House of Raeford Farms received highest honors this year at the Louisiana Rural Water Association (LRWA) Annual Awards Banquet naming its Arcadia, Louisiana, processing plant as Private System of the Year.
In addition, the Arcadia operation’s Jimmy Adams was one of the finalists for Wastewater System Operator of the Year for northern Louisiana. The LRWA recently presented the awards at their 34th Annual Training and Technical Conference held in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The LRWA Awards Program recognizes the outstanding efforts of Rural Water and Wastewater Systems and their personnel.
“House of Raeford is dedicated to helping maintain a cleaner environment through proper management of our wastewater system,” said Mark VanBenthuysen, complex manager for the Arcadia operation. “Our new and upgraded treatment systems have resulted in dramatic improvements in wastewater quality.”
LRWA is a non-profit organization established in 1978 to aid small water and wastewater systems through training and on-site technical assistance. LRWA has a documented record of accomplishment providing services that promote public health and environmental protection.
The recognition of the Arcadia facility came as the company is planning to expand the complex. On July 23, the company announced it was building a new feed mill to support the Arcadia plant, as well as making upgrades to the poultry plant and supporting hatchery. House of Raeford is investing $40 million in the feed mill, which will be capable of producing 12,500 tons of feed weekly, as well as another $7 million to make building modifications and new equipment at the plant and hatchery.
House of Raeford Farms is one of the nation’s top ten largest chicken processors, providing ready-to-cook and further processed chicken products to the foodservice, retail, and export markets. The company is family-owned and operated and based out of Rose Hill, North Carolina with additional facilities in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
