Women in Ag: Setting the Standard for Safety

At Wayne-Sanderson Farms, a culture of safety touches every part of our business—from animal care to food safety to employee health. Strong safety cultures don’t happen by chance; they are built by leaders who are intentional in their efforts to protect people and support teams. Across our operations, women play a vital role in shaping what that looks like every day.

Continuing our Women in Ag series, we’re highlighting Kerry Fohner, Senior Director of Quality Assurance & Food Safety for the Prepared Foods Business Unit

Kerry Fohner’s journey into the poultry industry reflects how being open to new opportunities can lead to an unexpected and impactful career. “It’s funny how the choices you make can steer your career when you don’t even realize it’s happening,” she shared. With a background in Biological Sciences and Microbiology, Kerry initially set her sights on veterinary medicine. During college, she worked in a lab at a veterinary school, gaining experience in research and becoming the first student worker to earn a certification in lab animal care.

However, as she began to consider her long-term goals, including having a family and maintaining work-life balance, she made the decision to pursue a different path. After graduating, she began her career in breast cancer research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she was introduced to regulatory auditing, data collection, and data interpretation. This experience also gave her exposure to working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from an auditing perspective. The skills she developed during this time would later become foundational to her career at Wayne-Sanderson Farms.

When a move took Kerry to North Alabama, her path into the poultry industry began. She applied for roles at Wayne-Sanderson Farms and joined the company as a Management Trainee at the Decatur Fresh complex, where she later became the facility’s first Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Coordinator. Over time, she gained experience across multiple areas of the business, including HACCP, quality assurance, production, shipping, logistics, and customer service.

Today, Kerry serves as Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety, where she plays a critical role in supporting operations and ensuring product quality and safety across her facilities. Her responsibilities include providing guidance, supporting decision-making, and helping teams navigate the balance between operational needs and food safety expectations.

For Kerry, food safety is paramount, starting with leadership and extending throughout the entire organization. “A strong food safety culture exists when senior management recognize its impact on the bottom line, and understand the cost of taking risks,” she said. “Management’s decisions regarding food safety are made with full awareness and a drive to reduce the risk to the consumer. Moreover, the team on the floor understands the impact of their decisions on overall food safety and their actions support ensuring food safety to our end consumer.”

Kerry is driven by a strong sense of urgency, especially in her work related to bacterial management and foreign material detection. As a leader, she prioritizes collaboration and communication across departments to ensure food safety remains a constant focus. “If we see issues, we don’t wait for lab confirmation to take action—we address them immediately by investigating and identifying any potential root causes. In addition, we work as one team. When we have issues, the departments communicate and collaborate to put a plan in place for action. When we get all the teams together to discuss issues and work as a team to resolve them, it creates an environment where we value what each person brings to the table.”

In addition to her role at Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Kerry is a strong advocate for sharing knowledge across the industry. She has delivered multiple presentations this year, with the belief that collaboration is essential to improving food safety on a broader scale. “If some of the things I have learned can help ensure that someone doesn’t get sick, then it’s my responsibility to share,” she said. “I do love how our industry collaborates to come up with ways that make us better as an industry.”

Reflecting on her career, Kerry encourages women to consider the opportunities available within agriculture while also acknowledging the challenges. “This is a very rewarding career, but it is also very challenging,” she said. “Don’t give up, because there will be days that you want to throw in the towel. Remember that the rewards come from the challenges you face. This is a male-dominated industry, but the women leaders in this industry work to support each other, so build your network with both men and women that help support and challenge you to be the best you at all times.”

Kerry credits much of her growth, both in her career and as a leader, to the mentors who influenced her along the way, starting with her father, who encouraged her to believe in herself and take initiative. She also credits past managers and leaders who trusted her judgment on food safety matters and helped define the company’s strong stance on quality.

Looking ahead, Kerry is focused on continuing to advance food safety practices and develop future leaders within the industry. “I am very passionate about eliminating the risk of foodborne pathogens in ready-to-eat products,” she shared. “Most of all, I hope that the biggest impact I make is contributing to the development and success of the people entering and becoming leaders in our industry. I hope that what I share helps grow some amazing leaders for our industry!”