Agriculture welcomes everyone. Behind the traditional elements of farms, livestock and crops lies a booming market for jobs in sectors ranging from technology and marketing to hard science and so much more.
That is something Blake Rollins considers daily. As president of The Poultry Federation, part of Rollins’ job is to promote and advance the interests of the poultry industry in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. On any given day, Rollins’ to-do list can involve governmental relations, mountains of statistics and reports, and simply representing the industry at conferences.
Blake Rollins
Part of the job also means educational outreach, from school children all the way up to college students and beyond. Rollins himself did not grow up on a farm — his background is one of law and government, not science — and that is the point. There is a place for just about any career path under the umbrella of poultry, and Rollins wants to ensure the industry is always in a position to welcome newcomers with open arms.
“It’s estimated about 150,000 jobs in Arkansas are tied to the poultry industry,” Rollins said. “When you think about that impact, that’s both direct and indirect. That is enormous for our state and our state’s workforce and our state’s economy.”
According to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas leads the way in national poultry production. More than 6,000 Arkansas farms are involved in some form of poultry production, and in 2023, Arkansas was No. 3 in the nation for production of broiler chickens, providing more than 7 billion pounds of broiler meat.
“Feeding the future is going to take people who build things,” Rollins said.
To that end, The Poultry Federation has been partnering with Be Pro Be Proud, an initiative of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce dedicated to exposing young people to opportunities in several skilled trade industries. Part of that work has involved “Draft Days,” an outreach program on behalf of Be Pro Be Proud that allows students to explore careers within the poultry industry.
“We need to be able to produce food, as well as manufacturing, production, welders, electricians, refrigeration technicians, truck drivers, engineers, robotics experts,” Rollins said, “in addition to leaders, farmers and growers.”
It would be one thing if Rollins were the only one waving the flag for careers in poultry, but thanks to Arkansas’ role as a major domestic poultry producer, some of the largest poultry companies in the world are deeply plugged into the Natural State, and their doors are open.
“The poultry industry offers more careers than people expect,” said Dr. Kabel Robbins, director of live operations and staff veterinarian at Butterball’s Ozark and Huntsville facilities.
Dr. Kabel Robbins
Robbins is one of more than 7,000 Butterball team members in fields as far flung as food safety, information technology, human resources, marketing, finance and more.
“It’s a wide-open field with jobs for every interest and skill level,” Robbins said.
Keith Smith may be behind Butterball by a couple thousand employees, but he understands every inch of the Arkansas poultry scene. As managing director of Keith Smith Co., Smith is a third-generation provider of broiler hatching eggs and oversees an operation that leads the nation in broiler egg production.
The opportunities that exist in poultry are just as varied and rich as when Smith began in the family business, he said, and he does not see that changing. Put simply, almost all agricultural roads in Arkansas eventually lead to poultry.
Keith Smith Co. (Photo provided by Keith Smith Co.)
“In Arkansas, we have approximately 6 million acres of row crops, and roughly 55 percent of that are corn and soybeans that ultimately support the poultry industry through feed,” Smith said. “The ecosystem that has developed for poultry production in Arkansas over the years is unique, and when viewed together with grain production, it’s a massive economic engine in the state. The poultry industry alone supports 174,871 jobs in Arkansas, and the types of jobs needed in the future are changing.”
Whether chicken or turkey, small farm or booming business, technology is shifting the expectations of what it means to work in the poultry industry. It is also leading to job opportunities that have been heretofore unthought of.
“Technology is changing every aspect of our business, including how we manage farms,” Robbins said. “Better sensors now give us real-time data on temperature, airflow and air quality. We’re also improving how we track feed and water use, helping us monitor flock health and respond quickly to early warning signs. It’s all about giving farmers better tools to care for their turkey efficiently and effectively.”
Of course, a good portion of that technology and data go toward biosecurity and keeping flocks safe from diseases. Late 2025 brought a surge of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1, most notably to farms in Drew and Cleveland counties in southeast Arkansas.
So far, even with small recent outbreaks, Arkansas poultry producers are holding the line against disease. According to Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, infection risk remains low. The best indicator of major avian disease remains price, and wholesale composite prices for broilers in 2025 came in at an average of $1.26 per pound, down 2 percent from 2024.
Wes Ward
However, there is little room to exhale. A scientific study done in the Czech Republic found that the virulent H5N1 strain may be able to be carried long distances by wind, so security remains vital.
“It’s a worldwide phenomenon,” Rollins said. “Over 100 countries have been hit by it.”
The best defense against the spread of disease remains communication and innovation. To that end, the University of Arkansas Research and Extension Service has been offering free online webinars to assist poultry producers in understanding the H5N1 strain and how to take preventive measures. The webinars are led by Dr. Dustan Clark, extension poultry health veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science.
“The reason for offering these is the continuing problem seen in the USA with highly pathogenic avian influenza in both commercial poultry flocks and in backyard or hobby flocks,” Clark said. “There are many aspects as part of biosecurity, such as sanitation and cleaning, disinfection, controlling animal and people movement to and from a farm, controlling vehicle and equipment movement to and from a farm, diagnostic testing, and protocols. Continuing research will allow refinement and potential advances to any and all of these biosecurity aspects.”
While the threat of disease will always hang above poultry producers to some extent, the comparatively low numbers thus far spell good news to consumers. Better news is on the horizon thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposal in February to change the rules of how fast poultry production lines can move, the U.S. Department of Agriculture advocating for a bump from 140 birds per minute to 175.
New rules mean better efficiency and, best yet, lower cost at the grocery store, meaning Arkansans will still be able to enjoy their favorite meat without breaking the bank.
“As our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, it’s just an exciting opportunity to remember the importance of agriculture to our nation and the key ideas that remind our fellow citizens that food security is national security,” Rollins said. “If we can’t feed ourselves, we can’t feed the world.”
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