Sanderson Farms : Jul 20, 2021 - SEVEN OAK FARM

SEVEN OAK FARM The Horten Family

Farming has always been important to Bryan Horten as agriculture has been in his family for generations. After graduation from college, Horten went on to pursue a career as an agriculture research technician for the University of Georgia.

Although he was passionate about agriculture, he felt farming calling him home and Sanderson Farms provided the opportunity for him to come back to the farm and provide a good living for his family. At the time he began poultry farming, he was the first pullet grower in Berrien County for Sanderson Farms.

'I started out growing tobacco in high school, but, since then, farming has changed,' said Horten. 'To be able to stay in business, make a living and raise a family, I had to have something that was dependable and raising chickens for Sanderson Farms has given me that steady income and dependability.'

For the past 16 years, Horten has been raising pullets for Sanderson Farms' Adel, Georgia production division at his four-house farm in Alapaha, Georgia. In addition to poultry, he also raises beef cattle, cuts and bales hay, and has row crops including cotton and peanuts.

'Sanderson Farms came to Adel, Georgia in 2004 and invested in our community,' said Horten. 'They first invested in south Georgia and then they invested in all the farmers that grow for them.'

Horten and his wife, Valerie, have been married for 17 years, and they have two daughters and one son. They are active members of New Griffin Baptist Church, where Horten has been a member his entire life. In his spare time, Horten's three children keep him busy showing cows and pigs through their local Future Farmers of America organization.

For the Hortens, raising children on the farm helps to instill qualities of hard work and responsibility that can not be taught in any classroom. That same investment of hard work is what makes him proud to be a Sanderson Farms family farmer for over a decade now.

'When I go into a grocery store and purchase Sanderson Farms chicken, I can feel confident that I'm purchasing a high-quality product to feed my family,' said Horten. 'I feel proud to help produce high quality products to feed America's families.'

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