(a Delaware corporation) 20,000,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

EX-1.2 3 dex12.htm SHARES UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT, DATED SEPTEMBER 9, 2008 Shares Underwriting Agreement, dated September 9, 2008

Exhibit 1.2

TYSON FOODS, INC.

(a Delaware corporation)

20,000,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

Dated: September 9, 2008

TYSON FOODS, INC.

(a Delaware corporation)

20,000,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock

(Par Value $0.10 Per Share)

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

September 9, 2008

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.

277 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10172

MERRILL LYNCH & CO.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated

4 World Financial Center

New York, New York 10080

As Representatives of the several Underwriters

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Tyson Foods, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. (“J.P. Morgan”) and Merrill Lynch & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“Merrill Lynch”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom J.P. Morgan and Merrill Lynch are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) set forth in Schedule A hereto, and with respect to the grant by the Company to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of 3,000,000 additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The aforesaid 20,000,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Initial Securities”) to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the “Option Securities”) are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Securities.”

Concurrently with the issuance of the Securities, the Company is offering in an offering registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) and by means of a prospectus supplement, $450 million aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2013 (the “Convertible Securities”, and such offering, the “Convertible Securities Offering”). The Representatives are acting as representatives of the underwriters (collectively, the “Convertible Securities Underwriters”) in the Convertible Securities Offering. The Company has granted the Convertible Securities Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional $67.5 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Securities. The Company and the Convertible Securities Underwriters will be entering into an underwriting agreement with respect to the Convertible Securities Offering.

The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-132434), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses, which registration statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “1933 Act Regulations”) under the 1933 Act. Such registration statement as amended, including by the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto, covers the registration of the Securities and the Convertible Securities under the 1933 Act. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430B (“Rule 430B”) of the 1933 Act Regulations and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 (“Rule 424(b)”) of the 1933 Act Regulations. Any information included in such prospectus that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of and included in such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B is referred to as “Rule 430B Information.” Each prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities that omitted Rule 430B Information is herein called a “preliminary prospectus.” Such registration statement, at any given time, including the amendments thereto to such time (including Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto), the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at such time and the documents otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included therein by 1933 Act Regulations, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the “Original Registration Statement.” The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities, including the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act at the time of the execution of this Agreement and any preliminary prospectuses that form a part thereof, is herein called the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”).

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) which is incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, the Applicable Time referred to in Section 1(a)(ii) hereof and as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Date of Delivery (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i) Status as a Well-Known Seasoned Issuer. (A) At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, (B) at the time of filing the Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 thereto, (C) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act or form of prospectus), (D) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations and (E) at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”), including not having been and not being an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement,” as defined in Rule 405, and the Securities, since their registration on the Registration Statement, have been and remain eligible for registration by the Company on a Rule 405 “automatic shelf registration statement”. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form.

At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405.

(ii) Registration Statement, Prospectus and Disclosure at Time of Sale. The Original Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”), and any post-effective amendments thereto, including Post-Effective Amendment No. 1, have also become effective upon filing under Rule 462(e). No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the filing of the Original Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the 1933 Act provided by Rule 163.

At the respective times the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, including Post-Effective Amendment No. 1, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

Each preliminary prospectus (including the prospectus or prospectuses filed as part of the Original Registration Statement or any amendment thereto) complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T and except for filing fees information.

As of the Applicable Time, neither (x) the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below), the Final Term Sheet (as defined below), all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

As of the time of the filing of the Final Term Sheet, the General Disclosure Package, when considered together with the Final Term Sheet (as defined in Section 3(b)), will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:

“Applicable Time” means 6:00 P.M. (Eastern time) on September 9, 2008 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, including the Final Term Sheet, (ii) is a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule D hereto.

“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.

Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the issuer notified or notifies the Representatives as described in Section 3(e), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.

The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

(iii) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations or the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), as applicable, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, (a) at the time the Original Registration Statement became effective, (b) at the earlier of the time the Prospectus was first used and the Applicable Time and (c) at the Closing Time (and if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(iv) Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Ernst & Young LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the 1933 Act.

