IN STEP WITH TECHNOLOGY written by Devinn Winkleman
Hayden Farms leads the
way in agricultural innovation When Daniel Hayden bought Hayden Farms in Whitesville from his father, Martin, he wanted to do more with the property than just raise chickens and cattle. He wanted to transform it into a company that innovated in agriculture. He did so with his wife, Danielle, by building the poultry education center — and the results have led to Hayden Farms becoming a notable leader in agricultural innovation. The center features a glass wall built into the side of a chicken house so that visitors can see how the chickens are raised. This idea came from his wife after Perdue Farms granted him the opportunity to build four more chicken houses in 2017 on top of the four he initially owned with them. (The Haydens have raised chickens for Perdue for nearly 25 years.)
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYDEN FARMS
“And that turned into a classroom essentially attached onto one of the chicken houses with essentially a glass wall inside of it to where you can see directly into the chicken houses,” he said. “And alongside with it, we’re going to build what we call an education center, which is a separate building, where we can host groups for presentations.” The Haydens have also innovated the farm by incorporating the latest
Hayden Farms timeline 1983
1997
Hayden Farms is established by Martin and Joan Hayden, who raise cattle and grow tobacco 14
Hayden Farms begins raising chickens for Perdue Farms
2000
2016
Joan and Martin Hayden Joan and Martin’s start the Daviess County youngest son, feeder calf project Daniel, purchases program, which is among the family farm the most successful such and becomes the programs in Kentucky farm manager Greater Owensboro
2018 Hayden Farms opens its poultry education center
Jan. 2020 Daniel Hayden joins the State Board of Agriculture
June 2020 Daniel Hayden is featured on the sixth episode, “The Farmer, the Mechanic and the Bus Driver,” of Amazon’s “Regular Heroes” documentary series
