How do channels, choices and challengers influence consumers’ chicken purchasing behavior? Find out at the 2019 edition of Chicken Marketing Summit scheduled for July 21-23 at the Belmond Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina. Early Bird registration is now open. Click here
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Foster Farms veterinarian Dr. Bob O’Connor addresses attendees
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from the state of California (CDFA), academia (UC Davis) and private industry (Foster Farms) – along with nearly 100 urban farmers and backyard poultry owners – gathered in Dublin, California, to discuss ways to prevent further spread of the highly contagious Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND). Although only a single case was recently diagnosed in Northern California’s Alameda County and is no threat to human health, more than 1.1 million birds have been lost to VND in Southern California since May 2018, with additional cases confirmed just this past week. The poultry experts are urging preventative action to limit any further spread of this deadly avian disease. Spread of VND to California’s Central Valley could be catastrophic to local economies, farming communities and backyard poultry enthusiasts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that it is proposing to amend labeling regulations to remove duplicative net weight and net content requirements for packages that contain certain amounts of meat or poultry products. The proposed regulation would apply to products that are at least one pound or one pint, but less than four pounds or one gallon. FSIS is proposing this action after receiving a petition submitted by a small meat processor in response to USDA’s request for ideas to better serve its customers. Read more
Feathers in the Spring annual fundraiser is Saturday April 27, 2019. Please come and enjoy an array of tasty crudites, yummy chicken and turkey homemade sausage, duck delicacies, succulent squab, home-brewed beer and wine, and tantalizing desserts! Bring your favorite poultry-inspired appetizer for appetizer contest for a chance to be crowned Chef Feather Master. Feathers in the Spring is sponsored by the Western Poultry Scholarship & Research Foundation which benefits the CPF Friends & Family Memorial Fund. Cost is $50 per person. Click here for the flyer with location, RSVP info and directions.
Harris Farms Inc. owner John Harris and Central Valley Meat Co. Inc. president and chief executive officer Brian Coelho announced today that Central Valley Meat Holding Co. will acquire Harris Ranch Beef Holding Co., including its wholly owned subsidiaries: Harris Feeding Co. and Harris Ranch Beef Co. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Read more
Federal and state officials are doubling the number personnel working to eradicate the virulent Newcastle disease killing Southern California chickens, thanks in large measure to $45 million in emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new funds come in addition to $27 million previously spent on the growing epidemic. But the total, about $72 million spent or allocated so far, still falls well short of the nearly $170 million spent during the last Newcastle outbreak, in 2002-2003, when 3.2 million birds were killed – mostly through preemptive euthanasia in areas where the disease had been identified. Read more
Today, as part of the Trump Administration’s Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the release of a federal interagency strategy to address food waste. The agencies held an event at EPA headquarters to hear from state, local and community leaders and other stakeholders on how all levels of government can work together to reduce food waste. Read more
USPOULTRY, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers have released an updated economic impact study that highlights the positive impact the poultry industry has on jobs, wages, and federal and state revenue in the United States. A dynamic and integral part of the national economy, the U.S. poultry industry provides 1,984,784 jobs, $108.9 billion in wages, $495.1 billion in economic activity and $38.5 billion in government revenue. Since the last study conducted in 2016, the poultry industry has created 302,515 additional jobs, and the economic impact has increased by 11 percent. Read more