(v) Financial Statements. The financial statements, and the related notes thereto, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their consolidated cash flows for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis, except as described in the notes to such financial statements, and the supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in such Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein.

(vi) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, there has not been any material adverse change, or any development known by the Company (after diligent inquiry) involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, financial position, stockholders’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, otherwise than as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the Prospectus; and except as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the Prospectus neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary course of business) material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(vii) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the state of its incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties, or conducts any business, so as to require such qualification, other than where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(viii) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each of the Company’s subsidiaries that constitutes a “significant subsidiary” within the meaning of Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the Commission (the “Material Subsidiaries”) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, other than where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock of each Material Subsidiary of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully-paid and non-assessable, and (except in the case of foreign subsidiaries, for directors’ qualifying shares) are owned by the Company, directly or indirectly, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, security interests and claims.

(ix) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in the column entitled “Actual” under the caption “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement, pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of convertible securities or options referred to in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

(x) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(xi) Authorization and Description of Securities. The Securities have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set forth herein, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the Common Stock conforms in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such description conforms in all material respects to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same; no holder of the Securities will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of the Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

(xii) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its Material Subsidiaries is, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would be, in violation of or in default under, its Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws or any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them or any of their respective properties is bound, except for violations and defaults which individually or in the aggregate are not material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or to the holders of the Securities; the issue and sale of the Securities and the performance by the Company of all of its obligations hereunder and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other material agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is subject, except for conflicts, breaches or defaults that, singly or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, nor will any such action result in any violation of the provisions of (A) the Certificate of Incorporation or the By-Laws of the Company or (B) any applicable law or statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company, its Material Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, except, in the case of (B) above, for violations that, singly or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as have been obtained under the 1933 Act and as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky Laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriter.

(xiii) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor disputes exist with employees of the Company or of its Material Subsidiaries that could, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(xiv) Absence of Proceedings. Other than as set forth, incorporated by reference or contemplated in the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its Material Subsidiaries is or may be the subject which could, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others; and there are no contracts or other documents of a character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which are not filed or described as required.

(xv) Possession of Intellectual Property. Each of the Company and its Material Subsidiaries owns or possesses the right to use the patents, patent licenses, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) reasonably necessary to carry on the business conducted by each as conducted on the date hereof, except to the extent that the failure to own or possess the right to use such Intellectual Property would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to

have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and, except as set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any Material Subsidiary has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property, except for notices the content of which if accurate would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.

(xvi) Absence of Further Requirements. No material filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws.

(xvii) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and each of its Material Subsidiaries have all licenses, franchises, permits, authorizations, approvals and orders of and from all governmental and regulatory officials and bodies that are necessary to own or lease and operate their properties and conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus and that are material in relation to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, except where the failure to possess such licenses or authorizations would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.

(xviii) Investment Company Act. The Company is not an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company”, as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

(xix) Environmental Laws. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its Material Subsidiaries is in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health or the environment or imposing liability or standards of conduct concerning any Hazardous Material (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The term “Hazardous Material” means (i) any “hazardous substance” as defined by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, (ii) any “hazardous waste” as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended, (iii) any petroleum or petroleum product, (iv) any polychlorinated biphenyl, and (v) any pollutant or contaminant or hazardous, dangerous, or toxic chemical, material, waste or substance regulated under or within the meaning of any other Environmental Law.

(xx) Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (1) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (2) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets; (3) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (4) the recorded accountability for assets is

compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (I) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (II) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries employ disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.

(xxi) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(xxii) Pending Proceedings and Examinations. The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the 1933 Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities.

(xxiii) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, within the past three years, neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a material violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”), including without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in the furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA, and except as described or incorporated by reference in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in material compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonable expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

(xxiv) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no material action, suit

or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(xxv) OFAC. Neither the Company nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or person acting on behalf of the Company is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasure Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

(xxvi) No Stabilization. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.

(b) Officer’s Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

(a) Initial Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at the price per share set forth in Schedule C, the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof.

(b) Option Securities. In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock at the price per share set forth in Schedule C, less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. The option hereby granted will expire 30 days after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Securities upon notice by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and date of delivery (a “Date of Delivery”) shall be determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined. If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments as the Representatives in their discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.

