Wayne-Sanderson Farms Earns 16 Awards at 2025 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry

OAKWOOD, GA (September 3, 2025) – Wayne-Sanderson Farms was recently honored by the Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council for its commitment to employee health and safety. During this year’s National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry, the Company received seven Awards of Distinction, the program’s highest honor, along with nine Awards of Honor, recognizing strong safety performance at 16 of its facilities.

“By making safety a priority, every team member contributed to this recognition,” said Kevin McDaniel, President and CEO of Wayne-Sanderson Farms. “These awards reflect countless hours of training, focus, and hands-on supervision, resulting in fewer injuries, reduced downtime, and a safer, more rewarding work environment for our people.”

Presented annually by the Joint Industry Safety & Health Council, comprised of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation, these awards recognize outstanding safety performance across the poultry industry. This year’s recipients were selected based on injury statistics from the past two years and a review of written applications evaluated by academic and safety professionals.

“The safety awards serve as validation of the hard work and dedication we see every day from our safety and operational leaders,” said John Horne, Vice President of Health & Safety for Wayne-Sanderson Farms. “Safety here is more than a program; it reflects our core value of excellence, demonstrated daily across all areas of our operations.”

The Wayne-Sanderson Farms facilities recognized at the 2025 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry include:

Awards of Distinction:

  • Ozark, AL Feed Mill
  • Danville, AR: Feed Mill
  • Dothan, AL: Hatchery
  • Enterprise, AL: Hatchery
  • Bryan, TX: Hatchery
  • Clermont, GA: Hatchery
  • Enterprise, AL: Processing Facility

Awards of Honor:

  • Franklin, TX: Feed Mill
  • Troy, AL: Hatchery
  • Elkin, NC: Hatchery
  • Waco, TX: Hatchery
  • Collins, MS: Hatchery
  • Lindale, TX: Hatchery
  • Bryan, TX: Processing Facility
  • Dobson, NC: Processing Facility
  • Pendergrass, GA: Processing Facility

About Wayne-Sanderson Farms

Wayne-Sanderson Farms is an industry leader and the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, serving customers, consumers and communities with integrity, leadership and responsible farm, workplace and business practices. With a diverse portfolio of products, a strong operating culture and an industry-leading workforce of more than 27,000 people and over 2,000 farm partners, Wayne-Sanderson Farms owns and operates 24 fresh and further-processing facilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. Wayne-Sanderson Farms produces affordable, high-quality poultry products for retail, foodservice, restaurant, industrial and institutional segments under the brand names of SANDERSON FARMS® COVINGTON FARMS®, NAKED TRUTH®, BUFFALOOS®, FLY’N SAUCERS®, CRISPY FLIERS®, PLATINUM HARVEST®, CHEF’S CRAFT®, WAYNE FARMS®, and WAYNE-SANDERSON FARMS®. Wayne-Sanderson Farms is proud to be the “Official Chicken of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).” For more information, visit WayneSandersonFarms.com or follow Wayne-Sanderson Farms on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram.