Our first meeting for 2013 is set for Tuesday, March 12 at the Piccadilly Inn on Shaw Avenue in Fresno. We kick off the meeting with a buffet breakfast and conclude before noon. CPF members should have received an email Tuesday with meeting details, however, as always, we will take your meal, room and meeting reservations by phone  

or email.

Again, this year, we will hold a State and Federal PAC reception the night before the meeting. Contributions are $100 per person, and depending on whether your check comes from a personal account (FED) or company (STATE), we will deposit it into the proper account. We urge you to consider attending this event, planned as a wine and  

hors d’oeuvres event at the Piccadilly Inn. Phone our office for details and/or to reserve your attendance. And, you are encouraged to bring friends and/or colleagues who may want to assist in our PAC fundraising.

The CPF and poultry industry has significant challenges again this year, particularly getting to know so many new state and federal elected officials. We need your help. Plan to attend the PAC reception and, of course, our board meeting in Fresno.  

Phone (209) 576-6355 for more information.

Bill Mattos, President

The Census, conducted only once every five years by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), is more than a count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It is a look at land use and ownership, production practices, expenditures and other things that affect the way farmers do business in the 21st Century.

Census data is used by all those who serve farmers and rural communities, from federal, state and local governments to agribusinesses and trade associations, like the California Poultry Federation. Companies and cooperatives can use the information to determine the locations of facilities that will serve agricultural producers. Often legislators use the information when shaping farm policies and programs. And, members of the California poultry community can use Census data to help make informed decisions about the future of their own operations.

Data collection for the Census will continue through early June. A second mailing of the Census forms will occur February 14. Producers also have the option to complete their forms online at http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Online_Response. The Census gives farmers and ranchers a chance to have their voices heard.

You can find more information about the Census and make sure you are counted by visiting www.agcensus.usda.gov, or call Vic Tolomeo or Jodi Letterman at 1-800-851-1127 for more information.

Our first meeting for 2013 is set for Tuesday, March 12 at the Piccadilly Inn on Shaw Avenue in Fresno. We kick off the meeting with a buffet breakfast and conclude before noon. CPF members will receive an email tomorrow morning with meeting details, however, as always, we will take your meal, room and meeting reservations by phone

or email.

Again, this year, we will hold a State and Federal PAC reception the night before the meeting. Contributions are $100 per person, and depending on whether your check comes from a personal account (FED) or company (STATE), we will deposit it into the proper account. We urge you to consider attending this event, planned as a wine and

hors d’oeuvres event at the Piccadilly Inn. Phone our office for details and/or to reserve your attendance. And, you are encouraged to bring friends and/or colleagues who may want to assist in our PAC fundraising.

The CPF and poultry industry has significant challenges again this year, particularly getting to know so many new state and federal elected officials. We need your help. Plan to attend the PAC reception and, of course, our board meeting in Fresno.

Phone (209) 576-6355 for more information.

Bill Mattos, President

Perdue Foods, a division of Salisbury-based Perdue Farms, announced Monday that it has purchased the leased assets of its Draper Valley Farms operation in Washington State. Perdue acquired Draper Valley Farms – and the leases – as part of its June 2011 purchase of Coleman Natural Foods. Perdue’s announced purchase of assets includes a processing plant in Mount Vernon, a feed mill in Chehalis and several company-operated poultry farms. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. "Purchasing the physical assets of Draper Valley Farms underscores our commitment to supporting and growing our organic and no-antibiotics-ever, free-range business through Draper Valley, and to the continued support of the Draper Valley Farms and Ranger brands in the Northwest," said Jim Leighton, president of Perdue Foods. Read More

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is broken, but Congress can fix the rule by acting now and opening an inclusive, robust debate that leads to extensive reform," said Dr. Thomas Elam, president of FarmEcon, LLC, today at a media briefing with approximately 50 reporters. Dr. Elam presented his remarks on behalf of the National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Congress in 2005 enacted the first RFS which mandated levels of ethanol to be blended with gasoline. In 2007 that ethanol mandate was expanded, and biodiesel was added. Dr. Elam noted in his remarks that 2007 was a game changer, referring to it as a "Hail Mary." "We did not then, and still do not today, have the volume of agricultural raw materials, or the required cellulosic ethanol technology, to meet the 2007 RFS goals," he said. "Nearly six years later, it’s still not a commercial reality. The courts just a few weeks ago ruled this to be the case, as well." Read More

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on January 31 proposed the required quantities for the various categories for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2013.  A Federal Register notice is to be published shortly with a 45-day comment period.  For total renewable fuels, EPA is proposing 16.55 billion gallons; for advanced biofuels, the proposal is 2.75-billion gallons; for biomass-based diesel, the quantity is 1.28-billion gallons; and for cellulosic biofuels, it is 14-million gallons. The 2013 RFS for corn-based ethanol is 13.8 billion gallons.  For 2013, EPA is proposing to implement the requirement of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to blend more than 1.35-billion gallons of renewable fuels over the amount mandated for 2012. Read More

 

From left: Jeff Segars, Foster Farms; Kyle, Cindy and Jeff Cederlind, Cederlind Farm;

Yubert Envia, Foster Farms; Ira Brister, Foster Farms

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association recognized six poultry farms who received the annual Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award at the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2013 International Production & Processing Expo. The award is given in acknowledgment of exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production. "The poultry industry has been acknowledged as a leader in environmental management for many years," said newly elected Association chairman James Adams, Wenger Feeds, Rheems, PA. "We rely on the efforts of family farmers to sustainably produce poultry and egg products. These six winners represent the best of these producers." Read More

James Adams, Wenger Feeds, Rheems, PA, was elected chairman of the board of directors of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY). The board meeting was held during the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2013 International Production & Processing Expo. He previously served as vice chairman. Adams was presented with the time-honored "working man’s gavel" by 2012 chairman, Mark Waller.
A native of Pennsylvania, he received his BS in poultry technology and management and a Masters in Business Administration, both from Penn State University. Adams joined Wenger Feeds in 1980 and has worked in a variety of responsibilities in egg production, feed manufacturing, transportation, purchasing, and sales and marketing. He is currently president and CEO of Wenger Feeds. He has served on the USPOULTRY board of directors since 2002. Read More