Category Archives: Poultry

Donating Eggs for Easter Again

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I wonder how long it would take to crack 10 million fresh eggs. A long time for one person that’s for sure. That’s how many eggs that are being donated again this year by America’s egg farmers. The Easter bunny is getting a helping hand from United Egg Producers. The eggs are being donated to Feeding America’s 78 food banks in 40 states.

This is the 5th year of the program. The total is now almost 5 million dozen eggs donated! We’re going to do our part this weekend to support America’s egg farmers in our household. Colored eggs or not, we love eggs!

“If you’ve ever met an egg farmer, you know just how incredibly generous and giving these men and women are,” said Gene Gregory, president of United Egg Producers. “All year long, but especially at Easter, they proudly do what they can to support the communities in which they live and work.”

For food banks across America, high quality sources of protein, such as eggs, are especially needed and valued. According to the USDA, one large egg delivers six grams of protein, along with 13 essential nutrients, including choline, folate, iron and zinc. After a review of the nutrient composition of standard large eggs last year, USDA concluded that the average amount of cholesterol was 14 percent lower, and vitamin D content was 64 percent higher, than previously measured.

“It’s no longer just unemployed people who seek out help from their local food banks,” explained Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “More than ever, we’re working with people who just can’t make ends meet and need help feeding themselves and their families.”

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!

NCBA Says Egg Deal Opens Pandora’s Box

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If there was one issue that was most talked about at the Cattle Industry Convention, it was probably eggs – and producers are definitely not sunny-side up on the proposed agreement between the United Egg Producers (UEP) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) that would require larger cages for egg-laying hens.

“You might ask why we as the beef industry care about laying hens,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) legislative affairs director Kristina Butts. “The reason why we care is because currently there’s no production practices in federal statute and we want to keep it that way.”

Butts said legislation codifying the agreement was introduced in the U.S. House by Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR), who is a veterinarian. “This legislation opens up Pandora’s Box on Capitol Hill. While this bill currently only applies to the egg industry, it’s not a far stretch to see it applied to all animal agriculture,” Butts said, noting that Rep. Schrader believes that since he’s a vet and is on the House ag committee that he can control this legislation. “One thing we know from other issues where we’ve dealt with HSUS is that you can never be too trusting of where they’re going to go in terms of parliamentary procedure.”

Listen to Kristina’s comments on the bill here: Kristina Butts Comments

NCBA Government Affairs Vice President Colin Woodall says UEP is looking at this agreement as a partnership with HSUS. “But there is no such thing as a partnership with HSUS,” Colin said. “HSUS operates in the mode of ‘this is what we want you to do and if you don’t do it, we’re gonna do it to you.”

Colin says it is unfortunate that the issue has driven a wedge between UEP and nearly all other livestock and agricultural organizations, including other poultry groups. “But we cannot allow them to move forward. So we will defeat this,” he said.

Listen to Colin’s comments here: Colin Woodall HSUS comments

What do you think about the UEP-HSUS agreement and pending legislation regarding laying hens? There’s still time to vote on the question regarding the issue in our ZimmPoll on the left side bar.

2012 Cattle Industry Convention Photo Album

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

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 →

Hard Rock at Poultry Expo

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I did not expect to see Hard Rock Cafe at International Poultry Expo but they are. Apparently Hard Rock has been working with IPE to produce a commemorative pin for the show for years.

I spoke with Jennifer Waxman, Sales & Marketing Manager, about how Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta is working with the show this year. Jennifer says that besides the commemorative pin there is a co-branded t-shirt this year. A portion of the sales from these items goes to benefit Wellspring Living, a charitable organization working on behalf of abused children. If you show your IPE badge you get ten percent off your meal at the Cafe!

Listen to my interview with Jennifer here: Hard Rock at Poultry Expo

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

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.

New Ideas for Promoting Soybean Exports

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usb soybean exportsThe final session of the US Soybean Export Council Animal Utilization Stakeholders meeting in Seattle this past weekend focused on a discussion of new ideas to promote soybean exports in the future.

As chairman of the United Soybean Board International Marketing Committee, Jim Call of Minnesota split his time between the animal utilization and the human utilization meetings. “I think we covered a lot of areas. I think it gives our staff a little more direction on the projects they need to bring forward to the farmers in the future that we as farmers think will add value,” he said.

The last panel at the animal utilization meeting discussed ways that animo acid profiles could be used as a marketing characteristic. “Currently the market focuses on protein and oil,” Jim explained. “What we’re trying to do is get the market to focus instead of just on protein, on amino acid or digestibility.”

