Whether the chicken or the egg came first, building and maintaining a strong poultry brand is important. Alltech’s 27^th International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium will address these challenges and provide insights and solutions to the issues that plague the poultry industry. The Symposium, entitled The Game Changers: Creative Concepts for Agribusiness to Respond to Relentless Commoditization and to Innovate for a Greener Future will be held at the Lexington Convention Center in Lexington, Ky., USA from May 22-25, 2011.

“With poultry companies being squeezed from both ends from consumer demands increasing on one side while unprecedented feed prices push from the other, there has never been a more important time for innovation,” said Nick Adams, Western North America sales manager for Alltech. “Adaptability to these various pressures will be key to survival as we move forward.”

Symposium attendees will hear from and interact with poultry industry experts during the following informational seminars:

–          Building and maintaining a strong poultry brand – Challenges faced by the technical team

o   B. Stewart-Brown, Perdue Farms, Inc., Maryland, USA

–          The big shift – How rising grain prices are impacting poultry production. Coping with ingredient quality issues

o   P. Smith, Tyson Foods, Inc., Arkansas, USA

–          Progressive Nutrition: Applications of Algae for Animal Health

o   J. Pierce, Alltech, Kentucky, USA

–          Systematic and intestinal challenges – What does it cost the bird?

o   T. Applegate, Purdue University, Indiana, USA

–          What is your salmonella strategy? Lessons from the North American egg industry

o   G. Cutler, Cutler Associates International, California, USA

–          The impending grain crisis  – Using SSF to avail of novel raw materials

o   A. Gernat, Escuela Agricola El Zamorano, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

–          Harnessing the power of genomics – How it will change the way we feed broilers and address the consumer agenda

o   J. Hardiman, Cobb-Vantress, Arkansas, USA

–          Closing the processing-nutritionist feedback loop – The hidden cost of nutrition – Meat quality information gap

o   F. Nunes, Poultry Processing Consultant, Parana, Brazil

–          Six things you did not know about the eggshell – Game-changing approaches to feeding the hen

o   S. Solomon, Vigonac, Brantome, France

–          The broiler chick paradox – How in ovo feeding activates gene expression and shapes future poultry performance

o   Z. Uni, Hebrew University, Tel Aviv, Israel

–          The egg comes first – in ovo feeding and the promise of perinatal nutrition

o   P. Ferket, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA

To secure your place at the 2011 Alltech International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium, please visit Alltech’s Symposium site. For more information, please email symposium@alltech.com and be sure to join in the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag: #AlltechSymposium. Follow Alltech Symposium related news on Alltech’s agriculture and science blog.

WASHINGTON – March 1, 2011 — The National Chicken Council, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, and several state poultry federations are among a vast coalition of 90 organizations opposing extension of the blenders’ credit that subsidizes the production of ethanol.  The groups sent letters to the leaders of Congress today calling on them to let the tax credit expire on schedule at the end of 2011.  The ethanol industry is lobbying Congress for an extension.  

“Congress has the opportunity to end the $6 billion a year subsidy to gasoline refiners who blend corn ethanol into gasoline,” the letter said.  “At a time of spiraling deficits, we do not believe Congress should continue subsidizing gasoline refiners for something that they are already required to do by the Renewable Fuels Standard.”

A coalition of 90 business associations, taxpayer advocates, hunger and development organizations, agricultural groups, free-market groups, religious organizations, environmental groups, budget hawks, and public interest organizations today sent the letter to Congressional leadership urging Congress to let the refundable Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) expire and to resist calls for spending on infrastructure for conventional biofuels.

In addition to NCC and USPOULTRY, the letter was signed by the state associations representing the poultry industry in Alabama, California, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

In the letter, the coalition says:

“The undersigned diverse group of business associations, taxpayer advocates, hunger and development organizations, agricultural groups, free-market groups, religious organizations, environmental groups, budget hawks, and public interest organizations urge you to allow the refundable Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) to sunset this year and to resist calls for spending on infrastructure for conventional biofuels.

“In particular, Congress has the opportunity to end the $6 billion a year subsidy to gasoline refiners who blend corn ethanol into gasoline. At a time of spiraling deficits, we do not believe Congress should continue subsidizing gasoline refiners for something that they are already required to do by the Renewable Fuels Standard.

“Experts like the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office have concluded that the subsidy is unnecessary, and leading economists agree that ending it would have little impact on ethanol production, prices or jobs.

“We urge you to let VEETC expire and resist calls for spending on infrastructure for conventional biofuels.”

The following organizations signed the coalition letter:

ActionAid US

Africa Action

Africa Faith and Justice

Alabama Poultry and Egg Association

Alliance of Western Milk Producers

American Bakers Association

American Conservative Union

American Frozen Food Institute

Americans for Limited Government

Americans for Prosperity

American Jewish World Service

American Meat Institute

Beyond Pesticides

California Dairies, Inc.

