Category Archives: Poultry Expo

FeatherFest 3 a Resounding Success

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FeatherFest 3 was a “resounding success” according to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. The event was held in conjunction with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau during the International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo week in Atlanta from January 23-27, 2012.

The competition included more than 60 restaurants creating the best poultry appetizers and entrees. Restaurants competed for the title of “Best Of” in three categories. IPE/IFE convention attendees and Atlanta food connoisseurs visited participating restaurants and cast their votes for the “Best Of” poultry inspired dishes.

The results have been calculated, and two restaurants were recognized for their culinary efforts in the three categories. They are as follows:

· Most Popular Entrée: Stuffed Chicken Breast – Ruth’s Chris Steak House
· Highest Rated Entrée: Free-Range Statler Chicken, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Haricot Vert, and Garlic Herb Sauce – Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
· Highest Rated Appetizer: Chicken Parmesan Spring Rolls with Marinara Sauce – Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

In the top picture you can see (Left to right) Nancy Oswald, Ruth’s Chris Steak House Owner, Charlie Olentine, executive vice president of USPOULTRY; and Stephanie I. Tobben, public relations & marketing manager for Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

In the bottom photo you can see (Left to right) Amy Howard, Davio’s sales manager; Paul Dunn, Davio’s assistant general manager; Charlie Olentine, executive vice president of USPOULTRY; and Ellie Westman Chin, vice president of membership, corporate events & visitor services, ACVB.

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau thank all of the restaurants who participated and congratulate the 2012 FeatherFest® winners!

The Novus Triple S Bottom Line

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At the International Poultry Expo, Novus International announced a new enzyme “candidate,” the first from their collaboration with Verenium. I spoke with Gary Hayen, Global Business Director for the fermentation products division. Gary says that by bringing these two companies together they will bring a strength to the industry to bring solutions to their customers.

He says that because of the growing demand for feed enzymes there will be be nothing but increased demand for high quality and specialized products like those being worked on by the two companies. He says the collaboration with Verenium has helped Novus achieve a desire to diversify their product portfolio while meeting customer needs.

Listen to my interview with Gary here: Interview with Gary Hayen

Besides the new collaboration with Verenium, Novus is re-branding itself with what they’re calling the Triple S Bottom Line. To learn more about it I spoke with Dan Meagher, President for Global Animal Nutrition Solutions business unit. Dan says the goal is “really to align with our customers and our customer’s issues.” He says everything has to be focused on profitability and on sustainability.

Listen to my interview with Dan here: Interview with Dan Meagher

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Products To Improve Poultry Production

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Enzymes are a key word heard a lot during the International Poultry Expo. You would also hear a lot of that word in the Novus International booth.

I visited with Jared Hux, Product Manager for Enzymes, about CIBENZA®, a “game changing” dietary enzyme formulated to give poultry producers control over their feed ingredients and rations. Jared says that with rising feed input costs, enzymes can help reduce those costs by utilizing nutrients in the feed better and can also improve performance. Jared is pictured on the right.

Listen to my interview with Jared here: Interview with Jared Hux

Another word discussed on the IPE trade show floor is coccidiosis. That’s not even a pretty word and it’s a big disease problem in poultry production since it can cause mortality. On hand to discuss the Novus solution for control of this disease was Marco Quiroz, Poultry Veterinarian. He says this disease is found in all areas of the world.

Marco says the answer is ADVENT®. This vaccine helps prevent the disease and is administered at one day of age for lifelong protection. He says the product is currently available in the United States, Mexico, Argentina and Thailand and they’re working on additional markets.

Listen to my interview with Marco here: Interview with Marco Quiroz

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus Commitment to Sustainability

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During the Animal Ag Sustainability Summit 2012 held in conjunction with International Poultry Expo, Scott Hine, Vice President – Product Management and Operations, Novus, spoke about the company commitment to sustainability.

Scott says the Summit was an opportunity for Novus and his message was that “if you want to be engaged in sustainability, which Novus believes is core to the future, that you really need to set up a way forward to engage your people and then set your goals and then achieve those goals and report on it.” He says they’ve developed their platform around SEE (Social, Economic and Environmental) which helps employees visualize what they’re doing. Those are linked to their goals. It’s obvious that it is critical to have employees understand and buy in to the company sustainability plan.

Listen to my interview with Scott to learn more about how Novus is working toward sustainability here: Interview with Scott Hine

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Eggmeister is the Egg Mascot

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Thanks to the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association for providing a photo of the winner of the
name the International Poultry Expo egg mascot contest.

The International Poultry Expo’s egg mascot has been officially named Eggmeister! After receiving over 1,350 name submissions, the list was narrowed down to five names. On Thursday, January 26, the name with the most votes was announced during the 2012 International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, GA. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) and the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB).

