Perdue Farms

Jan 24, 2023

The 2023 US Poultry & Egg Association Executive Committee includes (from left): Mikell Fries, Claxton Poultry Farms, vice president; Mike Levengood, Perdue Farms, immediate past chairman; Jarod Morrison, Farbest Foods, chairman; and Bill Griffith, Peco Foods, secretary. (Source: USPOULTRY) 01.24.2023 TUCKER, GA. — Jarod Morrison of Farbest Foods in Huntingburg, Ind., was elected as chairman of the board of directors for the US Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) during the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta. He previously served as vice chairman of the association. Mike Levengood, vice president, chief animal care officer and Farmer Relationship Advocate for Perdue Farms, is the immediate past chairman. He is currently the chief financial officer for Farbest Foods where he leads all aspects of finance, accounting and IT for Farbest Foods, Farbest Farms and JFS Milling. Prior to working with Farbest Foods, he was senior director of finance and accounting with Masterbrand Cabinets and finance manager with GE Plastics. Morrison holds a degree in finance from the University of Southern Indiana and an MBA from Purdue University. Mikell Fries, president of Claxton Poultry Farms in Claxton, Ga., was named vice chairman. Before assuming Claxton’s head operational role, he spent several years in senior positions overseeing sales and marketing. He has served the poultry industry in various capacities, including serving on the boards of directors for the Georgia Poultry Federation and Norman W. Fries Inc. He received a degree from Georgia Southern University in business management. Jonathan Cade of Hy-Line International in Des Moines, Iowa, was elected treasurer for the USPOULTRY board. Before working as president of Hy-Line International, he served as managing director of Hy-Line subsidiary, Hy-Line UK International. Cade has a degree from Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom. Finally, Bill Griffith, chief operations officer for Peco Foods in Tuscaloosa, Ala., was named secretary. Before joining Peco Foods, he served as president of Keystone Foods. He also had a successful tenure at Perdue Foods where he oversaw food safety, quality and regulatory compliance and served as a microbiologist for Tyson Foods. He has served the poultry industry in various capacities, including participating on the USPOULTRY Foundation Research Advisory Committee as well as remaining active with the National Chicken Council. Griffith graduated from Virginia Tech, where he obtained degrees in biology and chemistry.