The Poultry Federation of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma announced its new board member appointments during the 51st Annual Poultry Festival held in Rogers, AR, June 11-12.  New board members are:  David Elam, Wayne Farms, LLC; Vaughn King, Aviagen, Inc.; Troy Green, George’s Processing Inc.; Andrew Lekwa, Butterball, LLC; James Smith, Simmons Foods, Inc.; and Jeff Vanemburg, Pilgrim’s Pride.

David Elam is the complex manager at Wayne Farms in Danville and has served in this capacity for the last ten years.  He has held numerous management positions in his 37-year career in the poultry industry, previously for Townsend’s and Perdue Farms.  Elam attended the University of Arkansas, University of Tennessee, and University of Michigan School of Business Development studying Statistical Process Control and Business Management.  He and his wife Mary Jo reside in Danville and have 2 grown children, who also have careers in the poultry industry.  They have 4 grandchildren.

Vaughn E. King is the western region sales manager for Aviagen, Inc. He has been with Aviagen for the past 6 years and has previously worked in management positions for Hubbard Farms, Perdue Farms, and Cargill Poultry.  King is a graduate of University of Maryland in College Park with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Economics.  He and his wife Judith reside in Fayetteville and have 2 grown daughters and 4 grandchildren.

Troy Green is the plant manager at George’s Processing Inc. in Springdale.  He has been with George’s for almost 22 years and has worked in various capacities and plant locations.  Green has studied at the Southwest Missouri State University Management Development Institute.  He and his wife Brenda reside in Springdale and have 2 children aged 23 and 19.

Andrew Lekwa is the complex manager for Butterball, LLC, located in Ozark.  He has worked for Butterball for the past 17 years and has held various management positions with the company.  Lekwa is a graduate of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  He and his wife Julia reside in Ozark and have 2 grown children and 1 grandson.

James Smith is the vice president of live operation for Simmons Foods in Siloam Springs.  He has been with Simmons for the last 6 years and has also worked for Tyson Foods.  Smith is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Business.  James and his wife Barbara reside in Fayetteville and have 2 children aged 21 and 18.

Jeff Vanemburg is the operations manager at Pilgrim’s Pride in Batesville. He has worked for Pilgrim’s Pride in live production and ConAgra for the last 19 years.  Vanemburg is a graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh with a Bachelors of Science degree in Poultry Science.  He and his wife Misty reside in Locust Grove and have a young son and daughter and are expecting their third child.

The Poultry Federation is a 3-state trade organization representing the poultry and egg industries in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.  Offices are located in Little Rock, AR, Jefferson City, MO, and Oklahoma City, OK.  The purposes of the Federation are to promote and protect all poultry interests relating to production, distribution, merchandising and consumption of poultry and poultry products; to disseminate information relating to the various phases of the poultry industry in order to improve and expand markets; to increase efficiency in production and marketing; to encourage and support research in production and marketing of poultry; and to encourage and support youth programs in poultry work.