disease control

Poultry TimesSince 1954, the nation’s only poultry industry newspaper

PERIODICALS

November 19, 2012

PRESERVE INTERNATIONAL

CLEANER-DISINFECTANTSYNERGIZE ORANGE

proudly presents

Reno, Nevada 89511, USA1-800-995-1607

PRESERVEI N T E R N A T I O N A L

Telephone: (209) 664-1607 • FAX: (209) 664-1728www.preserveinternational.com

PRESERVE INTERNATIONALproudly presents

SYNERGIZE ORANGECLEANER-DISINFECTANT

Because Biosecurity

Doesn’t Cost, It Pays!

Because Biosecurity

Doesn’t Cost, It Pays!

✹✹✹Proven effectiveagainst Avian

Influenza

SYNERGIZE ORANGE 4/C AD-2 6/10/11 5:05 PM Page 1

CMYK

Poultry Times November 19, 2012Volume 59, Number 24

www.poultrytimes.net

New technology detects and deters poultry diseases BELTSVILLE, Md. — Patho-

gens such as viruses and parasites continue to cause economic hard-ship for the poultry industry. Enteric or intestinal diseases such as runt-ing-stunting syndrome, poult enteri-tis mortality syndrome and poult en-teritis complex are a major concern of poultry producers worldwide.

The same is true for coccidiosis, a devastating disease caused by in-testinal parasites. Coccidiosis costs the poultry industry more than $600 million annually in the U.S. and $3 billion worldwide.

Agricultural Research Service scientists are finding new ways to identify pathogens and are develop-ing innovative methods to control them. In Georgia, they are using a new molecular technology to detect viruses in poultry. In Maryland, re-

searchers are developing hyperim-mune egg yolk antibodies to boost the immune system of young chicks against infectious diseases.

Finding novel virusesAt the ARS Southeast Poultry Re-

search Laboratory (SEPRL) in Ath-ens, Ga., scientists have stepped up their efforts in fighting diseases that cause diarrhea, decreased weight and mortality in poultry. A number of viruses are believed to be respon-sible for intestinal diseases, but a single agent has not been identi-fied.

A powerful technology called metagenomics is being used by microbiologist Michael Day and research leader Laszlo Zsak at SEPRL’s Endemic Poultry Viral

Diseases Research Unit to confirm and unearth viruses. The technique is different than traditional sequenc-ing that characterizes genes in a single organism. Metagenomics detects the nucleic acid — RNA and DNA — of thousands of organisms in an entire community.

Collaborating with veterinarians and poultry producers, Day and Zsak collected intestinal samples from several turkey flocks affected by enteric disease. They then used metagenomics to uncover vast amounts of viruses from the sam-ples.

An analysis of the sample showed that the intestinal virus metagenome contained thousands of pieces of nu-cleic acid representing many groups

USDA Agricultural Research Service

ARS research: Microbiologist Michael Day examines the validation re-sults of a new molecular diagnostic assay for a turkey picobirnavirus. Day used a metagenomic approach to detect the novel picobirnavirus RNA in turkeys experiencing enteric (intestinal) disease.

Poultry industry urges action on Russia PNTR in Lame Duck session

WASHINGTON — The Na-tional Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and USA Poultry & Egg Export Council joined more than 500 other trade associations and businesses under the umbrella of the Coalition for U.S.-Russia Trade in calling on Congress to “move quickly” in the days ahead to approve legislation enacting Permanent Normal Trade Rela-tions (PNTR) with Russia.

In a similar letter to President Barack Obama, the coalition urged the president to work with Congress to ensure the passage of Russia’s removal from the Jackson-Vanik legislation and establishment of PNTR with Russia.

Russia acceded to the World

Trade Organization in August, and the coalition points out that U.S. competitors in Europe, China and elsewhere are happy to “step in and take advantage of meeting Russia’s needs not only in infrastructure and modernization of its industrial base, but also the demands of a growing consumer class that is highly edu-cated and appreciates quality.”

The coalition suggests that un-til Congress passes Russia PNTR legislation, U.S. executives will be relegated to an “observer” status as foreign competitors “snap up con-tracts that will lock in commercial relationships for years to come.”

“Since Russia already officially entered into the WTO last summer, PNTR will ensure that poultry companies can take full advantage

of new business opportunities, that Russia’s commitments in the WTO are enforced and that American businesses are on an equal play-ing field in the Russian market,” added the four poultry associations. “Continuing to export $300 million of poultry to Russia annually will provide better incomes for more U.S. workers and additional poul-try to be produced by a growing number of family farmers across America.”

