A sign reading “Poultry – Past, Present and Future” should be displayed over the entrance to Hugh McClain’s office. Hugh, founder of McClain Farms, began working in the poultry business straight out of the armed services in 1959, in Marshall, Ark. From 1960 to 1964, he was a district manager for Cargill in northern Missouri, and in Iowa from 1965 to 1969. Then, Hugh moved back home to Mountain Home, Ark. With just a pickup truck, $4,000 and his furniture, he began his lifetime career as a poultry farmer. He rented two old chicken houses, converted them to turkey barns and got a loan from Purina to buy his first batch of poults and feed.
Hugh said that good luck and God’s blessing presented him with the opportunity to buy the Purina feed mill in Mountain Home in 1972. Hard work and a working knowledge of the turkey industry enabled him to incorporate the feed mill into his operation and become the largest turkey grower in northern Arkansas. Hugh said, “We just continued to grow and grow. We were growing over five million turkeys…We had 42 growers and our own houses.”
McClain Farms was innovative. Hugh said, “We were the first people that raised turkeys year round here in Arkansas. We hauled our turkeys from 1976 to 1984 to Iowa to be processed. Nobody around here wanted them year round. The plant we used were some of the first people who started making turkey ham, turkey pastrami and turkey breast. Before that, it was just a Thanksgiving bird.”
Then things changed in the mid-80s. A plant was opened closer to home, in Huntsville, Ark., and it was no longer necessary to haul turkeys all the way to Iowa.
Five years ago, Hugh had an opportunity to sell his operation, including the feed mill, to Powell Feed. He kept his houses in the Buford area and continued to raise birds. Currently, he grows 500,000 birds annually for both Powell and Butterball. Hugh said, “We’ve been very fortunate. God has been very good to me. I’ve got lots of great friends and a lot of great employees. I’ve even got one gentleman that started his 39th year with me, and my accountant has been here 37 years.”
When asked what he thought was the biggest obstacle that growers face today, Hugh said, “The cost of production, propane, bedding material and getting a payment where they can live and pay for their investment.”
He added some advice for young growers. Hugh said, “The most valuable part is your housing, number one. Then it’s work. The thing that bothers me today is that it costs so much for young people to build turkey houses. It’s so expensive.”
Fortunately, Hugh began his business many years ago, when it was possible to start with just a little. Now that he and his business have both matured, he is able to maintain his poultry houses with 18 employees, which frees Hugh to pursue other interests.
McClain Forest Products is one of those businesses. Hugh buys and manufactures hardwood flooring. He said, “We’re manufacturing about one million square board feet a month, and exporting a lot of high-grade lumber.” In Hugh’s office is a framed piece of hardwood flooring, autographed by former President George Bush and his wife, Laura. McClain Forest Products supplied the flooring for the Bush home in Crawford, Texas.
Two photos of Hugh with former presidents also grace his office walls. One is of Hugh, his mother and President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Hugh was then president of the National Turkey Federation, and they provided the White House Thanksgiving turkey that year. The other photo is of Hugh, President G.W. Bush and Hugh’s grandson.
Hugh was recently recognized for his contribution to Arkansas agriculture by being inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. The ceremony, held on March 11 of this year, recognized Hugh not only for his agricultural work, but also his contributions to the growth and prosperity of north-central Arkansas.
A huge supporter of education and Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, Hugh believes that the future rests in our young people, and institutions like ASU-MH fill the need for students who wouldn’t otherwise receive a secondary education.
As for the future of poultry in Arkansas, Hugh remains positive. He said, “The poultry business will continue in America, and it will get bigger.” Between that hope and his three grandsons – who are the light of his life – Hugh is certain the future will be bright for the McClain family.
