All Roads Lead Here: Poultry Festival Promises Music, Food and Fine-feathered Fun

The 66th annual Poultry Festival is set to return to Rogers June 12 and 13, promising good food, an A-list concert featuring Diamond Rio, multiple activities and fundraising for a good cause, all in celebration of one of the state’s most robust industries.

The event, sponsored by The Poultry Federation, is a major undertaking. The festival sold 4,500 tickets last year and generated $4.2 million in economic impact for the host city. Untold numbers of volunteers dedicate a staggering number of hours leading up to the event, to say nothing of work done during the two-day festival itself.

“The festival is like a family get-together in a way,” said Toby Tapp, complex manager at Wayne-Sanderson Farms in Danville and Poultry Federation board member. “The poultry business in Arkansas is pretty tight knit, and we all know a lot of the same people and have worked together, so it’s a chance to catch up, see some folks we haven’t seen for a while, meet some new people and find out what’s going on in our industry across the state.

Toby Tapp

“The atmosphere is so positive, and there’s always something interesting to learn. We have every aspect of the industry there — breeder and broiler farmers, suppliers, contractors, transportation providers, producers, and production folks. It’s a full representation of poultry production in Arkansas and the entire region.”

Eddie Halter, complex manager at Pilgrim’s De Queen and Nashville complexes and a current board member, said the camaraderie extends well beyond the two-day festival itself. He pointed to his company’s cooking competition team, which has won multiple Grand Champion awards through the years, as a prime example.

Eddie Halter

“Well, it’s a lot of work to put on, to do the booth and to do the cooking contest and all that. I think it’s kind a bonding thing for our team,” he said. “The competition is nice, but I know the real enjoyment that we get out of it is on the day we’re having all the people walk around and the number of people that come by and are exposed to Pilgrim’s and all that we do.

“We’ll have whole families come by and look at the booths, and they’re checking all that out and doing the food sampling. Seeing the kids smiling during all of that, that’s what makes it worthwhile right there.”

Arkansas Money & Politics is proud to serve as a title sponsor for the much-beloved celebration of all things chicken, turkey and eggs. In honor of the 2026 installment, we would like to introduce readers to a few of the people who work behind the scenes to make the annual event the major happening it is. Without their tireless contributions at the individual company level or at the festival itself, the beloved summertime event would not be possible.

• Sporting Activities

• Longtime fan of the Poultry Festival cools off cooking competitors

• All-Member Cooking Competition

• Scholarship auction

• Sales & Service