Randi Levinas, the coalition’s executive director, noted in a press release that, “the time for Congress to act is now. We simply cannot af-ford to sit idly by and continue to put U.S. exports and jobs at risk

Thanksgiving dinner cost sees slight increase

WASHINGTON — The retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including tur-key, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings in-creased less than 1 percent this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

AFBF’s 27th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner ta-ble indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.48, a 28-cent price increase from last year’s average of $49.20.

“At just under $5 per person, the cost of this year’s meal remains a bargain,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “Our diverse farm and ranch families are honored to pro-duce the food from our nation’s

land for family Thanksgiving cel-ebrations. During this holiday sea-son, I am encouraging farmers and ranchers to reach out to consumers in person or through social media, to answer questions about the food that they grow or the livestock and poultry they raise.”

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities suf-ficient to serve a family of 10. There is also plenty for leftovers.

The big ticket item — a 16-pound turkey — came in at $22.23 this year. That was roughly $1.39 per pound,

See Dinner, Page 3

See Technology, Page 12

See Russia, Page 12

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

INDEXAEB Hotline..........................23

Business............................6--7

Calendar..............................10

Classified.............................20

Viewpoint............................... 4

A directory of Poultry Times advertisers appears on Page 23

To subscribe call770-536-2476 or

www.poultrytimes.net

2

Truck driver jobs hard to fill even in bad economyThe Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Tribe Trans-portation is a growing company that just added 10 new trucks to its trac-tor-trailer fleet. The problem has been hiring people to drive them.

So far the Georgia-based com-pany has filled four of the jobs, leav-ing six vacancies. The new hires are mostly veteran truckers in their 50s, men who probably won’t spend too many more years behind the wheel, said Matt Handte, Tribe’s executive vice president for sales and opera-tions,

“It blows my mind that I’m look-ing for that many people and I can’t find them,” said Handte, who’s also struggling to hire logistics brokers who line up freight transportation

for customers such as PepsiCo, H.J. Heinze Co. and General Mills. “They aren’t lined up at the door.”

Even amid a struggling economy with high unemployment, trucking companies had a tough time hiring young drivers willing to hit the road for long hauls.

Now the U.S. is speeding toward a critical shortage of truck drivers in the next few years as the economy recovers and demand for goods in-creases, an expert in the inner-work-ings of supply chains said in a report on Oct. 30.

Creating jobsU.S. companies are expected

to create more than 115,000 truck driver jobs per year through 2016,

but the number of Americans get-ting trained to fill those jobs each year is barely 10 percent of the total demand, said Page Siplon, execu-tive director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics.

“Trucking accounts for how we move 80 percent of cargo in our nation” said Siplon, whose center is part of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “If we don’t have enough workers, it’s go-ing to be slower and more costly to move products. If I can’t move as much product to the shelves as I want to, the cost to consumers goes up.”

Supply chainSiplon looked at a range of sup-

ply chain jobs — from truck drivers and warehouse workers to air cargo supervisors — using career-specific employment forecasts by the U.S. Department of Labor and then com-paring those numbers with Educa-tion Department statistics showing how many degrees and certifica-tions for those jobs are being earned each year.

The results found truck driv-ers will account for 43 percent of expected growth in logistics jobs, but those will also be the positions with the fewest workers trained to fill them.

That doesn’t surprise Tom Pronk, vice president of recruiting for C.R. England, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based company that employs 7,500 truck drivers who deliver foods from companies such as Hershey, Nestle, ConAgra and Coca-Cola to retailers.

“We have an endless need basi-

cally in the industry,” Pronk said. “Everybody I talk to is very thirsty for drivers. My personal opinion is it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.”

SalariesTruck drivers make decent money.

The Department of Labor says the median yearly wage for tractor-trailer drivers is $37,770, with some drivers earning more than $57,000. Handte and Pronk both said some drivers can clear $100,000 a year.

Both men said older drivers are feeling pressured to retire by federal safety regulations enacted in 2010 that keep a closer watch on drivers’ work hours, drug testing any tickets and traffic citations they get on the job.

New generation And the job can be hard to sell to

younger workers who don’t think it’s worth the money to spend days and weeks on the road away from their families.

“For our new generation who’s coming into the industry, the job is not as romantic to them as it was to their predecessors,” Pronk said. “It’s a tough job to be an on-the-road trucker.”

