Staff Veterinarian

Campbell named Ambassador of ag. By Dylan Atwood [email protected] 43 years with Prestage Farms Gordon Campbell, a Sampson County resident, was recently awarded the Ambassador of Agriculture Award by Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler. Also in attendance for the presentation of the award were the Prestage family and state Rep. Jimmy Dixon. Campbell retired from Prestage Farms on July 31 after 43 years with the company. Last Thursday evening, he reflected on his career and attributed receiving the award to his longtime commitment to agriculture. Campbell came up in school working in tobacco and with chickens. He worked for a veterinarian while he was in school, and the veterinarian, he said, encouraged him to take the path of animal science and poultry science. Campbell looked back on beginning his career in 1981, right out of college. "I went to work for Swift and Company; Swift and Company lasted a couple of years, and then the Prestages bought out the operation. I had the option to go to Swift's hatchery or the processing plant, but I knew the Prestages and I knew they had a wonderful track record, so I elected to go over with them in 1983." Campbell said he knew that the Prestages "were really, really smart people" when it came to turkeys, swine and overall business, particularly in the agriculture field. "When I first started with Prestage, I was the commercial grower service man," he recalled. "Within just a short few years, they started talking about maybe building some turkey breeder farms and producing the eggs... I did have experience back with Swift with turkey breeders, therefore I basically started building the breeder operation." Campbell also explained how the operation expanded. "Over time, it was kind of slow getting into that part of the business. We shipped our eggs over to Goldsboro Milling, and they hatched them in their hatchery. We did this until we finally took it on ourselves to build a hatchery in 1992, and opened the doors in the early part of 1993." He sat down with the Prestage family to help design the hatchery. "They put me on the road for about a year visiting other hatchery complexes, both in the United States and in Canada, to get ideas and pull them together... They wanted to do everything that they could to take it to a level where it would keep some of the tough work off people." Campbell worked both with the hatchery and turkey breeders until he retired, and over the years, he has received several accolades for his dedication and commitment to superior service. "Having spent practically my entire career under the Prestage leadership and guidance - with heartfelt appreciation for their grace, support, and opportunities that they provided throughout the decades - they did see that I was awarded," Campbell attested. A fountain was installed at the Prestage hatchery and dedicated to Campbell around eight years ago, he recalled, humbled, he said, by the gesture. "If you go to the fountain there at the hatchery, the hand that's in the fountain holding the little baby turkey - that is my hand that the artist sculpted. They dedicated that to me, and they also dedicated what they call 'The Golden Egg Award' for my longevity as well as doing what I could do to get things off the ground." Campbell explained the length of his time with Prestage Farms. "It's all about the Prestage Farms, the Prestage family, their leadership style, integrity, and genuine care for their employees." He said the Prestage family created an environment that "was more like a family than a job." Campbell acknowledged triumphant moments and challenging times during his career "that actually showed me what leadership looked like... Through all of that, the Prestages supported us, and they were more like a mentor, guide, and source of inspiration." Campbell used matriarch Marsha Prestage's words as an example. "Mrs. Prestage has always said, 'You can't do the job yourself. That's why you've got to put your faith in leadership and good people.' The Prestage family is very passionate about agriculture and its critical role in the communities. "Let's face it, agriculture is the backbone of the state, so therefore, they knew how to do it and do it right," Campbell attested. He added that the Prestages created an environment "where your relationship with them and the job would flourish. We had a lot of associates that were long-term, and it speaks volumes about the culture." Campbell emphasized, "It's a hard job to walk away from. You work, but then again, it was more than work. They made you feel welcome, like you were doing a good job, and provided education and everything for you to keep you up to date... That's why that place is set over there and is world-renowned; not because of me," he impressed. "Because of all of the good associates they have, that place is world-renowned." Campbell summarized that Prestage Farms was "just a wonderful place to work. I owe my life and career to the Prestage family. They've been good to my family, and we have worked, but it's just been a good one. It's just hard to walk away from, and I will never walk away from the place. Not that I was that great - I don't mean that I was that great - but they were just that good to the people." Content writer Dylan Atwood can be further reached at 910-249-4617 as well as [email protected]

For this greenfield project, Prestage Farms selected Gray to design and build a 295,000-square-foot turkey processing plant in Camden, South Carolina, that includes turnkey project services that have enabled greater production capacity and efficiency.