Listen to my interview with Jim here. USB Director Jim Call

More interviews and stories from the meeting can be found here.

USSEC First Animal Utilization Stakeholders Meeting Photos

House Hearing on How GIPSA Hurts Small Business

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The last post we did with a lawmaker’s opinion on GIPSA, we got hammered with comments. That was fun – let’s do it again!

Last time, it was Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) who had negative comments about USDA’s controversial Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard’s Administration (GIPSA) proposal. This time, it’s Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), chairman of the House Small Business Committee’s Agriculture, Energy and Trade Subcommittee. Earlier this month, Tipton held a subcommittee hearing entitled “How USDA’s Proposed GIPSA Rule Hurts America’s Small Businesses.”

Tipton says if the “Job-Crushing GIPSA Proposed Regulation” is adopted it “has the potential to reduce gross domestic product by over $1.5 billion and cost the U.S. economy nearly 23,000 jobs.” He’s most concerned that USDA “fully comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) and ensure that USDA understands the private-sector costs of the regulations it is imposing on all sectors within the livestock industry.”

One of the witnesses at the July 7 hearing was USDA Undersecretary Edward Avalos, who said the agency is “fairly close” to completing the final economic analysis on the proposed rule, but that it was “too early in the process” yet to answer any specific questions related to economic impact.

Robbie LeValley of LeValley Ranch in Hotchkiss, Colorado was also a witness at the hearing. “The proposed GIPSA rule will destroy our small business model, force us to lay off our employees, cripple our ability to market our cattle way we want to and limit consumer choice,” she said.

Other witnesses with similar messages included Gary Malenke of Sioux-Preme Pork Products and Joel Brandenberge, President of the National Turkey Federation.

You can watch the whole hearing here:

United Egg Producers Hatches Deal With HSUS

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In a move to avoid fighting legislative battles in individual states, United Egg Producers (UEP) will work together with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) “toward the enactment of comprehensive new federal legislation for all 280 million hens involved in U.S. egg production.”

According to a release from UEP, the proposed standards advocated by UEP and HSUS, if enacted, would be the first federal law addressing the treatment of animals on farms.

The two groups will jointly ask Congress for federal legislation which would require egg producers to increase space per bird in a tiered phase in, with the amount of space birds are given increasing, in intervals, over the next 15 to 18 years. Currently, the majority of birds are each provided 67 square inches of space, with roughly 50 million receiving 48 square inches. The proposed phase-in would culminate with hens nationwide being provided a minimum of 124-144 square inches of space, along with the other improvements noted.

Other livestock sectors facing challenges by HSUS are concerned about the agreement. National Pork Producers Council President Doug Wolf says they fear that legislation pre-empting state laws on egg production systems would “set a dangerous precedent for allowing the federal government to dictate how livestock and poultry producers raise and care for their animals.”

If Congress passes the legislation proposed by UEP and HSUS, it would supersede state laws including those that have been passed in Arizona, California, Michigan and Ohio and “puts a hold on planned ballot measures related to egg-laying hens in both Washington and Oregon.”

Novus Expands Arkansas Feed Supplement Facility

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A number of dignitaries, including the Governor of Arkansas, helped cut the ribbon Tuesday on a newly expanded and LEED Silver Certified manufacturing facility in Little Rock for Novus International animal feed supplements.

The Novus Arkansas site was developed in 2006 to manufacture MHA® feed supplement, a source of methionine, an essential amino acid in premixes and farm feed mills which provides benefits to laying hens and other livestock and companion animals. The new expansion features a 45,000 square foot manufacturing facility for MINTREX®, Novus’ chelated trace mineral products for aquaculture, poultry, pork, beef, dairy and pet nutrition. In keeping with the commitment Novus has to sustainability, the expanded facility earned Silver LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The company headquarters in St. Charles, Missouri has earned Platinum LEED Certification.

Stewart Doan stopped by the dedication event happening on his home turf and was able to interview Giovanni Gasperoni, Chief Administration and Strategy Officer, who says the expansion will increase production and their ability to serve customers. “Our customers are all over the world,” Gio said. “Both the family of products produced here will reach the 98 countries we are serving today.”

“It is our motto to feed the world affordable, wholesome food, so we need to help our customers to produce more with less,” said Gio. “This is what we are about.”

Listen to Stewart’s interview here: Giovanni Gasperoni Interview

Lessons From Europe

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Jim SumnerAt the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit we got an international lesson from Jim Sumner, President, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. Jim says we have to look out for our own government policies and regulations or “we’re going to end up as bad or worse off than our friends in the European Union.” Let’s face it, regulations have been burdensome for a long time and they haven’t gotten better. In fact, he says it seems like the government doesn’t want to listen sometimes.

