Raising Turkeys is Hard Work, But Worth It

When Alvin Foltz was just five years old, his father built some of the first covered turkey houses in West Virginia. “When he went and borrowed the money,” Alvin says, “they told him he was crazy.” But he built those poultry barns anyway, laying the foundation for a legacy of family farming that would last for generations.

Today, Alvin and his wife Barbara run Triple A Farms, with family at the heart of everything they do. It’s right there in the name: The Three A’s stand for Alvin and his two sons, Adam and Alex. Both sons are now a part of growing the family business, and they all raise turkeys together in West Virginia.

Feeding the world.

Raising turkeys is hard work, but knowing that their turkeys will wind up nourishing families around the country makes it all worth it. For Barbara, it’s hearing people talk about getting their Thanksgiving turkeys that’s most affecting. “You start to wonder if it’s one of our turkeys.”

“It’s been a great legacy for us to grow turkeys,” Alvin beams. “It makes you proud.” It’s that pride in his family and his farm that keeps Alvin going day after day. It’s not just a job for him, it’s a way of life. One day, he’ll turn the farm over to his boys, but he’ll still be right there with them. Working with the turkeys, and working with his family.

One big farm family

The Foltzes run their farm as a family. Responsibilities are divided up between Alvin, Adam and Alex, but as a rule, they’re there to help each other out. Barbara runs the finances for the whole operation, and whenever it’s time to build a new barn or settle a new group of turkeys all at once, they know they can always count on each other.

Working together, they’re proud to be able to run their farms the right way—raising turkeys without growth-promoting antibiotics or added hormones and steroids*. And the best part is, they do it all as a family.

“Once a farm family, always a farm family.”

Growing up, Adam and Alex loved living on a farm. They would compete over who got to drive the truck and farm equipment. But when it came time to move out, they went their separate ways to forge their own path.

Alex met his wife Jenny while he was pursuing a career in professional baseball and she was working as a nurse in New Orleans. When they got together and started making plans for their family’s future, they ultimately decided to move back to West Virginia to grow their modern farm family.

When Adam went off to college, he always knew he wanted to come home to the farm. He met his wife Erica playing on a local softball team and within a year they were married. The whole family loves to play sports, in fact. The brothers are still just as competitive as when they were kids, and the young children love to play ball with their “Pap” Alvin.

As each family grows, their children are experiencing all the joys of farm living, just like Adam and Alex did growing up.

Work together, stay together.

For Alex and Adam, the work on the farm may be hard, but a job well done can be its own reward. “It’s awesome,” Alex says. “It’s like a sport. You get that sense of accomplishment.” And just like a sport, the brothers are always competing. Whether it’s a game of golf, or seeing whose farm performs better at the end of the year, they’re constantly pushing each other to do better.

But at the end of the day, they’re family first. The entire Foltz family gets together for dinner at least every week. And as for the future, the Foltzes are raising their young kids the way their mom and dad did. One day, a new generation might grow up to take over the farm, or they might find their path elsewhere. For now, they’re giving their all to make the family farm a joyful place to live.

*Turkeys raised with no added Hormones or Steroids. Federal regulations prohibit the use of Hormones or Steroids in poultry. Antibiotics responsibly used only when needed for treatment or prevention of illness.