Alumni Spotlight – Jim Baily ‘66

Adequately explaining Jim Bailey’s improbable success is part of the challenge in writing a story like this. The other part is getting him on the phone to talk about it. His workday begins at 3 a.m. and he doesn’t get home until 6 o’clock in the evening!

Actually, “improbable” is not a word those who know Jim would use to describe his career. Hard work has been his way of life since his earliest days. And if hard work means success, then success was his destiny. “I grew up on a farm,” he explains. “We all had to work from before dawn till after dark. I never knew anything else and have always lived that way.”

Jim was an agriculture student at SHS and, outside of Future Farmers of America, had time for little else. He had a dream to own his own farm, and prepared for it throughout his school career, saving enough to rent some ground and start his own operation upon graduation in 1966.

Unfortunately, that summer was one of devastating drought in the northeast and the venture failed. Needing to make his own way financially, he took a job at Cole Steel in York. At first, he was running machines, but was soon working in the maintenance department. After a few years, he was assigned as a supervisor of the plant’s night shift, and by 1973, he was in charge of the plant’s maintenance staff of 55.

It was at Cole that he met his wife, whom he married in 1978. “She was ‘liberated’ before her time,” he says. “She was the only crane operator in the plant, and with me as head of maintenance, we didn’t get along too well at first.” Obviously, they worked out their differences and recently celebrated their 35^th wedding anniversary.

But all that time, he never gave up his dream of owning a farm, renting land, and working it on the side, saving for a day when he could buy his own place.

In 1979, he was able to buy a laying farm and began working it full-time, selling eggs to local markets. It was hard at first, but his business grew steadily and by 1998, it required 500 acres to support more than a million hens. In partnership with other investors, he added a processing plant and became one of the largest integrated egg operations on the east coast.

Jim sold his main operation to Hillendale Farms and now serves as general manager in the Jefferson plant, which supports 120 employees, about 1.3 million hens, and processes a million eggs per day. Hillendale provides eggs to all Walmart, Giant, Food Lion, Costco, BJ’s, and the U.S. military throughout Pennsylvania and beyond.

Jim served as a Codorus Township Supervisor, a member of the planning commission, a director on the Farm Bureau and Pennsylvania State Extension Service, and served on the advisory board of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Jim and his wife also own a country store selling antiques and furniture – The Hilltop Country Barn.  His daughter Christina graduated as a Warrior in 2003 and is a veterinarian technician.

Jim had good memories of his time at Susquehannock. “I loved it there,” he recalls. “The Ag program was great.” In particular, he remembers the life lessons of teacher Mr. (Jim) Miller, Mr. (Tom) Kerrigan, and Mr. (Russell) Hare. “The most important thing I took away from that time was knowing that if you had the right training and worked hard, you could succeed.”

And he has certainly done that.

Thanks to Jim Bailey, a proud member of the Class of 1966, for making us Warrior Proud!