Wentworth Hubbard, son of Hubbard Farms founder Oliver Hubbard and former president and CEO from 1962 to 1986, has died at the age of 83. In addition, J.B. Barnes, former Hubbard Farms director of production and sales for the eastern U.S. and Canada, has died at age 82.
Hubbard served on the board of National Chicken Council (formerly known as the National Broiler Council), American Egg Board, New Hampshire Poultry Growers Association, New Hampshire Agricultural Commission, 4-H Foundation of New Hampshire and numerous civic and educational organizations. Since retiring from Hubbard Farms in 1986, he was president and owner of Tulsa Baseball Inc. His strong work ethic and vision allowed Hubbard Farms to grow as a worldwide leader in both broiler and egg laying genetics.
One of Barnes’s many accomplishments was designing and developing the Hubbard Pikeville, Tennessee, grandparent complex, including construction of the world’s largest primary breeder hatchery at that time. He was a member of an advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, a member of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association director–serving as president in 1991–and past president of the North Carolina Poultry Federation. In 2004, Barnes was inducted into the North Carolina Poultry Hall of Fame.