Today, Tyson Foods employs more than 2,700 team members at its chicken processing cook plant in Wilkesboro. However, poultry farming and processing is a part of Wilkes County’s history. Holly Farms was founded in Wilkesboro in 1958. Tyson bought the company and its operations in 1989. With a $14 million-plus expansion in 2016, Tyson now processes 98,800,000 chickens at the plant annually.