The West Virginia Poultry Festival highlights how important poultry is to Moorefield, Hardy County and West Virginia agriculture. Each year, the community turns out to celebrate with various activities during festival week that symbolize another successful year in West Virginia poultry. Pilgrim’s is proud to play a role in this success and is looking forward to being a community leader for years to come.
The Moorefield facility is capable of processing 2.3 million birds a week and helps feed millions of Americans daily. With more than 1,000 employees and 100 locally contracted growers, Pilgrim’s is proud to be Hardy County’s largest employer and one of West Virginia’s top employers. The success of our Moorefield team members and local growers have made it possible for Pilgrim’s and JBS to continue investing in the community over the years.
Thanks to the Hometown Strong Initiative, Pilgrim’s has been able to invest millions of dollars into the area. Approximately $860,000 have been utilized for improvements in Moorefield, including establishing the Lil Peeps daycare facility in partnership with Teddy Bear Daycare, expanding Moorefield Town Park, building the Moorefield Indoor Recreation Center and establishing the Hardy County CPR & Training Center. Pilgrim’s is proud of these investments as they address important needs in the area.
Pilgrim’s largest and most recent project (in partnership with Premier Homes and Development) opened its doors in May – the employee housing complex and childcare center located in Eagle View Court. 12 units are currently in use and once fully completed, the $14.8 million project will contain one, two and three-bedroom apartments that are fully furnished. Each floor also contains an onsite laundry facility.
Our team members are our most vital part of our success. Providing team members with housing and childcare options within the community not only addresses the local housing needs but it also provides them with better work-life balance. This complex also helps our team members become more connected in the community in which they work and live.
Once finished, the complex will contain more than 160 units which can be rented at affordable rates that will not increase for 15 years. Nearly 200 Pilgrim’s employees already occupying housing throughout the region will have residency at the new facility first.
This will help address pressing housing needs in the area, supporting both economic growth and community stability. The childcare center provides another convenient option for families to take advantage of, showcasing Pilgrim’s continued leadership in providing housing and childcare options for team members.
Without the success of the poultry industry, these investments would not be possible. As demand for poultry continues to grow, Pilgrim’s must innovate as farming has evolved.
Presently, grower retirements and transitions have provided a challenge in Hardy County that must be addressed. These retirements were predicted in the 2022 West Virginia Poultry Census and sadly, there are not yet enough new growers coming online to fill the ever-growing demand of poultry. This is why some farms with more housing units are being utilized. Regardless of the size of the farming operations, a farm is still a farm. Each one of these farms contributes to the success of our community. Agriculture is in our roots and must continue to be supported.
As the leading poultry producing county in the state, Hardy County has an engrained economic engine and culture that surrounding and outlying counties are envious of.
Pilgrim’s is proud to play a role in this success and the impact it has on our team members, their families and the community.
Allen Collins is the complex manager of Pilgrim’s Moorefield. Pilgrim’s Moorefield is the largest employer in Hardy County and the largest agriculture facility in West Virginia. The facility produces chicken products that help feed millions of Americans.