California Poultry Federation

California Safe Schools

Center for Auto Safety

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Food Safety

Clean Air Task Force

Clean Water Action

Citizens for Tax Justice

Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach

Competitive Enterprise Institute

Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

Dairy Producers of New Mexico

Dairy Producers of Utah

Environment America

Environmental Working Group

Foreign Policy in Focus

Freedom Action

FreedomWorks

Friends of the Earth

Heartland Institute

Georgia Poultry Federation

Greenpeace USA

Grocery Manufacturers Association

Idaho Dairymen’s Association

Indiana State Poultry Association

International Center for Technology Assessment

International Dairy Foods Association

John Locke Foundation

KyotoUSA

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

League of Conservation Voters

Maryknoll Office of Global Concern

Milk Producers Council

Mississippi Poultry Association

MoveOn.org

National Audubon Society

National Catholic Rural Life Conference

National Council of Chain Restaurants

National Chicken Council

National Meat Association

National Restaurant Association

National Retail Federation

National Taxpayers Union

National Turkey Federation

National Wildlife Federation

Natural Resources Defense Council

NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

North Carolina Poultry Federation

Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance

Northeast Organic Farming Association — Interstate Council (NOFA-IC)

Northwest Environmental Defense Center

Northwest Dairy Association

Oil Change International

Oxfam America

Partners for the Land & Agricultural Needs of Traditional Peoples (PLANT)

The Poultry Federation

Public Citizen

Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)

Safe Climate Campaign

The SafeLawns Foundation

Sierra Club

Snack Food Association

Southeast Milk Inc.

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Southern Horticulture

Taxpayers for Common Sense

Tennessee Poultry Association

Texas Poultry Federation

U.S. Poultry and Egg Association

Union of Concerned Scientists

Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth

Virginia Poultry Federation

Washington Cattle Feeders Association

Washington State Dairy Federation

The Watershed Partnership

World Wildlife Fund

WASHINGTON – MARCH 1, 2011 – Georgia Governor Nathan Deal is right to recommend that the U.S. Department of Agriculture withdraw its proposed rule on the production and marketing of poultry and livestock because it would be “costly and disruptive” and goes beyond the intent of Congress, the National Chicken Council said today.

“Governor Deal’s comments are right on target and should be considered seriously by the Agriculture Department,” said NCC President George Watts.  “The proposed rule should be withdrawn and reworked.”

In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Deal said the rule proposed by USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) would “drastically change” the long-standing contractual relationships between poultry companies and the farmers who work with them to raise birds. 

“Such a change would undoubtedly create a very costly and disruptive situation in Georgia and across the country where poultry is grown,” Deal wrote.

Deal, an attorney who served in Congress for 18 years before being elected Georgia’s governor last fall, said the GIPSA rule “goes well beyond” the intent of Congress when it directed the agency to make certain changes in its regulations as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.  He said Congress had already considered the issue of what is called “competitive injury” and decided that it was being handled appropriately by the courts.

“It would be not only inappropriate but an action exceeding the Department’s regulatory authority to not honor Congress’ mandate on this issue,” Deal said.  He said USDA should craft a final rule that “more closely adheres” to Congressional intent.

“Permit me to suggest that the best way to do this is to withdraw the current proposal and reissue a much more acceptable, pragmatic rule,” he wrote.

USDA is in the processing of considering the thousands of comments that were filed on the proposed rule.  The agency has set no deadline for finalizing its process.

The National Chicken Council represents integrated chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce and process chickens.  Member companies of NCC account for more than 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.

Is it a mistake for Governor Brown to include the elimination of Enterprise Zones in his budget? If you ask the poultry industry and other industries located in distressed cities and counties, the answer is an emphatic YES. Read the Rest of Bill’s Blog

The former president told farmers and Agriculture Department employees on Thursday that while producing biofuels is important for reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, farmers should also look beyond domestic production and consider the needs of developing countries. AP, Feb. 28

This program, managed by USDA Nation Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is designed to encourage veterinarians to participate in food animal/rural practice. The program will pay back up to $25,000 per year of a veterinarian’s educational loan debt if they make a three year commitment to practice in an area or category identified as  a “Veterinary Shortage Situation”.  Last year, NIFA awarded grants to 62 candidates nationally, one of which was in California.

The role of the State Veterinarian’s office is to review and submit shortage areas for you.  This program can be the equivalent of offering a veterinarian with school debt up to $25,000 more per year, so it is a great way to attract veterinarians into an area!!  

Please look at the attachments, talk to anyone that may be aware of a veterinarian shortage area, and ask them, or help them, to get nomination forms back to us by March 12, 2011.

Additional Information

Types of nominations accepted:

·         California is allowed up to eight nominations

·         Category I − Rural or non-rural area with sufficient work to support a difficult to fill need that primarily (>80%) consists of food animal medicine   

·         Category II – Rural area with difficult to fill food animal medicine need and in which a wider ranging practice, i.e. mixed animal general practice, may be needed for income stability

·         Category III – Public practice

Last Year:

NIFA’s committee decided that only five of the eight California nominated areas met their criteria. They accepted three public needs (CDFA Poultry, CDFA Tulare, CAHFS Laboratory) and two Category II private practitioner needs (Glenn/Colusa county area and eastern Riverside County).  They rejected needs described for Aquaculture, Dairy/Dairy Goat in Tulare area, and Food Animal Practice in Trinity County. We had additional areas suggested (Plumas County, Modoc County, Shasta County, Shelter Medicine, and a Food Animal Resident position) that were not strong enough to put forward last year.

