Meet United Egg Producers Certified Farmer: Barrie Wilcox
When Judson Wilcox headed West during the Gold Rush, he knew he would make a fortune. He didn’t eggspect that fortune to be in the egg business.
Judson sold his Seattle home and business in 1909 to purchase a 240-acre farm in rural Washington. He and his wife, Elizabeth, raised cattle and other livestock before taking in egg-laying hens.
Initially, the hens proved as unprofitable as panning for gold. In fact, many of the birds Judson purchased were roosters. But Judson pressed on, employing his son, Truman, on the family farm. Their efforts paid off and a few decades later, in 1940, Wilcox Family Farms finally turned a profit.
Almost 100 years later, Judson’s grandsons, Barrie and Jim, run Wilcox Farms.
“I started working in the chicken house with my grandfather when I was five,” Barrie explains.
The business has grown to 1,800 acres at the original Roy, Wash., location with more than 1.8 million hens at farms dotting the West Coast. The Roy farm is home to 800,000 hens. Wilcox eggs are distributed from the California border to the North Slope of Alaska.
Barrie continues the tradition started by his grandfather nearly a century ago, putting animal care at the top of the company’s priority list. He’s also learned from his grandfather’s mistakes.
Wilcox Family Farms joined the United Egg Producers Certified program to ensure continued quality among its hens and products.
“We’re a family that’s involved in taking care of our animals,” Barrie says. “The animals are very important to us and we want to make sure that we prevent the chickens from getting diseases or injury. A happy hen is a productive hen.”
The Wilcox family also is reeling from a recent surge in egg consumption, fueled by a wave of diet trends touting eggs as a healthy food option in weight management.
“The greatest reward in my egg career is seeing consumers validating eggs as a nutritious food that one can enjoy every day,” Barrie says.
The fourth-generation of Wilcox’s already are in training to follow in Great-Grandpa Wilcox’s footsteps. Barrie’s two sons oversee the production and marketing of Wilcox eggs, while his nephews run the dairy division.
“We think the future is very bright for us and the egg business, and we want to continue it for generations to come,” Barrie says.