Farmers Pride Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Farmers Pride Employee Profit Sharing and Savings Plan · d/b/a Bell and Evans
Fredericksburg, PAManufacturing1,940 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,753Employer $ per active participant
$3,017Employee $ saved per active participant
0.37%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$35.9MNet plan assets, end of year
$16,833Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity18.2 / 5036th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost8.2 / 2533th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving3.4 / 1523th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score37 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 36th |
| Lower admin cost | 33th |
| Employee saving | 23th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $65,410 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Farmers Pride put in about $1,753 per active participant, below the typical peer ($2,320). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.37% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.23%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $3,400,411 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $5,852,282 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,118,583 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $115,899 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $72,250 |
| Benefits paid out | $3,875,889 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $26.0M / $35.9M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 1,551 / 2,328 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,132 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | RKL LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Commonwealth Financial Network | $66,016 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $43,649 reported compensation |
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $6,233 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250902135418NAL0014473169001, received 2025-09-02, EIN 23-1475918, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.