC.

                             [Filed March 23, 1987]

         Pursuant to the provisions of Section 61 of the Mississippi Business
Corporation Act, the undersigned corporation adopts the following Articles of
Amendment to its Articles of Incorporation:

         FIRST: The name of this corporation is SANDERSON FARMS, INC.

         SECOND: The following amendment of the Articles of Incorporation was
adopted by the shareholders of the corporation on March 23, 1987, in the manner
prescribed by the Mississippi Business Corporation Act:

         Present Article FOURTH is hereby deleted in its entirety and new
Article FOURTH is inserted to read:

                  "FOURTH:

                  "Section 1. The aggregate number of shares which the
         corporation is authorized to issue is thirty million (30,000,000),
         divided into two classes. The designation of each class, the number of
         shares of each class and the par value, if any, of the shares of each
         class, or a statement that the shares of any class are without par
         value, are as follows:

<PAGE>

<Table>
<Caption>
                                                                                  PAR VALUE PER
                                                                                SHARE OR STATEMENT
NUMBER OF                                                SERIES                  THAT SHARES ARE
 SHARES                     CLASS                       (IF ANY)                WITHOUT PAR VALUE
-------                     -----                       --------                ------------------
<S>                        <C>                       <C>                        <C>
25,000,000                 Common                    None                             $1.00

 5,000,000                 Preferred                 To be fixed and                  $1.00
                                                     determined by
                                                     Board of Directors
                                                     upon issuance
</Table>

                  "Section 2. The shares of preferred stock authorized by these
         Articles of Incorporation shall have no voting rights except as may
         otherwise be required by applicable law.

                  "Section 3. The Board of Directors of the corporation shall
         have the authority to establish one or more series of the preferred
         stock authorized by these Articles of Incorporation and to fix, with
         respect to each such series; the rate of dividend; whether shares may
         be redeemed and, if so, the redemption price and the terms and
         conditions of redemption; the amount payable upon shares in the event
         of voluntary or involuntary liquidation; sinking fund provisions, if
         any, for the redemption or purchase of shares; and the terms and
         conditions, if any, on which shares may be converted.

                  "Section 4. No amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of
         the corporation that would have the effect of reducing the number of
         authorized shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock or would reduce
         the authority of the Board of Directors to fix terms or conditions
         relating to any series of Preferred Stock, or would have the effect of
         modifying the terms or conditions relating to any series of Preferred
         Stock, once established by the

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         Board of Directors, shall be adopted unless such amendment shall
         receive the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the total number of
         shares of Common Stock outstanding; provided that this Section 4 shall
         not apply to, and such 75% vote shall not be required for, any such
         amendment recommended to the stockholders by the vote of at least
         two-thirds of the full Board of Directors of the corporation at a time
         when no person, corporation or other entity, either singly or together
         with its affiliates and associates (as such terms are defined in Rule
         12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities
         Exchange Act of 1934), other than the Sanderson Family (as defined
         hereinbelow), is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more
         than 25% of the outstanding shares of stock of the corporation entitled
         to vote in elections of directors. For purposes hereof, the 'Sanderson
         Family' means the children and grandchildren of D. R. Sanderson and
         Wilma W. Sanderson and the spouses of such children, but not the
         spouses of such grandchildren."

         THIRD: The number of shares of the corporation outstanding at the time
of such adoption was 1,205,061; and the number of shares entitled to vote
thereon was 1,205,061.

         FOURTH: The designation and number of outstanding shares of each class
entitled to vote thereon as a class were as follows:

                                      NONE

         FIFTH: The number of shares voted for such amendment was 1,151,347; and
the number of shares voted against such amendment was zero.

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         SIXTH: The number of shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a
class voted for and against such amendment, respectively, was:

                                      NONE

         SEVENTH: The manner, if not set forth in such amendment, in which any
exchange, reclassification, or cancellation of issued shares provided for in the
amendment shall be effected, is as follows:

                                    NO CHANGE

         EIGHTH: The manner in which such amendment effects a change in the
amount of stated capital, and the amount of stated capital (expressed in
dollars) as changed by such amendment, are as follows:

                                    NO CHANGE

         Dated: March 23, 1987.

                                       SANDERSON FARMS, INC.

                                       BY: /s/ J. Odell Johnson
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Its President

                                       BY: /s/ Wyatt J. Davis, Jr.
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Its Secretary

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<PAGE>

STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

COUNTY OF JONES

         I, Peggy Y. McKee, a notary public, do hereby certify that on this 23
day of March, 1987, personally appeared before me J. ODELL JOHNSON, who, being
by me first duly sworn, declared that he is the President of SANDERSON FARMS,
INC., that he executed the foregoing document as President of the Corporation,
and that the statements therein contained are true.

                                       /s/ Peggy Y. McKee
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       NOTARY PUBLIC

My Commission Expires:

April 23, 1989
----------------------

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