Usery Leads the Flock

At the risk of repeating a hackneyed, totally unimaginative cliché, Stanley Usery says his primary objective as APEA president is to promote the poultry industry to Alabamians and make them aware of its economic impact throughout the state and how poultry and eggs go from farms to the grocery store.

“As an industry, we need to sell our story,” the Limestone County poultry farmer says. “And if we don’t sell our story, somebody else will. And they’ll be selling it the wrong way.

Usery has been an advocate for Alabama agriculture since the mid1970s, when he started as a full-time farmer with his dad on a thriving rowcrop operation.

In 1991, Looking to diversify, Usery ventured into the poultry business, building three broiler houses and adding a fourth several years later. He expanded his operation in ’99 when he bought five, 40- x 400-foot houses from an existing farm.

Today, he and his eldest son, Stan Jr., produce more than 5.5 million pounds of meat annually in those nine houses and use the abundant supply of poultry litter to fertilize their close to 1,000 no-till acres of cotton, soybeans, wheat and corn.

“Basically, Stan manages the row crops, and I take care of the poultry,” says Usery, a contract grower for Tyson Foods-Shelbyville.

Stan Jr. partnered with his dad on the Elkmont farm in 2005 after graduating Auburn with a B.S. in agronomy and a master’s in plant pathology. In mom Jenny’s words, “he was born a farmer.”

The same can be said of Stanley, who, too, was born to farm—but his father had other thoughts.

“Daddy told me I couldn’t stay in agriculture,” Stanley says. “He wanted me to go to college, to find something else to do for a living.”

After trying college for a while, Usery decided to head back to the farm.

“I went and bought me a tractor and two plows,” he says, “and when I got home with them, daddy said, “‘Well, I guess you’re serious then.’”

Yes, he was serious. And he’s just as serious in his president’s role and in his main mission of telling the story of poultry in Alabama.

“We have to educate the public about the industry. Most people don’t know the economic impact the poultry industry has on Alabama. We should be proud the poultry industry brings in over $15 billion to Alabama.”

Usery knows this is nothing new; it’s also been the priority of many of his predecessors. But it’s increasingly essential as the public, lawmakers included, continue to pass off the industry as something that just is.

On top of all the day to day challenges the poultry industry faces, public perception has quickly risen to the forefront of daily challenges.

Poultry has been good to Usery and his family.

“I love our chickens and watching them and our crops grow,” Stanley says. “It’s been a good living. And of everything I grow, the biggest is raising a family.”

Stan and Jenny just celebrated their 46th anniversary. Their family now includes Stan Jr., wife Kari and daughters Jessa and Kate; Clay, wife Kari and children Caroline and Sully.

While Stan Jr. works on the farm, Clay works for Redstone Arsenal and helps when he has time. Usery jokes Clay is the company pilot.

Usery currently serves on the Limestone County Farmers Federation Board, the Limestone County Co-op board and is a member of the Auburnbased National Poultry Technology Center’s advisory committee.

Usery sons Clayton, left, and Stan Jr., right, are always looking for new ways to help improve the family farm. Usery says farming is a family affair for him. He credits his success to his family who continually steps up when they are needed.