(c) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company,

at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Time”).

In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company.

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of certificates for the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, which it has agreed to purchase. The Representatives, each individually and not as representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Initial Securities or the Option Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

(d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be. The certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the Representatives in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be.

SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests; Payment of Filing Fees. The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of a new registration statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information relating to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or such new registration statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will effect the filings required under Rule 424(b), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take

such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations (including, if applicable, by updating the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)).

(b) Filing of Amendments and Exchange Act Documents; Preparation of Final Term Sheet. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any preliminary prospectus (including any prospectus included in the Original Registration Statement or amendment thereto at the time it became effective) or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company has given the Representatives notice of any filings made pursuant to the 1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations within 48 hours prior to the execution of this Agreement; the Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to make any such filing from the execution of this Agreement to the Closing Time and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company will prepare a final term sheet (the “Final Term Sheet”), attached hereto as Schedule B, reflecting the final pricing terms of the Convertible Securities and the Securities, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, and shall file such Final Term Sheet as an “issuer free writing prospectus” pursuant to Rule 433 prior to the close of business two business days after the date hereof; provided that the Company shall furnish the Representatives with copies of any such Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not use or file any such document to which the Representatives or counsel to the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

(c) Delivery of Registration Statement. Upon request, the Company will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, conformed copies of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof) and conformed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or to file a new registration statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable (if it is not an automatic shelf registration statement with respect to the Securities) and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement (or any other registration statement relating to the Securities) or the Statutory Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date hereof; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. The Company will also supply the Underwriters with such information as is necessary for the determination of the legality of the Securities for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may request.

(g) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds.”

(i) Listing. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to effect the listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange.

(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During a period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, with specified exceptions, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of any share of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (i) the Securities to be sold hereunder, (ii) in connection with the Convertible Securities Offering or convertible note hedge transactions and warrant transactions that the Company and affiliates of the Representatives are entering into in connection with the Convertible Securities Offering, (iii) any sale or transfer of shares of Common Stock (restricted or otherwise), stock options, stock units and performance shares pursuant to any existing employee benefits plans or director compensation plans of the Company, or (iv) any sale or transfer of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of stock options outstanding on the date hereof under existing employee benefit plans or director compensation plans of the Company.

(k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

(l) Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission; provided, however, that prior to the preparation of the Final Term Sheet in accordance with Section 3(b), each Underwriter is authorized to use the information with respect to the final terms of the Securities in communications conveying information related to the offering to investors. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Representatives or by the Company and the Representatives, as the case may be, is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.

SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.

(a) Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel,

accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Securities, (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show and (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange.

(b) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 or Section 9(a)(i) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Filing of Prospectus; Payment of Filing Fee. The Registration Statement has become effective and at Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430B Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and become effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B). The Final Term Sheet and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act Regulations shall have been timely filed. The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time period required by Rule 456(1)(i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).

(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of (i) Sidley Austin LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request and (ii) R. Read Hudson, Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for

each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

(c) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the favorable opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

(d) Officers’ Certificate. At Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated by the Commission.

(e) Accountant’s Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(f) Bring-down Comfort Letter. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing Time.

(g) Approval of Listing. At Closing Time, the Securities shall have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.

(h) Lock-up Agreements. At the date of this Agreement (and in the case of James V. Lochner, as soon as practicable thereafter but no later than the Closing Time), the Representatives shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule E hereto.

(i) Maintenance of Rating. At Closing Time, the Convertible Securities shall be rated at least Ba3 by Moody’s Investor’s Service Inc. and BB- (with negative outlook) by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group, a division of McGraw-Hill, Inc., and the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives a letter dated the Closing Time, from each such rating agency, or other evidence satisfactory to the Representatives, confirming that the Securities have at least such ratings; and since the date of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred a downgrading in the rating assigned to the Convertible Securities or any of the Company’s other debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical organization,” as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the 1933 Act, below the levels described in this Section 5(i).

