Growing up on a family ranch and having managed a cattle operation for 15 years, Scott Felton knows the value of a hard day’s work in the Heart of Texas region. Today, as the head of community banking for Wells Fargo in Waco, Felton sees firsthand the strong impact agriculture continues to have on the local economy.

“This area has always been relatively diverse with respect to the types of agricultural enterprises,” Felton says. “It’s an impor­tant part of our history and an important part of our economy.”

With fertile soil, annual rainfall that averages 32 inches and a 253-day growing season, the six-county region is an agricultural heartland. In addition to producing crops such as corn, sorghum, soybeans, wheat, peaches, pecans, cotton and Christmas trees, the area is known for its livestock and poultry operations, and produces hundreds of millions in agricultural revenue.

“Agriculture is strong here, and I don’t see that impact changing drastically into the future," Felton says. "One of the things that has changed in a positive way, however, is agricultural sales in the poultry business. It has had a very big impact.”

Preparing Poultry for Market
One major player in the poultry business locally is Sanderson Farms Inc. The Laurel, Miss.-based company opened a 180,000-square-foot facility in Waco in 2007.

“When we’re fully operational, the plant will represent a more than $80 million capital investment and create 1,400 new jobs for the market,” says Bob “Pic” Billingsley, director of development and engineering for Sanderson Farms. “We’re expecting to run 1,250,000 head of chickens per week” through the facility.

For local farmers, the volume of poultry processed by Sanderson Farms means a tremendous opportunity to supply feed for chickens.

“The tertiary investment of farmers in the surrounding counties – primarily eastern McLennan, Falls and Limestone – is in excess of $100 million,” says Sarah Roberts, vice pres­ident of economic development for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. “The poultry industry makes such a direct impact on the rural areas.”

Another national poultry company with a big presence in the region is Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim’s Pride, which also operates a processing facility in Waco.

“The poultry industry has provided a real shot in the arm for agriculture in this region,” says McLennan County Judge Jim Lewis. “Area farmers are very excited about it.”

Lewis says local officials are focused on continuing to move the Heart of Texas region forward as additional agribusiness-related opportunities arise.

“Coming down the pike I see the possibility for an ethanol plant in the region. There’s already been some talk along those lines,” he says.