The Force Behind The Poultry Industry’s Success
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
It’s difficult to separate the life
story of Paul Whipple from the his
tory of the poultry industry. The
two are almost synonymous as
Whipple, alias “Money Bags
Whipple” was the catalyst in help
ing farmers make the poultry
industry the giant industry dial it is
today.
For his achievements,
Whipple’s received the George
Delp Award and he’s been named
Man of the Year hy the Pennsylva
nia Poultry Federation.
Perhaps not as significant to the
poultry industry but just as valu
able to Whipple is that he and his
wife Elva recently celebrated SO
years of marriage.
“Behind every successful man is
a great woman,” the saying goes.
And, Whipple is quick to praise
his wife and lovingly refers to her
as his “Million Dollar Baby.”
Elva was the one who cared for
the couple’s four children while
her husband crisscrossed counties
in his diligent efforts to help far
mers establish successful fanning
practices. She was the city gal who
quickly adapted to working in the
bam.
Of her switch from city to coun
try, she said, “I was of the old
school. I was taught that when you
married, you did what your hus
band did. That you backed him
up.”
Despite his busy, schedule,
Whipple did his share of work on
the farm. His wife said, “Many
times he would be out plowing to 2
|m. and then get up again at S a.m.
m get the farm work done so he
could go on the road to do his job.”
Whipple was bom and raised in
.Bradford County where he and his
siblings continue to own the
*129-acre farm that has been in the
family since 1838.
“When I was young, we didn’t
have tractors. We stabbed com by
hand,” Whipple said of his early
years.
During the Depression Era.
Whipple worked as a Guernsey
herdsman In Spring Hill Later, he
and several neighboring young fel-
Many of tha companies (or which he worked held retire
ment parties and gave him a clock. “Now I have a clock in
every room, 1 * Whipple said of the many clocks awarded him.
He also has many plaques noting his work for the agricul
tural Industry.
lows moved to Chester County
where he met Elva.
There was concern in 1943
about keeping people on the farm.
Those fellows from 18-26-years of
age who worked on the farm were
rfaaft exempt. Whipple returned to
Bradford County where he was in
charge of the milk route for a 1,400
acre farm in Towanda. Whipple
married when he was 21 and Elva
was 18'A . They soon bought their
own 105-acre farm and worked in
poultry sales at a feed mill.
An ambitious young man.
Whipple soon caught the attention
of of the local Farm Credit office.
In 1955, he was asked to run a
branch office. A year later. Farm
Credit asked him to cover Lancas
ter. Lebanon, and Dauphin coun
ties.
It was a big step for the Whip
ples who knew everyone in Brad
ford County to choose to move to a
new area. Especially since
Whipple had been warned that
Lancaster Countians were skepti
cal of newcomers.
“People said that Lancaster
Countians were clannish and I'd
never make it.” Whipple said.
Being adventurous and liking
challenges, Whipple decided to
take the plunge. He put a three-day
ad on his farm in the newspaper.
Even though it wasn’t the right
time of the year to sell a farm, the
farm' sold immediately, Whipple
said.
The Whipples moved to a farm
in Lancaster County. “My boss
wouldn’t let me go out of the office
until I learned to pronouce Lancas
ter properly and not like the tourists
do,” Whipple said.
Immediately, Whipple became
acquainted with ag business people
and became aggressive in helping
fanners enlarge poultry operations.
“Money Bags Whipple,”
became his nickname as he became
adept in handling contracts for
Weaver’s Poultry, Miller and
Bushong, Kreiders’, Wenger’s,
and other rapidly growing
companies.
Whipple’s secret to success was
rooted in being a good listener. It
did not matter if the person was
Amish, old-order Mennonite, or an
Elva spends many hours In her colorful flower beds surrounding their Lancaster
home. Although Whipple Is supposedly retired, he still works long hours only now he
doesn't charge for his consultation work with farmers.
agri-business giant Whipple took
time to develop friendships with
all
The warning that local people
were clannish proved wrong as
Whipple soon became almost like a
family member to many farmers
and agri-business people.
All loans had to be approved by
the Baltimore office, who had little
understanding of the local agricul
tural community. Weekly,
Whipple traveled to the Baltimore
office to argue the case of local far
mers and to explain that county
farms cost more and that they were
worth more than those in other
areas.
Whipple helped farmers estab
lish the first large broiler houses in
the county. Temperature
controlled environments were a
new concept in the industry and it
took awhile before Penn State
became convinced of the concept’s
practicality. But when Penn State
saw the potential, they took steps to
help fanners work out the kinks in
the system. In 1959. Whipple
became general manager for Key
stone Credit
In 1964, Miller and Bushong
asked Whipple to work for them as
credit manager. It was his job to
develop a new broiler program for
the company that was innovative
but not like their competitor’s
Weaver’s Poultry of New Holland.
Whipple devised the two-story
40x250-foot and the 40x400-foot
poultry houses that he sold as a
package deal that included every
thing from equipment to construc
tion and financing.
At first, banks weren’t helping
finance farming operations at all.
But when they saw how lucrative
that business could be, other banks
jumped on the bandwagon.
To Whipple’s dismay, people
were getting credit that should not
have been getting it. The easy cre
dit heyday of the 1970 s caused him
great concern, said Whipple who
believes the industry is paying for
that today. FHA loans were given
indiscrimately to good and bad
managers and it backfired on the
lender. Some lost their farms and
the goverment lost money in the
venture.
“I don’t think we will ever see
the easy credit of the '7os again,”
Whipple said. ‘The government is
more interested in social problems
than in helping farmers,” he said.
When he fust began farming,
Whipple said that it was tough to
make it financially. His pay check
was only $65 a month for working
on the farm. “But if you were a
hard worker and a good manager,
you could start out without a penny
and make it," Whipple said.
Today, a new farmer couldn't do
that without a lot of good lucky
breaks.
A degree was not required when
Whipple began his financial
career. He did take several Penn
State short courses over the years,
but most of his expertise was
gained from on-the-job
experience.
He’s proud that people say his
two sons are a chip off the old
block. Both are CPAs. The couples
two daughters also earned a college
degree.
“We paid the tuition and board
for each of children and it was the
best investment that we ever
made,’’ Whipple said. That doesn’t
mean the children didn’t work.
They held summer jobs and saved
their money for books and addi
tional expenses. The sons learned
to change oil and grease their own
cars, which they continue to do
today, Whipple said.
Whipple considers that he is on
the conservative side when it com
es to spending money.
“I pick up pennies and straighten
nails,” he said of his thriftiness. He
Jfomesteod
JTotes
y y
by the Whipples.
doesn’t buy new cars. Twice in his
lifetime, he has taken a hunting trip
to Montana, but not for the last 10
years.
At the same time, Whipple said
that he doesn’t approve of being
stingy with money. In his position.
he sometimes saw farmers who
sacrificed everything to purchase
another farm. Some did not proper
ly clothe and feed their children
because buying another farm was a
priority.
In 1984, Whipple "began work
ing for Agri-General as a financial
consultant.
Whipple is an outside director
and on the audit and compliance
committee for York Farm Credit
He’s been with the Ag Preserve
since the beginning, is treasurer of
the executive committee for Farm
land Trust and on the Ag Issues
board. He is also a church trustee,
and manages a 38,000 square foot
complex.
Although retired, Whipple con
tinues to work as a consultant only
now he does it gratis.
“I like helping people. It gives
me great satisfaction to see farmers
succeed,” he said.
It also brings him much pleasure
in knowing that he had a part in
helping the poultry industry mak
ing a better life for many people.
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