1961 was a lean year for Tyson's Feed and Hatchery. Production costs exceeded broiler prices for 34 consecutive weeks. Still, John and Don Tyson would not be daunted.
They responded to the climate by going into the commercial egg business and building new offices in downtown Springdale. That same year, Buddy Wray began his Tyson career as a Field Service Representative. Buddy is now President and Chief Operating Officer.
 Two years later, in 1963, the company went public and sold 100,000 shares of stock for $10.50 a share. The company changed its name to Tyson's Foods. That same year, Tyson's Foods made what would be the first in a long line of acquisitions when it purchased Garrett Poultry Company of Rogers, Arkansas. Broiler production in the U.S. was growing at a staggering rate, having increased by 366 percent in Arkansas alone during the previous decade.
Although the company was getting bigger, it was still at the mercy of an erratic market. Earnings fluctuated wildly, soaring to record highs and dipping to startling lows. In the mid '60s, Don Tyson formulated the first corporate strategy. The company, he said, was not committed strictly to the broiler market. More to the point, it was dedicated to ensuring that dollars invested matched dollars returned on investment.
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