Chicken Magnate's Promototion Horns In On Cattle's Country

LOOKING OUT OF PLACE behind a Panhandle chuckwagon, poultry czar Bo Pilgrim invaded cattle country to film a recent commercial promoting his products. The mischievous Pilgrim’s next target is the world of skydiving, another unlikely place to find a chicken.

Chicken Magnate’s Promotion
Horns In On Cattle Country

PAMPA, Texas — After spending the morning moving cows and calves through the rugged Canadian River breaks in Roberts County of the Texas Panhandle, hungry cowboys spur their horses toward the chuckwagon for something to eat.

As they rein up, demanding to know what's for dinner, poultry magnate Bo Pilgrim peers around the chuckbox and says, "Chicken."

To make matters worse, he goes on to extol the health benefits of eating chicken to the three mean-looking cowboys towering over him. They tower over him because they are standing on wooden boxes.

As the television commercial being filmed at the Cottonwood Springs Ranch north of Pampa comes to an end, the cowboys smile and say they've been thinking about watching their diets more closely.

One of the cowboys, horse trainer Jay Henson of Hugoton, Kan., says he's not particularly worried about how the Kansas Beef Council will view his performance. He just gets a kick out of the Dallas ad agency making the commercial choosing to bring cowboys down from Kansas into the Texas Panhandle to move the cattle.

Chicken may be what's for supper, but it was cattle, cowboys, cameramen, soundmen, directors, account executives and the white-haired Bo Pilgrim, who, when not on camera sports a broad smile, that rustled up the television advertisement last week north of Pampa. There was even a food stylist from New Orleans slaving over a hot Dutch oven.

Dan Emery, vice president for marketing with Pilgrim's Pride Corporation out of Dallas, says the commercial will air in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Michigan in June.

Becky Taylor Epps, owner of Cottonwood Springs Ranch, says she was excited to have the crew shooting an advertisement at her place.

The crew took three days here to shoot the 30-second commercial.

In addition to Pilgrim, the cast includes cowboys Jim Moyer and Cal Ferguson of Pampa; Kyle Trahern of Walsh, Colo.; Dustin Hawks, Goodwell, Okla.; Ethan Walker, Hugoton, Kan.; and Jay Henson of Hugoton, Kan.

Ted Embry of Boise City, Okla., provided the chuck wagon. Embry heads for Amarillo this week to defend his title as World Champion Chuckwagon Cook at the Coors Ranch Rodeo.

"I have to be there," Embry says. "They sent me a letter that said to be sure and bring the traveling bronze trophy back."

Cinematographer Dale Scarberry of Amarillo filmed the commercial.

Most of the rest of the crew was from Dallas.

Pilgrim, a man of strong beliefs, handed out small black pamphlets to each of the crew during the shoot, which contained scripture to live by and a $20 bill so the booklets wouldn't get thrown away.

From Pampa, Pilgrim and company move on to the site of their next commercial, Emery says, which involves skydiving.

Pilgrim's Pride, a food company offering fresh and prepared chicken and fresh eggs, was named to Fortune magazine's "America's most admired companies" list this year.

Perhaps appropriately, the commercial was filmed along Chicken Creek, which cuts through the ranch. The creek, however, was named for Prairie Chickens, which were once abundant in the area.

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