John O. Moosberg, born in Fort Worth in 1899, was educated at Texas A&M University and moved to Shelby County in 1936 to serve as county agent. He took up that role as Shelby County was losing its cotton industry to West Texas and its watermelon business to the Valley of Texas, and several replacement crops were tried with little success. In 1948, he began trips to Arkansas and Gonzales, Texas, to observe poultry industry operations, then worked diligently with other community leaders to build support and enthusiasm for Shelby County to enter the poultry industry. He persuaded Willie Cordray of Shelbyville to operate the first long-style poultry house anywhere in Texas on his property. That 20' x 120', 3,000-capacity broiler house marked Shelby County as the beginning of the commercial long-style poultry house industry in Texas, and the county continued to be one of the largest poultry-producing areas in the state. Moosberg and his wife, Gladys, raised three children in Center: Ann, Jeannie, and John Berry. The beginning of the poultry industry in Shelby County was largely credited to his dedication and hard work, and he was regarded as one of the county's poultry pioneers.