Collier Wenderoth Jr., chairman of O.K. Industries Inc. of Fort Smith and a 2009 inductee to the Arkansas Farm Bureau's Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, died yesterday, 6 June, reports Arkansas Business. He was 87 years of age and is survived by his wife, Nancy.

The company, which employs about 5,000 people in Arkansas and Oklahoma, planned to observe a moment of silence in honour of the late chairman at 16:00.

Trent Goins, Mr Wenderoth's grandson and senior vice-president of sales and marketing at OK Industries said: "He was a true visionary and a pioneer in the chicken business."