Dave Roets, Prime Equipment Company, submitted the winning entry. The iPad was presented to Roets by John Starkey, president of USPOULTRY. Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Cookie Smoak, director of convention services; Ellie Westman Chin, vice president; and Mark Sussman, director of trade show sales, assisted in the presentation. The remaining four participants will receive a 2012 souvenir t-shirt.

For those who may not know Eggmiester’s story before he joined the International Poultry Expo, following is a brief history of Eggmeister’s life: Continue reading →

Wrapping Up International Poultry Expo

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The 2012 International Poultry and Feed Expo exceeded expectations. Here are some statistics on this year’s event.

The 2012 International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo drew over 20,500 poultry and feed industry leaders from all over the world. In addition, the show had 895 exhibitors as compared to 900 last year. Sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the American Feed Industry Association, the annual Expo is the world’s largest poultry and feed industry event of its kind.

To get a wrap up on the event I spoke with John Starkey, President, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. He says, “It’s been a great show for us.” Holding on to about the same size as last year considering the difficult year many had in 2011 makes them very pleased. Looking ahead to having the American Meat Institute show co-located in 2013 has them pretty excited. He says that all three industry organizations will be taking their net revenues from the show and putting it back into the industry.

Listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John Starkey

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Waiting For Massive New Feed/Food Safety Regulations

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The feed industry is facing “the mother of all laws,” the Food Safety Modernization Act. That’s according to Richard Sellers, American Feed Industry Association, one of the sponsoring organization this week for the combined International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo. Pictured are staff members from AFIA including Richard on the left.

Richard says this law, which has not yet gone into effect, will create massive regulations for the feed industry and that it will be incredibly costly. Apparently FDA has until this summer to come out with the regs to go along with the law. The law was signed by President Obama a little over a year ago. Of course the industry has been proactively working on a safer feed and food supply for years with the Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program. Makes you wonder why we need more laws and regulations doesn’t it?

Listen to my interview with Richard here: Interview with Richard Sellers

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Egg Products Inspection Act Amendment

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It’s now officially introduced in the House as H.R. 3798. It’s an amendment to the Egg Products Inspection Act. “To provide for a uniform national standard for the housing and treatment of egg-laying hens, and for other purposes.” And it’s very controversial within the ag industry. This proposed legislation which has been crafted as a result of last year’s agreement between HSUS and the United Egg Producers (pdf) has some pretty strong opposition according to a release from the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Other organizations joining AFBF in raising serious concerns about the bill include the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation and the National Milk Producers Federation.” The House bill is sponsored by Rep. Kurt Schrader [D-OR5] and co-sponsored by Jeff Denham [R-CA19], Sam Farr [D-CA17] and Elton Gallegly [R-CA24].

To learn why and how United Egg Producers worked with HSUS on this I spoke with Gene Gregory, President/CEO, UEP, seen on right with Rod Smith, Feedstuffs. Gene says the agreement came about from a proactive approach by UEP to HSUS to find a way to get rid of all the state ballot initiatives on this subject. The organizations have been adversaries in the past. Surprisingly, he says, they agreed. He says it’s all about trying to save the egg farming industry and UEP has worked to make sure it only addresses eggs and no other commodity. He says they would withdraw support if that were to change.

But, according to AFBF, “The flawed legislation, H.R. 3798, introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), would set a dangerous precedent by establishing federally mandated egg production practices and banning a number of other proven science-based egg production methods, according to AFBF President Bob Stallman.” So there is some obvious industry disagreement on this issue.

Listen to my interview with Gene to get more of his perspective, especially as it relates to concerns of other ag groups here: Interview with Gene Gregory

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus/Verenium Collaboration Yields First Enzyme Candidate

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The collaboration between Novus International and Verenium has yielded its first fruit, “the selection of a next-generation phytase as the first enzyme candidate from the two companies’ strategic collaboration to advance toward commercialization.” The strategic partnership began in June of last year to develop a suite of new enzyme products from Verenium’s late-stage pipeline in the animal nutrition and health area globally. Pictured is Novus President/CEO Thad Simons (right) with Arne Solbak and Jonny Lyon, Verenium.

“This partnership has enabled us to create enzyme solutions for nutritionists, producers and others who want to optimize nutrition. This product is geared toward use in poultry, pork and aquaculture product,” notes Novus International President and Chief Executive Officer Thad Simons. “We’re pleased to be a valued partner in optimizing nutrition and, as a result, lowering feed costs for our customers through cutting-edge enzyme solutions like this one.”

Reducing the amount of phytate-bound phosphorus is key in helping livestock producers reduce the impact of animal production on the environment. The phytase enzyme being developed as part of this collaboration will help nutritionists and producers feed more efficiently and get the most out of their rations.

