A summary of property, equipment and leasehold improvements, net at December 31, 2017 and 2016 is as follows (in thousands):
 
Depreciable
Lives
(in years)
 
2017
 
2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land, buildings and leasehold improvements
2-25
 
$
408,886

 
$
379,927

Beef processing machinery and equipment
2-15
 
360,975

 
330,453

Other machinery and equipment
3-15
 
32,012

 
30,716

Corporate aircraft
10
 
104,952

 
104,862

Furniture, fixtures and office equipment
3-10
 
379,051

 
323,276

Construction in progress
N/A
 
72,560

 
54,693

Other
3-10
 
3,425

 
3,441

 
 
 
1,361,861

 
1,227,368

Accumulated depreciation and amortization
 
 
(611,458
)
 
(518,126
)
 
 
 
$
750,403

 
$
709,242

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2017Feb 27, 2018Showing above
2016Feb 27, 2017
2015Feb 19, 2016

About PP&E Disclosures

The PP&E disclosure details a company's physical asset base — land, buildings, machinery, and equipment — along with the depreciation methods and useful life assumptions that determine how these costs flow through the income statement. Capitalization policy thresholds reveal management's judgment on the boundary between expense and asset, directly affecting both reported earnings and asset values.

Key signals: changes in estimated useful lives or depreciation methods can materially shift reported earnings without any operational change. Compare capital expenditures against depreciation expense — when capex consistently trails depreciation, the asset base may be aging and underinvested. Watch for large asset impairments or write-downs that signal overvalued carrying amounts. Asset retirement obligations reveal future environmental or decommissioning costs that are often underappreciated. Compare PP&E intensity (PP&E-to-revenue) against industry peers to assess capital efficiency and competitive positioning.