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.”

“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.”

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!

“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

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

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

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:

After serving probation for six months, his attitude changed by looking at the sunny side of life. He eventually became a good egg. In fact, he was considering becoming a Benedictine monk, but ultimately decided the International Poultry Expo was where he would best be served.

2012 International Poultry Expo Photo Album

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

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

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

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:

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.”

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

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

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

“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.

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:

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:

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:

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:

Our goal is to help them increase their contributions in the fight against hunger and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

Salome teaches poultry nutrition and management and conducts poultry research. She says she is using her time at Novus to analyze feed stocks since in her country poultry farmers have problems obtaining good feed. They also don’t have resources to do good analysis of potential feed options.

You can listen to my interview with Salome here: Interview With Salome Mutayoba

2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by:

John says that other than a little rain today the weather looks like it’s going to cooperate. He says “It looks like it’s going to be a real strong show for us.” The show has 100 more exhibitors than last year which represents a twenty percent increase in floor space. There are new educational programs including one on salmonella. International attendees will be about twenty percent of the total. So he’s looking for one of the best shows in years.

You can listen to my interview with John here: Interview with John Starkey

I am uploading photos into the 2011 International Poultry Expo/International Feed Expo Photo Album.

AgWired IPE/IFE coverage sponsored by:

My coverage of this year’s show is sponsored once again by our friends at Novus International. So besides finding stories for you we’ll meet some very interesting people at the Novus booth and during their activities. This is a big show with a lot going on. I’ll do my best to give you as much of an overview of all that’s going on throughout the week starting on Tuesday afternoon.

Last year’s attendance totaled 18,896 which was up from 2009. International attendees numbered 3866, also an increase. Let’s hope we have another big turnout in 2011.

AgWired IPE coverage sponsored by:

“Healthy Harry” is the name that Shelley Petersen of Glendale, Arizona and Patti Sheppard of Millville, New Jersey came up with and will be the name of the plucky mascot for the Biosecurity For Birds campaign, which raises awareness about infectious diseases that can threaten backyard poultry:

Picking the perfect name was a three-month process that started with a national contest inviting poultry enthusiasts to submit their ideas. A committee of professional marketers and members of USDA/ APHIS’ professional staff selected three names from over 500 submitted. These were then posted on the agency’s website inviting the public to choose their favorite. The three names were also displayed at the USDA exhibit during the FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) National Convention last month and attendees voted on their favorite bird name.

“The name just seemed to fit the cause,” said Petersen. “I teach about animal health and food borne illnesses. I name all of my chickens – usually after something they remind me of or someone.”

Sheppard came up with the name while looking for information about raising her own chickens and found the Biosecurity For Birds website.

In addition to the economic impact, the study found that a majority of industry participants think the rule language is “vague and poorly-defined”; that companies affected by the rule are uncertain about how it will be interpreted and enforced, and that “the provision that removes the burden for litigants to show competitive injury in order to seek damages is by far the largest area of concern. Informa finds that nearly 75% of the expected economic damage arising from this proposed rule can be tied directly to this provision.”

We’ll have more information about this study and the differences between its findings and the recent John Dunham study coming up shortly.

“It was really important for us to find a welcoming community,” said Novus CEO Thad Simons at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. With him were Missouri Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler and newly elected State Representative Bart Korman of Montgomery County; as well as other company, state and local representatives.

Dr. Hagler was joined by his new wife State Rep. Linda Black of southeast Missouri. “Just to tell you how important Novus is to me, we stopped here on our way to the honeymoon,” Hagler said as he introduced his wife.

Listen to or download remarks from Rep. Korman, Jon Hagler and Thad Simons here: Novus Green Acres

See photos from the event in our Flickr photo album.

Here’s a little video tour of Green Acres Farm, led by Novus manager of product research Skip Hampton.

Novus International has joined with industry associations on two continents to celebrate this year’s World Egg Day and bring awareness to the affordability and nutritional value of eggs.

According to the World Health Organization, hunger is the single largest threat to public health. As the world’s population soars from 6.8 billion this year to more than 9.2 billion by 2050, agriculture will be faced with the critical issue of feeding a continually rising population. As our population increases, incomes will raise, diets will diversify and the demand for food will increase. Populations will demand a broader portfolio of foods particularly proteins such as poultry meat and eggs. These growth trends will continue for many years and will strain the food chain from field to fork. Novus International, Inc., a global leader in animal health and nutrition, is taking steps to answer this demand through promotion of the most economical source of protein, the egg.