In addition to the next-generation phytase, the collaboration also has three additional products in late-stage development targeted at this market.

I spoke with Thad during the International Poultry Expo to learn more about the collaboration between these two companies. He also discussed the new Novus Triple S Bottom Line, Solutions, Service, Sustainability.

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

AMI To Co-Locate With Poultry/Feed Expo

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It looks like IPE Week in Atlanta is going to get bigger next year. The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the American Feed Industry Association have signed an agreement with the American Meat Institute to co-locate the AMI tradeshow with the IPE/IFE in Atlanta, annually in January, starting in 2013.

The three shows will operate under one umbrella creating one of the largest 50 shows in the United States. It is expected that the entire show will include more than 1,000 exhibitors and close to 1,000,000 square feet of exhibit space. The meat and poultry exhibits will be combined on one large show floor, and the IFE will be held in the adjacent hall. One badge will allow all attendees into any exhibit.

“We are very excited about this partnership with AMI, and the co-location is something our exhibitors have asked about for a long time. The consolidation of the tradeshows will allow our respective organizations to build on the synergies of the poultry, feed, and meat sectors, as well as provide a benefit to our exhibitors and members who produce or exhibit across multiple protein sectors,” commented John Starkey, President of USPOULTRY.

All three associations will continue to operate independently, serving their respective constituents and will offer targeted education and networking opportunities that meet the customer needs and compliment the expo. The operations of the show will be handled out of the USPOULTRY offices, and AMI and AFIA will be instrumental in driving attendance promotion and exhibit sales efforts.

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Overview Of 2012 International Poultry Expo

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The 2012 International Poultry Expo has an increased focus on educational sessions according to Charles Olentine, Executive Vice President. I spoke with him about the show this year which he says has “exceeded our expectations.” Last year was a tough one in the industry but the show has just about the same number of exhibitors and attendees as in 2011. International attendees continue to be a big part of IPE accounting for about twenty five percent of those who are here.

This is the 64th year for the show and Charles says they’re contracted with Atlanta through 2016 so we get to keep coming back to Atlanta for a while. I just have to say how much I appreciate the great weather we’ve been having. Last year wasn’t quite as nice as I recall.

Listen to my interview with Charles here: Interview with Charles Olentine

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Novus Chicken Balloons

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Chickens just want to have fun. Actually, chicken balloons.

This is part of the Novus International team here at the International Poultry Expo with one of their decorative chicken balloons that could be found at their social hour last night. You can also see the chicken balloon getting “scanned.” Everyone coming in had their badge scanned which was a very handy way for the company to know who attended. The hand scanner immediately delivers results to a smartphone too btw. I love new technology!

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

The Novus IPE Week Program

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The Global Poultry Market Manager for Novus International is Scott Carter (on right). I got an overview from him of all the activities Novus is involved in during IPE Week.

To start with Scott says they participated in the International Poultry Scientific Forum with a sponsored lunch featuring David Armano who spoke about social media. David was my interview in this week’s ZimmCast. Scott says he learned a few key things from that presentation, including the fact that academics are the most trusted source of information. Another learning point was that “everybody is empowered, everybody has a voice.” That’s social media.

Another way Novus was involved was with the Animal Ag Sustainability Summit where Scott Hine, Novus Product Management and Operations, spoke about Novus’s commitment to sustainability. I’ll have more on that topic in my interview with Scott coming up soon. Besides these programs Novus is catching up with “old” friends and customers in the trade show.

Listen to my interview with Scott here: Interview with Scott Carter

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

IPE, The All-Feather Event

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It has been an interesting morning on the agriblogging highway. My flight to Atlanta was cancelled and I didn’t know until I got to the gate. But with a little work and a friendly ticket counter person things worked out.

So, it’s IPE Week in Atlanta and I’m here for a couple days. I’ll be working with my sponsor, Novus International, once again and finding stories and interviews where I can.

Of course there’s a photo album started: 2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Expert Opinion Via Social Media

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ZimmCast 336Events started taking place today for IPE Week in Atlanta and Novus International got their schedule started with a presentation titled, “Like It: Consumers want to hear your expert opinion.” The session was conducted by David Armano, Executive Vice President – Global Innovation & Integration. His focus was on “how cutting edge research influences the everyday consumer via social media.”

I spoke with David afterward. He says he talked about what’s next in regards to social media and digital and how some of the technology shifts are being dictated by our behaviors and the ways we now communicate and do business. He especially zeroed in on the changes in media and talks about a Media Cloverleaf (Mainstream, New Media, Social and Owned). He also shared some polling study information from what they call the Trust Barometer. One of the findings was that traditionally academics and technical experts have been perceived as the most trustworthy. Last year the third most trusted individual was a financial industry analyst but this year it’s someone like yours truly ie. someone like you! I think you’ll find some great information in my conversation with David.

