The 41^st NPIP (National Poultry Improvement Plan) Biennial Conference was held last week (Sept. 25-27) in New Orleans, LA. Delegates from most of the 50 states came together for a 3-day conference to discuss proposed changes to the Program, and issues facing NPIP and the poultry industry. A half-day session of voting concluded the successful event.

California was represented by five delegates from the egg, broiler, turkey and waterfowl industries. The delegates attending were: Dr. Gregg Cutler, Cutler and Associates; Tom Silva, JS West and Companies; Dr. Charles Corsiglia, Foster Farms; Brian Lee, Maple Leaf Farms West; and John Metzer, Metzer Farms. Dr. Corsiglia also sits on the NPIP General Conference Committee (GCC) for the Western Region.

Bill Mattos, President, California Poultry Federation and Monica Della Maggiore, NPIP Administrator, also attended the conference. The next Biennial Conference will be held June 2014.

 The California Poultry Health Board (CPHB) is the official state agency which administers the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). The NPIP is a state, federal and industry cooperative program that began in the 1930s to coordinate state efforts aimed at eliminating certain diseases from poultry breeding flocks and hatcheries. Since the program’s inception, the NPIP has added provisions and changed programs to meet the needs of the poultry industry.

In its latest attack on pork industry practices, The Humane Society of the United States and a single pork producer filed suit against Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in an attempt to cut off a major source of funding for the National Pork Producers Council.  Read more

The United States must fix mistakes it made in the North American Free Trade Agreement by insisting in new trade talks with Canada on unrestricted access to that country’s poultry and dairy market, U.S. agricultural groups said on Monday. "All we’re asking is that we have an open and free fair trade shot at the border," Bill Roenigk, senior vice president at the National Chicken Council, said at a hearing conducted by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact.  Read More

Sixth District Rep., Bob Goodlatte prefers that the renewable fuel standard that leans heavily on corn ethanol be eliminated.  And if it is not eliminated, the congressman wants the standard at least suspended until corn production can recover from this summer’s disastrous national drought.
The congressman’s anxiety for the agricultural community has heightened this summer as a drought ravaged the production of corn in the Midwest, and made it more costly for Shenandoah Valley livestock and dairy farmers to feed their animals.  On Tuesday, Goodlatte took his concerns to the stakeholders. He traveled to the Staunton Stockyard, to the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative grain unloading station in Harrisonburg and to an Augusta County farm.  Tuesday’s visits capped a two-day tour that included stops in Roanoke on Monday at the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and an Olive Garden Restaurant.  Read More

The USPOULTRY Foundation has approved student recruiting grants totaling approximately $160,000 to the six U.S. universities with poultry science departments and 15 other institutions with industry related programs. The Foundation provides annual recruiting funds to colleges and universities to attract students to their poultry programs. Read More

The Good Egg Breakfast celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto, CA  The event recognizes a "Good Egg" in the community who supports local agriculture. Proceeds fund scholarships for Modesto Junior College ag students. Howard Helmer, spokesperson for the American Egg Board, will return with his popular "how to make the perfect omelet" demonstration. Attendees will have the chance to make a made-to-order omelet. The event takes place October 25 at 7 a.m. and is sponsored by the California Poultry Federation, Modesto Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Egg and Poultry Association and Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. Tickets are $22 per person pre-sale and $25 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets or call Sandy at the CPF (209) 576-6355. Table sponsorships also available. 

Allied Member of the Year Award

Don Sneddon

Don Sneddon was the recipient of the 2012 CPF Allied Member of the Year Award. This award goes to a person for their exceptional service and outstanding contributions to California’s poultry industry. Allied members help sustain the industry with their support at board meetings and poultry events, their contributions go directly to the promotion and improvement of California’s poultry industry. Sneddon started his career with GTA Feeds, continuing on to Draper Valley Farms and, in 2005, joined Evonik (Degussa). Don earned a BS degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University and an MS in animal science from the University of Idaho.

2012 CPF Annual Meeting and Conference Sponsors

Thank you to the following companies:

Diamond Club AGRECOM Inc., Darling International, International Paper (Tracy Plant), Pfizer Animal Health-Global Poultry, Wells Fargo Bank

Gold Club Adisseo, Alltech, Baker Commodities, Inc., DuPont, Evonik Industries, Foster Farms, Merck Animal Health, Merial Select, Inc., Pactiv Corporation, Phibro Animal Health, Rabobank, N.A., Squab Producers of California, Tipper Tie, Valley Fresh Foods, Inc./Rainbow Farms, Veterinary Service, Inc.

Silver Club Animal Health International, Inc., Aviagen Turkeys, Inc.,

Bayer HealthCare, Big Dutchman, Billington Welding & Mfg., Inc., BJK Flexible Packaging, Cobb-Vantress, Inc., Cryovac/Sealed Air Corporation, Cumberland/Hired Hand, Diamond V Mills, DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance Agency, Inc., Dorn’s Gas, Inc., Elanco Animal Health, Grimaud Farms of California, Inc., Haley Farms Inc., Hubbard LLC, J.S. West and Companies, Jones-Hamilton Co. Ag Division, Label Technology, Lubing Systems L.P., Maple Leaf Farms West, Marel Stork Poultry Processing, Meyn America, LLC, Novus International, Inc., Packaging Specialties, Inc., PennField Animal Health, Petaluma Poultry Processors, Pitman Family Farms, Poly-clip System, Strand Ag Supply, United States Cold Storage of CA, Volk Enterprises, Zinpro Corporation

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service has published a notice instructing inspectors on which young chicken products are eligible for carcass sampling in its salmonella and campylobacter verification testing program. Read More