Murphy-Brown has teamed up with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to assist with the commission’s Cooperative Upland-habitat Restoration and Enhancement (CURE) Program. CURE’s goal is to increase and enhance early-succession wildlife habitat on private and public lands throughout the state.

To help accomplish the state’s goal, Murphy-Brown is providing CURE with access to more than 40,000 acres of North Carolina property, including its largest single tract of land known as the Mr. Holmes Complex.

Tours of the complex were held in July geared towards associates and guests who were interested in taking a look at the wildlife project without dedicating an entire day for the formal educational workshop. WRC biologist Benjy Strope led tour groups around the complex with stops at various project points including naturally vegetated buggers, examples of established vegetation for wildlife benefit and the results of roller chopping and burning.

The commission’s access to Murphy-Brown’s properties allows it to manage the habitat and conduct conservation research projects on land available for birds, rabbits, deer and other animals. CURE is succeeding in brining back the songs of the Bobwhite quail, Bachman’s sparrows, eastern meadowlarks and prairie warblers. Eventually, the commission hopes to convert 5 percent of Murphy-Brown’s farmland to early-succession habitat.

Circle Four Farms in Milford, Utah has received the “Best of State” medal for 2007 for its achievements in the category of production and manufacturing. Best of State is an annual award given to Utah businesses and organizations that are achieving, innovating and improving the quality of life in the state. Circle Four Farms previously won the award in 2004.

Conley Nelson, operations manager for Murphy-Brown LLC’s Western Operations has been selected for the Pork Leadership Academy, a program sponsored by the Pork Checkoff to identify and train industry leaders. The Pork Leadership Academy will focus on training producers to relate the accomplishments of the pork industry to the public and to communicate with producers one-on-one about issues facing the pork industry. Participants are selected by their individual states and represent different production styles.

A number of Murphy-Brown employees participated in 68th Annual North Carolina Truck Driving Championship in Smithfield, North Carolina. Drivers were judged on road skills, a written test of their safety and industry knowledge, pre-trip inspection proficiency, and personal interviews. Top scoring participants from Murphy-Brown were Roy Brown, Rose Hill Feed Haul, and Susan Smith, Rose Hill Live Haul.

Tommy Williams, who has been driving for Carroll’s Turkeys for 36 years, has earned the Drivers Safety Award. Williams has never had an accident.

Murphy-Brown allowed the Clarkton Dixie Youth Baseball program to use an abandoned house near one of its farms to host a “Haunted House” fundraiser over Halloween. The Clarkton DYB is a nonprofit group that has to raise money each year to maintain its baseball park.