ven with the most modern technology at his fingertips, Gold Kist 2004 Producer of the Year Dwight R. Williams of Boaz, Ala., says a five-gallon bucket is his best management tool.
      Williams uses his bucket to sit on while he observes his chicken and “listens” to what their actions tell him. It's this attention to detail, along with his impressive performance record as a Gold Kist Northeast Alabama Division broiler producer and his determination to always produce a top quality product, that led to his selection as this year’s Producer of the Year Award recipient. Gold Kist President and CEO John Bekkers presented Williams the award on Nov. 10 at the Gold Kist Producer Appreciation Dinner at Snead State College in Boaz.
      Nominations were submitted from Nominations were submitted from each of the nine Gold Kist divisions that

combined have more than 2,300 poultry producers. The criteria for the award included performance in the producer’s division, involvement in the community, excellence in environmental management and their support and advocacy of Gold Kist.
   “A large part of Gold Kist's success depends on the performance of our contract producers,” said Bekkers. “We are presenting this award to recognize exemplary performance by a producer. It’s through the consistently high performance and the positive attitude of producers like Dwight Williams that Gold Kist is able to thrive in this highly competitive industry.”
  “Dwight Williams is extremely professional. He treats his operation like the business it is and is always looking for ways to improve his production and the profitability of his operation. Dwight is a strong   family  man   and   an  outstanding member of the community. I am proud to

be associated with him and proud to have him as part of our team,” said Wendell Shelton, Gold Kist Northeast Alabama Division Manager.
    After retiring from a career in vocational education, Williams decided to add broiler operations to his crop and a cattle enterprise. When looking for a company to contract with, he naturally went to Gold Kist, since his mother was one of the first employees at the company’s Boaz plant. Williams also had worked there while attending Snead State Community College and had received a scholarship from Gold Kist, which helped pay for his continued education at Auburn University.
    Williams’s operations include four 40 x 500 broiler houses which produce more than 500,000 of chickens a year for Gold Kist. Along with this company-wide honor, he  also  received  the  Northeast  Alabama Division's Top Big Bird Producer Award for 2004.

   He also has received an award for division, “Outstanding Conservation” from the Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District. Williams is a member of the Golden Heights Baptist Church, the Marshall County Cattleman’s and Poultry Associations, the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association, the Auburn Ag Alumni Association, Alabama Education Association and Alabama Vocational Association. He is a the consis- Boaz plant. former vice president of the Gold Kist Division Patron Council and is a past director of the Southern States store in Boaz.
     Williams received a $1,000 cash award and a glass sculpture created especially for this recognition by the famous glass operations sculptor, Hans-Godo Frabel of Atlanta. Asign will be erected at his farm proclaiming him as the Gold Kist 2004 Producer of the Year.