KD Farm of Stilwell, Oklahoma, was one of five farms across the United States to receive U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award during the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta. U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) sponsors the annual awards in recognition of exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production.
Applicants were rated in several categories, including manure management, nutrient management planning, community involvement, wildlife enhancement techniques, innovative nutrient management techniques, and participation in education and outreach programs. Applications were reviewed and farm visits conducted by a team of environmental professionals from universities, regulatory agencies and state poultry associations.
Kevin and Kim Doyle raise up to 53,400 turkeys per flock for Cargill. KD Farm takes great pride in keeping their farm orderly and adhering to litter management techniques specifically developed for their farm. One provision of their nutrient management plan that has contributed to the Doyle’s success is the prohibition of applying litter to pastures with a slope greater than or equal to 10 percent, thus ensuring that stormwater runoff does not remove nutrients applied to the pastures. To determine when and how much litter is applied to their fields, Kevin and Kim have the litter analyzed every other flock and the soil tested semiannually.
Kevin serves as the service chairman on the Farm Service Agency Board with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Adair County, Oklahoma. This office, which represents Adair, Sequoyah and Cherokee counties, allows Kevin to work with the public to assist them with identifying their farm needs and offers a great platform to educate the public on turkey operations in a predominantly beef-producing community.
In 2019, KD Farm received the Farm Bureau’s District 6 State Farm Family of the Year. This program serves as a vehicle to recognize outstanding farm families throughout the state for exceptional work on the farm and in the community, gain recognition of the importance of agriculture in the community and state, and share information on improved farm practices and management.
Mikell Fries, president of Claxton Poultry Farms and vice chairman for the USPOULTRY board of directors, presented the award to Kevin and Kim Doyle.