(j) Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities. In the event that the Underwriters exercise their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Securities, the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received:

(i) Officers’ Certificate. A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company confirming that the certificate delivered at the Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(d) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

(ii) Opinion of Counsel for Company. The favorable opinion of Sidley Austin LLP, counsel for the Company, together with the favorable opinion of R. Read Hudson, Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, each in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(b) hereof.

(iii) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The favorable opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.

(iv) Bring-down Comfort Letter. A letter from Ernst & Young LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Representatives pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof, except that the “specified date” in the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than five days prior to such Date of Delivery.

(k) Additional Documents. At Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.

(l) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option Securities, on a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, the obligations of

the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Securities, may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations (each, an “Affiliate”), its selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company;

(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information or any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430B Information or any

preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.

(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representatives, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party. Subject to Section 6(d) hereof, no indemnified party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnifying party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened or any claim whatsoever in respect of which such indemnification or contribution would be sought hereunder.

(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.

SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company, and (ii) delivery of and payment for the Securities.

SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement.

(a) Termination; General. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) or the General Disclosure Package, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at Closing Time or a Date of Delivery to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

(a) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

(b) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Date of Delivery which occurs after the Closing Time, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the Option Securities to be purchased and sold on such Date of Delivery shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Company to sell the relevant Option Securities, as the case may be, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.

SECTION 11. Tax Disclosure. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, immediately upon commencement of discussions with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, the Company (and each employee, representative or other agent of the Company) may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to the Company relating to such tax treatment and tax structure. For purposes of the foregoing, the term “tax treatment” is the purported or claimed federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the term “tax structure” includes any fact that may be relevant to understanding the purported or claimed federal income tax treatment of the transactions contemplated hereby.

SECTION 12. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to J.P. Morgan Securities at 277 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10172 (fax: (212) ###-###-####), attention of Equity Syndicate Desk and to Merrill Lynch at 4 World Financial Center, New York, New York 10080, attention of Equity Capital Markets with a copy to the attention of Global Origination Counsel; and notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 2210 West Oaklawn Drive, Springdale, Arkansas ###-###-####, attention of Chief Financial Officer.

SECTION 13. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

SECTION 14. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

SECTION 15. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 16. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

SECTION 17. TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

SECTION 18. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement.

SECTION 19. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.


Very truly yours,

TYSON FOODS, INC.

By		/s/ Dennis Leatherby
		Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer


CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED, as of the date first above written:

J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES INC.

By		/s/ Sudheer Tegulapalle
		Authorized Signatory

MERRILL LYNCH & CO. MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED

By		/s/ Brian Callaci
		Authorized Signatory

For themselves and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.

SCHEDULE A


Name of Underwriter		Number of Initial Securities
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.		8,489,000
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated		8,489,000
Barclays Capital Inc.		454,000
Rabo Securities USA, Inc.		454,000
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.		454,000
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.		200,000
Mizuho Securities USA Inc.		200,000
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.		200,000
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC		200,000
BNP Paribas Securities Corp.		100,000
Daiwa Securities America Inc.		100,000
Lazard Capital Markets LLC		100,000
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC		80,000
D.A. Davidson & Co.		80,000
Goldman, Sachs & Co.		80,000
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.		80,000
ING Financial Markets LLC		80,000
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated		80,000
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.		80,000

Total		20,000,000

Sch A-1

SCHEDULE B

Final Term Sheet


Pricing Term Sheet		Filed pursuant to Rule 433
dated as of September 9, 2008		Registration File No. 333-132434
		Supplementing the Preliminary
		Prospectus Supplements
		dated September 4, 2008 and the
		Prospectuses dated September 4, 2008

Tyson Foods, Inc.

Concurrent Offerings of

20,000,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share

(the “Common Stock Offering”)

and

$450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of

3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2013

(the “Convertible Senior Notes Offering”)

The information in this pricing term sheet relates only to the Common Stock Offering and Convertible Senior Notes Offering and should be read together with (i) the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 relating to the Common Stock Offering, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, (ii) the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 relating to the Convertible Senior Notes Offering, including the documents incorporated by reference therein and (iii) the related base prospectus dated September 4, 2008, each filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Registration Statement No. 333-132434.


Issuer:		Tyson Foods, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Ticker / Exchange for Common Stock:		TSN / The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).

