LEASES

The Company leases 16 processing plants and storage locations, land surrounding certain processing plants, three office locations under operating leases and a portion of its transportation equipment under operating and capital leases. Leases are noncancellable and expire at various times through the year 2040. Minimum rental commitments under noncancellable leases as of January 3, 2015, are as follows (in thousands):



Period Ending Fiscal	Operating Leases		Capital Leases
2015	$	32,280	$	2,873
2016	28,840		2,290
2017	25,701		1,871
2018	23,353		1,049
2019	18,861		311
Thereafter	29,039		166
	$	158,074	$	8,560
Less amounts representing interest			(666		)
Capital lease obligations included in current and long-term debt			$	7,894

Darling through its wholly-owned subsidiary Griffin, leases two real properties located in Butler, Kentucky and real properties located in each of Jackson, Mississippi and Henderson, Kentucky from Martom Properties, LLC, an entity owned in part by Martin W. Griffin, the Company's Executive Vice President – Chief Operations Officer, North America. See Note 22 for further information on the Company's related party lease transactions.

Rent expense was approximately $29.6 million, $14.4 million and $12.6 million, for the fiscal years ended January 3, 2015, December 28, 2013 and December 29, 2012, respectively.

The Company's capital lease assets are included in property, plant and equipment and the capital lease obligations are included in the Company's current and long-term debt obligations on the consolidated balance sheet.