Jim says we need to address consumers so they better understand animal agriculture. He uses our cheap food costs as something that consumers need to realize and he doesn’t think the general public does. This was Jim’s first meeting with the Animal Agriculture Alliance and he calls it a “very dynamic group.”

You can listen to my interview with Frank here: Jim Sumner Interview

Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

AgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by NCBAAgWired coverage of the 2011 Agri-Marketing Conference is sponsored by United Soybean

Do Vegetarians Have Smaller Brains?

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Scientists at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, have discovered that going veggie could be bad for your brain – with those on a meat-free diet six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage.

The study involved tests and brain scans on community-dwelling volunteers aged 61 to 87 years without cognitive impairment at enrolment, over a period of five years. When the volunteers were retested five years later the medics found those with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 were also the most likely to have brain shrinkage. It confirms earlier research showing a link between brain atrophy and low levels of B12.

Vegans are the most likely to be deficient because the best sources of the vitamin are meat, particularly liver, milk and fish.

This study confirms other findings which shows that overall human brain sizes have reduced by an average 11 percent since we adopted an agricultural diet based on cereal grains rather than the meat-based diet of our Palaeolithic ancestors.

Source: The Healthy Skeptic

Novus Sponsors Student Science Day

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Scott CarterStudents from private colleges around Missouri are having a chance to check out what kinds of career opportunities await someone with a background in science and a passion for agriculture at the third “Science in Action: A Foundation for Dynamic Careers” sponsored by Novus International and the Missouri Colleges Fund.

About 20 students, teachers and advisors gathered for a little social last night near Novus headquarters in St. Charles and got to know a little more about each other and Novus. Dr. Scott Carter, Novus’ global poultry market manager, told them about his background and journey through academia into the world of global animal nutrition. “I have a PhD in nutrition and biotechnology and a BS degree in biochemistry,” Scott told them. “In agriculture we’re doing something very important. We’re feeding a hungry world and that’s going to be even more important in the future.”

You can listen to my interview with Scott here: Interview With Scott Carter

Novus Introduces New Products

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CIBENZA DP100 is a new dietary enzyme from Novus International allows poultry producers improved control over their feed rations.

novus“CIBENZA DP100 is a real game changer,” says Dr. Scott Carter, Global Poultry Market Manager for Novus. “This dietary enzyme is formulated to give poultry producers much more control over their protein ingredients. CIBENZA DP100 offers the flexibility to incorporate more cost-effective protein sources into diets with no sacrifice in performance, or maximize performance in birds that receive rations formulated with the highest quality protein ingredients.”

According to Novus, CIBENZA DP100 allows producers to enhance the digestibility of a broad range of vegetable and animal-based proteins, from highly digestible soybean meal to feather meal, which falls at the other end of the digestibility spectrum.

To complement CIBENZA DP100, Novus has also introduced IDEA™, the first assay of its kind that provides an “almost immediate understanding of the digestibility of various protein sources, which allows producers to quickly make changes that can result in significant feed-cost savings.”

Novus developed IDEA because there was a need for a rapid cost-effective assay technology that could allow producers to accurately evaluate and quantify protein and amino acid digestibility. The more accurate assessment of the actual quality of protein ingredients eliminates the need to over-formulate for either peace of mind, or insurance purposes. With the knowledge of the quality of their protein source in hand, poultry producers can then more effectively use CIBENZA DP100 to expand their protein options to maximize performance or enhance feed-cost savings.

Read more about CIBENZA DP100 and IDEA from Novus.

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

Activate Poultry Health With Novus International

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Jared HuxI think I mentioned recently that I still had some interviews to share from the International Poultry Expo with our long time and much appreciated sponsor, Novus International. It has been a very busy time going from Poultry Expo to a blizzard at home, the Cattle Industry Convention and then the National Biodiesel Conference! Now it’s catch up time and I want to start by sharing this interview with Andres Montoya, Product Development Manager, Poultry. He was right at home in Georgia where he’s based. I wasn’t the only one interviewing him as you can see in the photo.

We got started right away with the “what’s new?” question. What’s new is Activate.

ACTIVATE® nutritional feed acid is a combination of Gut Environment Modifiers and HMTBa. ACTIVATE is used for Salmonella reduction programs and as an alternative to antibiotics in vaccination windows and withdrawal diets.

You can listen to my interview with Andres here: Interview With Andres Montoya

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by: Novus