S&P Rating:		Corporate family rating downgraded to “BB” with negative outlook.

Trade Date:		September 9, 2008.

Settlement Date:		September 15, 2008.

Common Stock Offering

Title of Securities:		Class A common stock, par value $0.10 per share, of the Issuer.

Shares Offered and Sold:		20,000,000 (or 23,000,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full).

Public Offering Price:		$12.75 per share / $255 million total.

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions:		$0.5418 per share / $10.836 million total.

Proceeds, Before Expenses, to the Issuer:		$12.2082 per share / $244.164 million total.

Use of Proceeds:		The Issuer estimates that the net proceeds from the Common Stock Offering, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and before estimated offering expenses, will be approximately $244.164 million (or approximately $280.789 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full). The Issuer intends to apply the net proceeds from the Common Stock Offering, together with the net proceeds from the Convertible Senior Notes Offering described below, as follows: (i) towards the repayment of the Issuer’s borrowings under its accounts receivable securitization and (ii) for other general corporate purposes.

Sch B-1


Commissions and Discounts:		The underwriters have advised the Issuer that they propose initially to offer the shares to the public at the Public Offering Price, and to dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $0.3250 per share.

Joint Book-Running Managers:		J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.

Co-Managers:		Barclays Capital Inc., Rabo Securities USA, Inc., SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Mizuho Securities USA Inc., Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Daiwa Securities America Inc., Lazard Capital Markets LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, D.A. Davidson & Co., Goldman, Sachs & Co., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., ING Financial Markets LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Convertible Senior Notes Offering

Notes:		3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2013.

Aggregate Principal Amount Offered:		$450,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes (excluding the underwriters’ option to purchase up to $67,500,000 of additional aggregate principal amount of Notes to cover over-allotments, if any).

Public Offering Price:		$1,000 per Note / $450 million total.

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions:		$25.00 per Note / $11.25 million total.

Proceeds, Before Expenses, to the Issuer:		$975.00 per Note / $438.75 million total.

Maturity:		The notes will mature on October 15, 2013, subject to earlier repurchase or conversion.

Annual Interest Rate:		3.25% per annum.

Interest Payment Dates:		Interest will accrue from September 15, 2008, and will be payable semiannually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year, beginning on April 15, 2009, to the person in whose name a Note is registered at the close of business on April 1 or October 1, as the case may be, immediately preceding the relevant interest payment date.

NYSE Closing Stock Price on September 9, 2008:		$13.02 per share of the Issuer’s Class A common stock.

Reference Price:		$12.75 per share of the Issuer’s Class A common stock, the Public Offering Price per share in the Common Stock Offering.

Conversion Premium:		32.5% above the Reference Price.

Initial Conversion Price:		Approximately $16.89 per share of Class A common stock.

Initial Conversion Rate:		59.1935 shares of Class A common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes.

Conversion Trigger Price:		Approximately $21.96, which is 130% of the Initial Conversion Price.

Sch B-2


Conversion Upon Satisfaction of Trading Price Condition:		The following sentence replaces the last sentence of the second paragraph under “Description of notes—Conversion upon satisfaction of trading price condition” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering: If the Issuer does not so instruct the bid solicitation agent to obtain bids when required, the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes will be deemed to be less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Issuer’s Class A common stock and the applicable conversion rate on each day the Issuer fails to do so.

Use of Proceeds:		The Issuer estimates that the proceeds from the Convertible Senior Notes Offering will be approximately $438.750 million (or approximately $504.563 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional Notes in full), after deducting fees and before estimated offering expenses. The Issuer expects to use (i) a portion of the net proceeds for the cost of the convertible note hedge transactions and (ii) any remaining proceeds, together with the net proceeds from the Common Stock Offering, towards the repayment of the Issuer’s borrowings under its accounts receivable securitization and for other general corporate purposes.

Total Gross Proceeds:		The Issuer expects to raise approximately $705 million in aggregate gross proceeds from the Common Stock Offering and Convertible Senior Notes Offering.