Among the five that were put forward only one was filled. This was a poultry position for CDFA. One of the contributing factors to this low award rate is that VERY few candidates applied to the California shortage areas, which suggests the opportunity was not sufficiently advertised or approved areas are so difficult to fill that even $25,000 a year towards student loans could not attract candidates.

Northeastern Louisiana poultry growers whose operations were harmed by the temporary closure of Pilgrim’s Pride’s Farmerville chicken processing plant will share $11.2 million in federal payments to compensate for losses, state Commissioner Mike Strain said Tuesday. The News Star, Feb. 22

A survey of farmers’ planting intentions, conducted by the market firm AgriSource, shows farmers intend to plant 91-point-one million acres of corn and 77-point-two million acres of soybeans. AgriSource risk management consultant Keith Gehling says that corn number will have to come up to meet the expected demand. Brownfield, Feb. 22

Peco Foods has contracted to acquire the physical assets of the Batesville, Arkansas, poultry complex owned by Townsends, Inc. and subsidiaries. In addition to the plant, feed mill and hatchery facilities, Peco will purchase selected inventories, according to an announcement by Mark Hickman, CEO of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based poultry company. World Poultry, Feb. 22

TUCSON – Feb. 10, 2011 – The National Turkey Federation (NTF) named Arby’s Richmond as the recipient of its Ninth Annual “Turkey on the Menu” (T.O.M.) Award in the “fast food category.”  The award honors this chain for its volume of turkey specialty sandwiches that provide versatility across its menu.  The T.O.M. Award was presented today at NTF’s Annual Convention.

“One third of their [Arby’s Richmond] menu consists of turkey items and with continued positive results, the number of turkey items could be closer to half in the near future,” said Kerry Doughty, Butterball, LLC, executive vice president of sales and marketing, who nominated Arby’s Richmond.  “They understand and appreciate their customers’ affinity for a great turkey sandwich or a delicious turkey entrée.”

Accepting the award on behalf of Arby’s Richmond was Bill Lowe, president of the Restaurant Company, which operates 19 Arby’s Restaurants in the Richmond, Va.-metro area.  The average unit volumes are more than two times the system’s average.  The Restaurant Company has operated the highest volume Arby’s and six of the chain’s Top-10 sales leaders worldwide for the last two decades.

T.O.M. Award winners in other categories are:

Cracker Barrel – winner in the “mid-scale/casual dining category,” Cracker Barrel provides a friendly home-away-from-home in its 597 restaurants.  Nominated by Butterball, LLC, this foodservice operation was chosen for its application of turkey in refreshing salads and in the traditional Turkey n’ Dressing Platter.

Henry’s Markets – winner in the “supermarket foodservice category,” Henry’s Markets, was chosen for its diverse offering of ready-made and made-to-order turkey sandwiches in the service deli.  This California-based supermarket chain was nominated by Foster Farms.

Polly’s Pies – winner in the “full service category,” Polly’s Pies is a Southern California restaurant company that specializes in high-quality food made from scratch.  Nominated by Foster Farms, this foodservice operation was chosen for its variety of fresh, locally grown turkey menu options.

Quiznos – winner in the “quick casual category,” Quiznos offers toasty sandwiches, fresh salads and delicious soups.  Also nominated by Foster Farms, this foodservice operation was chosen for being a pioneer of the toasted turkey sandwich, along with a commitment to convenience and value.

“On behalf of NTF, it’s an honor to recognize these exemplary foodservice operations with our annual T.O.M. Award in recognition of their excellence in menuing turkey,” said Sherrie Rosenblatt, NTF’s vice president of marketing and communications.

NTF members nominated the foodservice chains that exemplify the criteria of the T.O.M. Award.  Entrant applications address questions regarding turkey menu applications, the items’ consumer appeal, how the chain promotes the menu items through marketing and turkey’s food cost percentage.  A panel of foodservice professionals rates the entries on consumer appeal, versatility, taste, value, and how the turkey applications benefits the chain operation.  Only the winner that received the most overall points from the judges received the award at NTF’s Annual Convention.

About the National Turkey Federation
The National Turkey Federation (NTF) is the national advocate for all segments of the $14 billion turkey industry, providing services and conducting activities that increase demand for its members’ products by protecting and enhancing their ability to profitably provide wholesome, high-quality, nutritious products. Its award-winning website, www.EatTurkey.com, offers consumers, food professionals and the media an extensive library of information including healthy eating and restaurant trends, turkey cuts and purchasing tips, turkey nutrition and cooking techniques, and turkey facts and trivia. Additionally, the site presents a searchable database of more than 1,800 recipes, offers a recipe E-mail program and provides special seasonal and holiday ideas. The National Turkey Federation is headquartered in Washington, D.C.