What We Do

Live Production

The basic process of growing turkeys has changed very little over the past 50 years. Circle S Ranch buys baby turkeys (called “Poults”) from various hatcheries when they are a day old and places them on a brood farm. After about five weeks the young turkeys are moved from the brood farm to a finishing farm. The reason for moving turkeys is threefold: 1) young turkeys require heat from a brooder (a natural gas or propane heater) to maintain proper body temperature; 2) as turkeys grow from a few ounces to 40-50 pounds they require more square footage and larger feeders and waterers; and 3) disease prevention by keeping all of the turkeys on a farm the same age.
The technology utilized in caring for turkeys has changed dramatically. Circle S Ranch utilizes both conventional open sided and modern tunnel ventilated poultry houses. The goal is to provide clean food and water together with proper ventilation. Ventilation is important to maintain temperature–cool in the summer and warm in the winter–and fresh air for the turkeys to breath. Modern controllers (ie computers) are used to monitor and adjust the conditions in the turkey houses and notify the grower if any parameter is out of tolerance.
Circle S Ranch employees a group of service technicians who are responsible for monitoring turkey health and welfare and assisting both company employees and contract growers to implement proper animal husbandry.

Feed Mill

The Circle S Ranch Feed Mill is located off Hwy. 9 in Richburg, SC, between Lancaster and Chester. The Feed Mill was put into production in 1998 and has continuously provided all of the feed for Circle S Ranch’s turkeys as well as selling feed to several outside producers. The Feed Mill produces in excess of 400,000 tons of finished feed per year. The finished feed is delivered from the Feed Mill to Circle S Ranch’s network of company and contract grower farms by trucks which run around the clock. In a typical week between 350 and 400 truck loads of feed are manufactured and delivered.

Ingredients are received at the Feed Mill by both rail and truck. Nutritionists review the ingredients and formulate recipes designed to provide ideal nutrition for the turkeys during each stage of their lives. These recipes, or formulas, are entered into a batching system which measures out the precise amount of each ingredient and mixes them together for further processing. The mixed feed is then pelleted and certain liquid ingredients are applied downstream producing the finished product.

The Circle S Ranch Feed Mill has been continuously updated and maintained, it is a state-of-the-art feed manufacturing facility that employs between 30 and 40 people ranging from general labor to management, including: mill operators, industrial mechanics, and CDL drivers.

Shavings Mill

Pine shavings are an ideal bedding in turkey houses. For years shavings and sawdust from lumber mills has been utilized in poultry houses as bedding and as media for poultry droppings (ie, poop) to create poultry litter that is used as fertilizer. Competition for pine shavings and sawdust has dramatically increased due to both increased efficiency in sawmills and new uses for shavings and sawdust—especially wood pellets. To keep the supply of pine shavings needed for Circle S Ranch’s turkeys, Circle S Shavings was put into operation in 2008.

Circle S Shavings buys pine trees and makes them into pine shavings. The shavings are used for bedding in the company and contract grower turkey houses, using over 50 tractor trailer loads each week. Additionally Circle S Shavings manufactures compressed bagged shavings that are sold for horses and other livestock.

Row Crop

Circle S Ranch’s Row Crop Division grows corn, wheat and soybeans in Union and Anson Counties in NC and Chesterfield and Lancaster Counties in SC. The operation is 100% no-till farming which together with cover-cropping helps reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss. We utilize the turkey litter from our farms as fertilizer for the crops. The Row Crop Division utilizes the latest in agricultural technology and is a consistent leader in crop yields.

Circle S Ranch uses two grain storage facilities, one in Pageland, SC and the other in Monroe, NC to store crops for marketing. This enables Circle S to choose the best time to sell crops for the maximum price. Depending on market conditions we could utilize a significant portion of the crop in turkey feed produced in our Feed Mill. Circle S Ranch’s Row Crop Division strives to produce the highest quality grain while being good stewards of the land, leaving it in better condition for future generations.

Transportation

It takes a large trucking operation to transport the poults, turkeys, feed and supplies required to care for Circle S’ turkeys on a daily basis. Circle S Ranch has a fleet of over 70 tractor trailer rigs of mostly new model Volvos with automatic transmissions. Our trucks deliver between 350 and 400 loads of feed every week, move over 200,000 poults from brooder farms to grow out farms each week, and deliver approximately 40 loads of turkey to market every night.

Circle S Ranch has a full service truck shop staffed with certified mechanics to keep the fleet in operation. The shop handles everything from regular scheduled maintenance to major repairs on trucks, trailers and Circle S’ four wheeled vehicles.

Many of Circle S Ranch’s employees are CDL Drivers. We aim to employ top-notch safety conscious drivers. We provide new model equipment and local runs allowing you to be home daily. If you are interested in driving for Circle S Ranch please visit our Join the Team page to apply.

Administration

In the turkey industry pennies per pound matter. We strive to produce the best quality product at the lowest possible cost. We have a team of accountants who handle all receipts and payables and provide analysis of “the numbers” for Circle S ownership and management as well as our customers. Our books are audited by an outside firm on an annual basis to insure compliance with GAAP and customer requirements.

Additionally the Administration Department includes Human Resources which is responsible for attracting, attaining and retaining human talent for our team, as well as handling all aspects of employee benefits and compliance.