Commissions and Discounts:		The underwriters have advised the Issuer that they propose initially to offer the Notes at a price of 100% of the principal amount of Notes, plus accrued interest from the original issue date of the Notes, if any, and to dealers at a price less a concession not in excess of 1.50% of the principal amount of the Notes, plus accrued interest from the original issue date of the Notes, if any. The following table shows the Public Offering Price, underwriting discount and proceeds before expenses (which expenses, not including the underwriting discount, are estimated to be $1,243,000 and are payable by the Issuer) to the Issuer. The information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option. The underwriters have agreed to reimburse certain of the Issuer’s offering expenses.


	Per Note		Without Option		With Option
Public offering price	$	1,000	$	450,000,000	$	517,500,000
Underwriting discount	$	25	$	11,250,000	$	12,937,500
Proceeds, before expenses, to the Issuer	$	975	$	438,750,000	$	504,562,500


FINRA Regulations:		Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated has agreed to act as qualified independent underwriter for the offering.

Joint Book-Running Managers:		J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated.

Co-Managers:		Barclays Capital Inc., Rabo Securities USA, Inc., SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Mizuho Securities USA Inc., Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Daiwa Securities America Inc., Lazard Capital Markets LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, D.A. Davidson & Co., Goldman, Sachs & Co., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., ING Financial Markets LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

CUSIP Number:		902494 AP8

Sch B-3


Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions:		The convertible note hedge transactions cover, subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments, approximately 26.637 million shares of the Issuer’s Class A common stock. The warrants issued to affiliates of the underwriters of the Notes cover, subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments, approximately 26.637 million shares of the Issuer’s Class A common stock. The cost of the convertible note hedge transactions, after being partially offset by the proceeds from the sale of the warrants, was $48.375 million. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional Notes, the Issuer will use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the additional Notes to increase the size of the convertible note hedge transactions and the Issuer will sell additional warrants.

Fundamental Change:		The following sentence replaces the third full paragraph under “Description of notes—Fundamental change permits holders to require us to purchase notes” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering: A fundamental change as a result of clause (3) of the definition thereof will not be deemed to have occurred if 100% of the consideration received or to be received by the Issuer’s Class A common stockholders, excluding cash payments for fractional shares, in connection with the transaction or transactions constituting the fundamental change consists of common stock traded on a national securities exchange or which will be so traded or quoted when issued or exchanged in connection with a fundamental change (these securities being referred to as “publicly traded securities”) and as a result of this transaction or transactions the Notes become convertible into such publicly traded securities, excluding cash payments for fractional shares (subject to the provisions set forth under “Description of notes—Conversion rights—Payment upon conversion” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering). The following replaces clause (5) of the definition of “fundamental change” set forth in “Description of notes—Fundamental change permits holders to require us to purchase notes” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering: “the Issuer’s Class A common stock (or other common stock into which the Notes are then convertible) ceases to be listed or quoted on a national securities exchange in the United States, except as a result of a merger to which the Issuer is party or a tender offer or exchange offer for the Issuer’s Class A common stock or other common stock into which the notes are then convertible.”

Adjustment to Shares Delivered upon Conversion upon a Make-Whole Fundamental Change:		If a “make-whole fundamental change” occurs and a holder elects to convert its Notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change, the Issuer will, under certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for the Notes so surrendered for conversion by a number of additional shares of Class A common stock (the “additional shares”), as described in “Description of notes—Adjustment to shares delivered upon conversion upon a make-whole fundamental change” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering. A “make-whole fundamental change” means a “fundamental change” (as defined in “Description of notes—Fundamental change permits holders to require us to purchase notes” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering but as modified by the provisions opposite the caption “Fundamental Change” above) determined after giving effect to any exceptions or exclusions to such

Sch B-4

definition, but without regard to the proviso in the third clause of the definition thereof. The foregoing definition replaces the definition of “make-whole fundamental change” set forth in “Description of notes—Adjustment to shares delivered upon a make-whole fundamental change” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering. In addition, the reference to the “second clause” of the definition of fundamental change in the second sentence under the caption “Description of notes—Adjustment to shares delivered upon a make-whole fundamental change” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering is hereby replaced with a reference to “third clause” of the definition of fundamental change.

