Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs, presented the award to Feed Mill Manager Hector Pacheco, center, Regional Hatchery Manager Aaron McCaskill, left, and Director of Live, Rob Dotson, right.
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), in partnership with Feedstuffs and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), named Mountaire Farms’ Scotland County feed mill in Maxton, N.C., as its 2022 Integrator Feed Facility of the Year (FFY). Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs, presented the award Tuesday to plant manager Hector Pacheco, during the USPOULTRY Feed Mill Management Seminar.
“We selected Mountaire Farms as this year’s winner because of their commitment to employee safety, community involvement and animal food safety,” said Huddleston. “I was impressed by the company’s ‘Mountaire Cares’ community program and its unique ‘Goal Zero’ employee safety program.”
In 2021, the Maxton, N.C., plant produced 1,056,550 tons of feed with their plant and has designed plans to expand the facility to increase its capacity to more than 1.5 million tons per year. Additionally, all six of Mountaire Farms’ facilities are Safe Feed/Safe Food certified through AFIA’s certification program.
The company’s dedication to its community and employees is demonstrated through Mountaire Farms’ two programs: Goal Zero, which aims for zero workplace accidents; and Mountaire Cares, which dedicates volunteer work within the company’s communities through charitable giving to local nonprofits and charities, community leadership programs and scholarships.
The AFIA has been recognizing excellent feed manufacturing facilities through the Feed Facility of the Year program since 1985, with 2021 marking the first year that the association began issuing top industry awards to facilities in four categories: commercial dry, liquid feed, premix and ingredient, and integrator. Learn more at afia.org/FFY.
