Parham’s Pullets Named TPA’s Farm Family of the Year
FARMING FAMILY OF THE YEAR – Weakley County’s Parham family was recently named as the TN Poultry Association’s Farm Family of the Year. This family includes David Parham; his wife, Melanie, and their two children, David and Emma.[/caption] Parham’s Pullets in Weakley County has been named this year’s Farm Family of the Year by the TN Poultry Association (TPA). The Parham’s raise pullets for the Tyson Obion County Complex.
David and his wife, Melanie, have been married for 28 years. They have two children, Joshua, aged 21, and Emma, who is 13. David has lived on the family farm in Dresden his entire life and Melanie was born and raised in Martin.
David graduated from the University of Tennessee-Martin with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business. He is a fourth generation farmer and worked for Tyson Foods in Union City for 15 years prior to establishing his own poultry operation in September of 2019.
David started out with Tyson Obion as a breeder technician and was even recognized once as their Pullet Breeder Technician of the Year before serving as the poultry complex’s breeder manager.
Melanie graduated from UTM with a bachelor’s degree in social work and from Lipscomb University with a master’s degree in professional studies. She is employed with Horizon Health as the Director of the Behavioral Health Unit at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital in KY, and she also works as a behavioral health consultant for Corterra Healthcare Partners, LCC.
Additionally, Melanie serves as the business and financial manager for the family’s farming operations.
Since the beginning of David’s tenure as a Tyson employee, he expressed an interest in becoming a poultry grower. As soon as the Obion County Complex announced its plans to expand operations, David requested consideration to become a pullet grower.
David’s dream was realized when ground was broken in May of 2019 and construction of the four-house pullet operation began. Due to the success of his poultry business, two more pullet houses were built, and they became operational in 2021.
The addition of the poultry barns was a nice compliment to their already busy farming operations, Parham Farms, as they also have successful custom hay, cattle, and chrysanthemum operations. David and Melanie own over 525 acres of land, which made their ability to diversify their business enterprise easier.
Interestingly, David purchased his first piece of land (22 acres) as a freshman in high school. Their son, Joshua, is also involved in the farming operations. His dream is to become a fifth generation farmer and continue their beloved agricultural heritage.
Parham’s Pullets and Parham Farms are dedicated to protecting natural resources and efficient environmental practices, which include conservation and energy savings. Following the guidelines of their comprehensive nutrient management plan, the approximate 75 tons of litter cleaned out from each barn is spread on their own hay and pasture ground as a fertilizer and soil amendment.
The Parham’s are very dedicated to soil conservation and soil erosion prevention practices. Grass waterways are maintained, Bermuda grass has been planted and field tile has been installed, as has black plastic and rock under the eaves of each barn to assist with water drainage concerns. The Parham’s take pride in the maintenance and appearance of their land and pullet houses.
Biosecurity measures include house-specific footwear and coverings, bleach foot baths at the entrance of each barn, and adherence to the Perimeter Buffer Area program. They also utilize an advanced technology system to alert of any potential issues within the barns, to ensure expeditious resolution.
Supporting agriculture and ensuring agriculture education to future generations is David’s passion. David is a local TN Farm Bureau Federation member and currently serves as a Board-Member-at-Large for the Weakly County Farm Bureau. He also serves on the Poultry Advisory Committee for the TN Farm Bureau Federation and has been asked to join its State Resolution Committee.
David is an alumnus of the Alpha Gamma Rho agriculture fraternity at UT-Martin. The Parham’s work closely with area schools and FFA programs by supplying chrysanthemums that are used for school fundraising projects. David additionally assists with the county backpack program, which provides food for school-age children in need.
Anytime there is a farmer in the community needing assistance, David is usually the first one there to help, whether is it giving advice, guidance or wisdom to new growers, or operating equipment when someone needs a hand. His public service was evident immediately following the devastating tornado that affected his hometown of Dresden on Dec. 10, 2021. David helped clear brush, operated equipment, and provided restoration to the community he so dearly loves.
Parham’s Pullets and Parham Farms is a family business committed to the poultry and agriculture industries. Through effective and efficient management, environmental stewardship is achieved.
The Parham’s believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to use and protect our most valuable natural resources through conservation and sustainable practices. They believe we should all leave the world for future generations better than we found it.
TPA proudly recognized the Parham’s as their 2022 TPA Farm Family of the Year in Nashville recently during their Convention at Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort on Aug. 20, 2022. During the awards presentation, Tyson Obion’s Live Production Manager Shane Joyner, Breeder Manager Rob Brown, Service Tech Sean Goetz and Complex Manager Keith Riley were all recognized for making this outstanding farm family nomination.
The video recognizing the Parham’s Pullets family farming operation can be viewed at https://www.tnpoultry.org/awardsPrograms/FamilyofYear.cfm
