Frank Talbot shares the 2011 Pike County Farm City Poultry Awards with his wife, Nedetria, because he said that she is as much a part of their poultry operation as he is.

“When Nedetria and I decided to go into the chicken business and wrote the check for $753,000, I couldn’t believe that we were doing that,” Talbot said, laughing. “But the poultry business has been a good investment for us.”

The Talbots have been growing for Wayne Farms for about 16 years and are one of the top producers for Wayne Farms since 1996.

Talbot said his working relationship with Wayne Farms has been a good one.

“They are easy people to work with,” he said.

The Pike County Farm-City Awards are presented annually by the Kiwanis Club and the Pike County Chamber of Commerce Farm-City Committee to those who have made outstanding contributions to the agricultural community during the year. The awards are presented in 10 different areas. Frank and Nedetria Talbot of the Tarentum community are the recipients of the 2011 Pike County Farm-City Poultry Award.

The Talbot Poultry Farm, located in the Tarentum community, has six broiler houses. The six houses have a combined grow-out capacity of 130,200 birds per flock with five flocks produced a year.

“That’s a lot of birds,” Talbot said with a smile. “We get the biddies and grow them to 7.5 pounds in 56 days. Processing plants all across the country like to grow bigger birds.”

The Talbots work closely with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to make sure that all environmental and clean water concerns are addressed.

“We take environmental issues seriously and, in all our farming operations, we do all we can to protect the environment,” Talbot said. “And, we always practice energy saving measures because it’s the smart thing to do for the farm and the wallet.”

In addition to the poultry houses, Talbot also farms and is a peanut buyer for Brooks Peanut Company.

His farming operation is diversified to include pecan trees, cows, hay and timberlands.

Talbot is a member of the Pike County Poultry and Egg Association, the Pike County Cattlemen’s Association and the Pike County Farmers Federation.

Talbot and his wife, Nedetria, have four children, Stephen, Kristin, Bill and Blake.