The following table sets forth the amount if any by which the conversion rate per $1,000 principal amount of Notes will increase for each stock price and effective date set forth below:


	Stock Price
Effective Date	$	12.75	$	15.00	$	17.50	$	20.00	$	25.00	$	30.00	$	40.00	$	50.00	$	75.00	$	100.00
September 15, 2008		19.2378		13.8510		10.1538		7.8110		5.1794		3.8318		2.5411		1.9605		1.2842		0.9678
October 15, 2009		19.2378		13.4137		9.7924		7.0764		4.4749		3.2220		2.1048		1.6206		1.0648		0.8029
October 15, 2010		19.2378		12.8107		8.6205		6.1315		3.6158		2.5066		1.6177		1.2510		0.8273		0.6242
October 15, 2011		19.2378		11.8944		7.3693		4.8388		2.5354		1.6709		1.0837		0.8465		0.5619		0.4214
October 15, 2012		19.2378		10.1590		5.2645		2.8774		1.2011		0.7874		0.5538		0.4435		0.2983		0.2252
October 15, 2013		19.2378		7.4732		0.0000		0.0000		0.0000		0.0000		0.0000		0.0000		0.0000		0.0000

The exact stock prices and effective dates may not be set forth in the table above, in which case:

•

If the stock price is between two stock prices in the table or the effective date is between two effective dates in the table, the number of additional shares will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of additional shares set forth for the higher and lower stock prices and the earlier and later effective dates, based on a 365-day year.

•

If the stock price is greater than $100.00 per share (subject to adjustment), no additional shares will be added to the conversion rate.

•

If the stock price is less than $12.75 per share (subject to adjustment), no additional shares will be added to the conversion rate.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the conversion rate exceed 78.4313 per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, subject to adjustments in the same manner as the applicable conversion rate as set forth under “Description of notes—Conversion rate adjustments” in the preliminary prospectus supplement dated September 4, 2008 for the Convertible Senior Notes Offering.

The Issuer has filed a registration statement (including prospectuses each dated as of September 4, 2008 and preliminary prospectus supplements dated September 4, 2008) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, for the offerings to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the relevant preliminary prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the other documents the Issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Issuer and the offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC web site at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, copies may be obtained by calling J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. toll-free at ###-###-#### or Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated toll-free at ###-###-####.

This communication should be read in conjunction with the preliminary prospectus supplements dated September 4, 2008 and the accompanying prospectuses. The information in this communication supersedes the information in the relevant preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectuses to the extent inconsistent with the information in such preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

ANY DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES THAT MAY APPEAR BELOW ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. SUCH DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES WERE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMMUNICATION BEING SENT VIA BLOOMBERG OR ANOTHER EMAIL SYSTEM.

Sch B-5

SCHEDULE C

TYSON FOODS, INC.

20,000,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock

(Par Value $0.10 Per Share)

1. The initial public offering price per share for the Securities, determined as provided in said Section 2, shall be $12.75.

2. The purchase price per share for the Securities to be paid by the several Underwriters shall be $12.2082, being an amount equal to the initial public offering price per share set forth above less $0.5418 per share; provided that the purchase price per share for any Option Securities purchased upon the exercise of the over-allotment option described in Section 2(b) shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities.

Sch C-1

SCHEDULE D

GENERAL USE FREE WRITING PROSPECTUS

1.	Free Writing Prospectus dated September 4, 2008.

2.	Final Term Sheet, a copy of which is attached in Schedule B.

Sch D-1

SCHEDULE E

List of persons and entities subject to lock-up

Don Tyson

2.	John Tyson

3.	Richard L. Bond

4.	Lloyd V. Hackley

Jim Kever

6.	Kevin M. McNamara

7.	Jo Ann R. Smith

8.	Barbara A. Tyson

9.	Albert C. Zapanta

10.	James V. Lochner

11.	Dennis Leatherby

12.	Craig J. Hart

13.	Bernard Leonard

14.	Donnie King

15.	Donnie Smith

16.	David Van Bebber

17.	Richard A. Greubel, Jr.

18.	Tyson Limited Partnership

E-1