Listen in on my conversation with David in this week’s program: Expert Opinion Via Social Media

Thanks to our ZimmCast sponsor, GROWMARK, locally owned, globally strong, for their support.

The ZimmCast is the official weekly podcast of AgWired. Subscribe so you can listen when and where you want. Just go to our Subscribe page.

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

2012 IPE Week Underway

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It’s 2012 International Poultry Expo time. I’ll be on location at this all-feather event by tomorrow afternoon thanks to our sponsor, Novus International.

This show is big so there are a lot of resources for you like the Product Locator and Show Planner. Go to the show website for more.

Here are some statistics from last year’s show:

The 63rd annual International Poultry Expo featuring its fifth year with the International Feed Expo produced very impressive attendance numbers.

Attendance totaled 20,742 for the 2011 show up from 18,896 in 2010. International attendees numbered 4371, an increase of 505 over 2010 with Latin America constituting the largest segment at 43% of non-US attendees.

States with the greatest representation in 2011
Georgia 4291
North Carolina 893
Illinois 876
Arkansas 760
Alabama 713

Countries with the greatest representation in 2011
Canada 767
Mexico 516
Brazil 276
Colombia 256
Venezuela 207
China 203

Coverage of the 2012 International Poultry Expo is sponsored by Novus International

Name The Egg Man

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It’s almost time for the International Poultry Expo. The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is working with the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau to help name their eggman logo for the upcoming trade show. So Atlanta community and beyond. Want to help come up with a creative name and maybe win a cool prize (iPad)?

On-line name submissions open at http://www.atlanta.net/ipe/featherfest_namethategg.aspx on Monday, January 16, 2012 at midnight and close at Midnight, January 19, 2012.

A selection committee comprised of 3 representatives from the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and 2 from the International Poultry Expo will review the submissions on January 20, 2012, selecting 5 finalists.

Each entry will be time stamped. If a duplicate name is submitted by more than one entrant and chosen as the winner, the person with the earliest time stamp will be chosen as the winner.

Participants can submit more than one name.

Finalists will then be posted online at at http://www.atlanta.net/ipe/featherfest_namethategg.aspx wherein internet voting will be open to the general public beginning at 12:01 a.m., January 20. Additionally, attendees to the International Poultry Expo will be able to turn in written ballots.

Voting will cease at 11:59 p.m. on January 25, 2012. At that time the finalist with the most votes will be declared the winner. The winner will be announced the morning of January 26, 2012.

Prize: One (1) Apple iPad (16 mB, wi-fi) will be awarded.

Novus Cheerleader

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Giovanni GasperoniThe Novus International Cheerleader is Executive Vice President Giovanni Gasperoni who is also in charge of marketing and sales. In the photo he’s visiting with Dick Butkus at the recent International Poultry Expo. I thought I’d save the best for last!

One of the subjects that he loves to talk about is how Novus is helping producers feed a growing and hungry world population. But he says it’s not just about quantity of food but also affordability of food. I think you’ll hear how passionate Gio is about this subject in my interview with him. He takes a very global perspective. He says they are working with producers on three key areas: education, using Novus products that allow for less overall inputs and maximizing the utilization of inputs.

You can listen to my interview with Giovanni here: Interview With Giovanni Gasperoni

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by: Novus

ADVENT From Novus Keeping Broilers Healthy

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Bruce KingI’m still learning about the new things going on at Novus International, especially when it comes to poultry. At the recent International Poultry Expo I spoke with Bruce King, Biologicals Director, about a product called ADVENT.

Bruce says ADVENT is a vaccine for coccidiosis control in broilers. He says that other products are seeing some resistance to the disease and the industry is becoming more open to vaccines. He says they’ve learned that they can use the product in small birds. Coccidiosis is estimated to be the number one disease in broilers in the world.

You can listen to my interview with Bruce here: Interview With Bruce King

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by: Novus

Novus Announces TREVERA

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Jared HuxWe always ask, “What’s new?” when conducting interviews and during the recent International Poultry Expo, our sponsor, Novus International had some news.

I spoke with Jared about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. He calls it the king of the omega-3 fatty acids. Besides being very healthy for humans it also is for poultry. It helps promote growth and the nutritional value of eggs and meat. According to Jared the “new” comes in with their product TREVERA. This is an algae based omega-3 DHA which they just launched. He says you can find omega-3 eggs in the grocery store now and that you should look for ones that say DHA.

You can listen to my interview with Jared here: Interview With Jared Hux

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by: Novus