Novus has prepared resource kits for egg industry associations in Africa and North America to utilize through their various distribution channels including schools, clinics and workplaces. The materials in each kit carry the message “I Know the Truth About Eggs” and point to the informational website www.eggtruth.com. Materials include: educational brochures, posters, postcards, t-shirts and a children’s coloring book. Materials have been structured to specifically target parents, children, educators and athletic adults. Read more here from Novus.

Help spread the truth about the “original super food” – at eggtruth.com!

The “Down on the Farm Solar Tour” takes place October 2, 2010 from 9 am to 4 pm at 211 Popes Road, Carthage, Mississippi, 39051. Guided tours, which run every two hours beginning at 9 am, will highlight three distinctly different grid-tie installations. The first is a 2.4 kW solar carport ready for Tennessee-made electric vehicles rolling off assembly lines next year. Also featured is a ground-mount system with battery back-up. However, homes are not the only stop on the tour. Participants will also see the 8.4 kW, solar PV solution that sits atop a chicken house located at Spencer Pope Farms.

“Poultry farming is an energy-intensive business,” said Mississippi Solar co-founder Will Hegman. “Enormous tunnel fans are required to ventilate chicken houses. Lighting adds to the cost. There are close to 8,000 poultry farms in the State of Mississippi. If we were able to solarize all those businesses, we could offset around ten percent of the entire state’s energy needs,” he said.

Now is a great time for the ag community to adopt solar. There are currently federal tax credits of up to 30 percent available for new solar installations, not to mention the savings on electric bills.

One of the biggest expenses for poultry farmers are their electric bills, especially in areas with extreme temperatures. Even for those who don’t have chickens, solar can be installed on farm buildings including homes and barns and can also be used in irrigation applications.

According to Mississippi Solar, Spencer Pope Farms has been very satisfied with their results and are looking to quadruple the solar capacity powering their chicken houses. The energy savings coupled with the federal tax credits available for solar has been a significant improvement to their bottom line.

In addition to featuring Spencer Pope Farms, people will also be able to visit homes, and businesses that have successfully completed solar projects.

Click here to learn more about the “Down on the Farm Solar Tour.”

Kind of reminds me of the old radio spoof Chickenman – “He’s everywhere, he’s everywhere!” Mild mannered Andy Schneider has made himself into the go-to expert on raising backyard poultry. He is host of an Internet radio show and is also a contributor for Mother Earth News Magazine, Grit Magazine, and Farmers Almanac. He’s been featured on CNN, HLN, FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, The Economist, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New Life Journal, and countless other local and national publications and has recently signed a book deal. Schneider broadcasts his radio show at noon every weekday online from his home office, and occasionally on Saturday takes the show on the road. He claims regular listeners from the Netherlands and Australia, among other far-flung destinations. A recent guest to his chat room was from Taiwan. “It’s become, which is really cool, a worldwide show!” he said. He’s also on Facebook, Twitter and is founder of the 1,200-member Meetup group for backyard chicken fans in the Atlanta area.

To top it all off, he is the official spokesperson for USDA’s Biosecurity For Birds program, an outreach campaign geared toward educating backyard poultry owners about keeping their birds safe from infectious poultry diseases. He really is everywhere!

Watch it here:

Dr. Gary Allee (right), University of Missouri Professor of Swine Nutrition, was presented with the Novus International 2010 Distinguished Professor Award by Novus VP of research and development Dr. Chris Knight.

“Dr. Allee has been a major influence on the Novus Graduate Scholars Program,” Knight said. “We feel a deep responsibility to transfer the knowledge and technology we gain to people around the world to improve agricultural practices in their local communities. Dr. Allee has been willing to help us transfer this knowledge and has even traveled abroad with Novus researchers.”

Dr. Dennis Ingram, Associate Professor at Louisiana State University’s School of Animal Sciences, was presented with the prestigious Poultry Science Association (PSA) Novus International Teaching Award. The award is the top honor for exceptional teaching by the association. “The goal with this award is to recognize poultry faculty members whose sustained excellence inspires their colleagues, incite academic curiosity and raises student awareness as to the impact their future careers will have on the larger world,” said Dr. Scott Carter, Global Poultry Market Manager, Novus International. In addition, Carter says they were thrilled that Novus’s Technical Manager, Andrew “Drew” Giesen was named a PSA Fellow, which recognizes members of the Poultry Science Association for professional distinction and contributions to the field of poultry science without concern to longevity.

Novus also recognized three graduate students for the Graduate Student Poster Competition Awards. The posters were presented during the technical sessions for the Graduate Student Poster Presentation Competition and each winner received a check and a certificate from Novus.