Wayne Farms LLC is an American producer and processor of

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, a ...

based in

Oakwood, Georgia Oakwood is a city in Hall County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2020 census, up from 3,970 in 2010. Oakwood is home to the University of North Georgia Gain ...

. As a subsidiary of ContiGroup, Wayne Farms operates

hatcheries A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled condi ...

, feed mills, finishing farms, and processing facilities to supply poultry to retail and foodservice customers worldwide. Its 13 processing facilities span the southeast region of the United States with its corporate headquarters located in

. Wayne Farms LLC sells fresh, frozen, boneless, and fully cooked poultry to retail and foodservice customers worldwide under the brands of Wayne Farms and Platinum Harvest. On July 22, 2022, Wayne Farms merged with

Sanderson Farms Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer which is based in Laurel, Mississippi. It is the third largest poultry producer in the United States and produces 13.65 million chickens per week. On July 22, 2022, it merged with Wayne Farms to f ...

to form Wayne-Sanderson Farms. The new company is controlled by a joint venture between

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...

and

Conti Conti is an Italian surname. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 63.5% of all known bearers of the surname ''Conti'' were residents of Italy (frequency 1:756), 11.8% of the United States (1:24,071), 9.2% of Brazil (1:17,439), 6.3% of Argentina ...

(also known as Continental Grain Co. or ContiGroup).

History

The history of the company goes back to 1895 and was known for feed milling. In 1916, D.W. McMillen started manufacturing a feed by the name of 'Wayne' which was later chosen as a name for the company. In 1965, Allied Mills spun-out its poultry business in order to focus on manufacturing and named the new company, Wayne Farms. The decision was taken in the light of recent acquisition of 51 percent shares by Continental Grain Co. Wayne Farms operated in

Albertville Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...

and

Union Springs, Alabama Union Springs is a city in and county seat of Bullock County, Alabama, United States. The population was 3,980 at the 2010 census. History The area that became Union Springs was first settled by white men after the Creek Indian removal of the ...

. Eventually, the company acquired processing plants in

Danville, Arkansas Danville is a city in Yell County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,409 at the 2010 census. Along with Dardanelle, it is one of two county seats for Yell County. Danville is part of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...

;

Laurel, Mississippi Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. It is located northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first coun ...

;

Decatur, Alabama Decatur (dɪˈkeɪtə(r)) is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City", it is located in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake ...

;

Dobson, North Carolina Dobson is a town in Dobson Township, Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,396. It is the county seat of Surry County. Dobson is the home of the Shelton Vineyards, the largest winery in No ...

;

Pendergrass, Georgia Pendergrass is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1692 at the time of the 2020 census. History The town was chartered by an act of the Georgia Legislature on December 30, 1890. The community was named after J. B. ...

;

Enterprise, Alabama Enterprise is a city in the southeastern part of Coffee County and the southwestern part of Dale County in Southeastern Alabama, United States. Its population was 28,711 at the 2020 census. Enterprise is the primary city of the Enterprise micr ...

;

College Park, Georgia College Park is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton and Clayton County, Georgia, Clayton counties, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States Census, 20 ...

and

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...

. The Dutch Quality House brand was created in 1978, and acquired by the company in 1985 through the purchase of a processing plant in

. Additionally, the company purchased plants in

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

and

Douglas, Georgia Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,722. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...

and built two new plants in

. The company later sold the Bossier City location in October 2005. The Dutch Quality House brand name was retired in 2017. In September 2021, it was announced that Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms will be merged into one company. In July 2022, they merged to form Wayne-Sanderson Farms.

References

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External links

Official website
Companies based in Hall County, Georgia Food manufacturers of the United States Agriculture companies of the United States Brand name poultry meats Poultry companies Poultry farming in the United States Meat companies of the United States American companies established in 1965 Agriculture companies established in 1965 Food and drink companies established in 1965 1965 establishments in Alabama 2022 mergers and acquisitions

History

See also

References

External links