The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1957-05-16
Selling Brothers
At Nearby Plant
Means More Profit

Saving on sizeable transporta-
ton costs by selling their broilers
and turkeys closer to home at the
new Oakland processing plant Of
Sterling Enterprises may mean the
difference between profit and loss
for many Upper Monongahela Val
ley area farmers, in this time of
close profit margins for poultry
raisers, according to officials of
the Upper Monongahela Valley as
ISOLATION
With the Valley areas biggest
broiler and turkey operation re-
Gently going into high gear with
the opening of the processing plant
and current production of 225,000
broilerS at time in Preston coun-
ty, Valley farmers are offered an
opportunity they did not have be-
fore.
BY saving most of the transporta-
ton costs for the distance of 125
miles and more from Valley pro-
ducing points to Harrisonburg and
Petersburg. Valley farmers should
be able to realize a half cent or
better difference in price by selling
at the new Oakland processing
plant This would be doubly true
for farmers in Garrett county and
nearby Preston and Monongalia
counties. which are even closer
to the new plant
Helping the local economy in
other ways, the areas first large
scale processing plant, is produc-
ing about half Of its eventual 100,-
900 weekly capacity. Full produc-
ton is expected shortly after June
l. Local and area-wide employ
ment has been provided
The Upper Monogahela Valley
association, 10-county development
organization. was told that only
about one quarter of the processing
plants full capacity is now being
produced by the ten Reedsville and
Arthurdale broiler houses These
chicken houses are operated by
Preston Poultry and Feed, Inc
subsidiary of Sterling Faucet Com
pany of MorgantoWn Most of the
plants chickens and turkeys have
been brought in from outside the
Valley.
The UNIVA emphasized the
growth and closeness of this size
able new market for the Valleys
broilers and pointed out that
turkeys present a further oppor-
tunity for area farmers. Very few
turkeys outside of those grown by
Preston Poultry and Feed are
raised in the area.
Russell Thomas, manager of
Preston Poultry and Feed, said he
now was buying some broilers in
the Morgantown. Philippi and Oak
land areas and that he definitely
wanted to buy increased amounts
of chickens and turkeys in the
Valley. Even when in time the
broiler and turkey production is
increased to 50 percent of the pro-
cessing plants capacity, there still
will be a large need for locally
produced birds.
Most Valley farmers now are
producing broilers for about Is
cents a pound. Thomas said that
when the price goes above 20 cents
as it has been fairly often recent
ly, its a good deal"
This biggest entry of a manu-
featuring industry into the farming
line in the Valleys history is
broad operation with many phases.
The poultry-turkey business starts
with the 4,0O0-layer flock in reno
waited buildings at Reedsville The
steady flow of eggs will be taken
in less than a month to the new
hatchery set up at Preston Poultry
and Feeds headquarters at Brett
near Masontown There, four in
cubators and three hatchers being
installed now in the basement will
turn out about $4,000 chickens
week. The hatchery operation
should start in early May Feed also
is sold to farmers from the Brett
plant
Then the chicks are moved to one
of the 10 large broiler houses in