Truck drivers don’t need college degrees but they do need to earn a commercial driver’s license. That can take a month or longer of taking classes that cost $3,000 or more.

Trucking companies are trying different approaches to lure young drivers into their rigs. Some offer higher wages — a few extra cents per mile — or work with their driv-ers to carve out shorter routes de-

signed to get them home sooner. C.R. England, which operates five driver training schools in the U.S., is refunding tuition to graduates after they work six months for the company.

David Sheehy of Greely, Colo., just graduated from the company’s school in Salt Lake City. He’ll be paired with an experienced driver for the next month, perhaps longer, before hitting the road on his own.

Sheehy, 32, said economic hard-ships in his hometown pushed him toward trucking after years of bouncing between different jobs with little stability. He drove a tow truck, worked for a car rental com-pany and even was an umpire call-ing little league and high school baseball games. He’s single and excited about seeing new parts of the country. And he’s eager to earn steady pay.

“It is truly a special breed,” Sheehy said. “You’re talking about long hours, weeks on the road at a time, time away from family. There are a lot of negative things.

“But they told me a first-year driver can gross $40,000 a year eas-ily,” he said. “You’re talking about financial security there.”

www.poultrytimes.net

3POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Deadly shooting at California chicken processing plant The Associated Press

FRESNO, Calif. — A parolee who worked at a California chicken processing plant opened fire at the business on Nov. 6, killing two peo-ple and wounding two others, before taking his own life, authorities said.

Police said they didn’t know what prompted the attack by Lawrence Jones, 42, midway through his shift at Apple Valley Farms, although other workers told police he did not appear to be himself when he ar-rived at the plant for work.

“It is difficult to say at this point

if in fact there was a specific target that Jones was looking for,” Police Chief Jerry Dyer said. “There was something that must have provoked this incident, perhaps that occurred today, or maybe was building up to today.”

Jones had an extensive criminal history dating back into the 1990s, Dyer said without elaborating.

Police said they had Jones’ home on lockdown and were searching to see if there were any other victims.

Jones arrived at work just before 5 a.m. About three-and-a-half hours into his shift, he pulled out a hand-

gun and began firing, Dyer said.About 30 employees witnessed

the shooting, and there were a total of 62 people at work when the gun-fire started, police said.

“We have a lot of work ahead of us. We have at least 30 witnesses that we need to interview,” Dyer said.

Officers found Jones with a gun-shot wound to the head and a 32-year-old woman bleeding from a wound to her lower back outside the business. She was in stable condi-tion, Dyer said.

Three other people were found

shot inside. One was pronounced dead at the scene. Jones and another victim were pronounced dead later.

The company was established in 2005, according to online business records. A call to the company went to a voicemail recording that said “due to an emergency we are closed for the day.”

A woman who answered the phone at a listing for CEO Durbin Breckenridge and identified herself as his wife said she would pass a phone message to him.

News media and onlookers were

kept several blocks from the plant, as police used yellow tape to block access. Dozens of officers swarmed the area.

Joe Martinez, 45, told the Fresno Bee that he was in the drive-thru lane of a fast-food restaurant when he heard a loud pop that he initially thought was a car backfiring.

Then he looked to the north and saw a man on the ground with two people standing over him.

“It’s the last thing you expect to see,” Martinez said. “It’s very upset-ting.”

an increase of about 4 cents per pound, or a total of 66 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2011. The whole bird was the biggest con-tributor to the final total, showing the largest price increase compared to last year.

“Thanksgiving Dinner is a special meal that people look forward to all year,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist.

“Most Americans will pay about the same as last year at the grocery store for a turkey and all the trim-mings. A slight increase in demand for turkey is responsible for the moderate price increase our shop-pers reported for the bird,” he said.

Savvy shoppers may pay even less for frozen tom turkey compared to AFBF’s 155 volunteer shoppers

who checked prices at grocery stores in 35 states.

“Turkeys may still be featured in special sales and promotions close to Thanksgiving,” Anderson ex-plained. “Anyone with the patience to wait until the last minute to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving could be rewarded with an exceptional bar-gain,” he said.

In addition to the turkey, a com-bined group of miscellaneous items, including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (on-ions, eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk and butter) increased in price, to $3.18. A dozen brown-n-serve rolls also increased slightly this year, up 3 cents to $2.33.

Items that showed a price de-crease from last year were: a half pint of whipping cream, $1.83, down 13 cents; a 14-ounce pack-age of cubed bread stuffing, $2.77,

down 11 cents; 3 pounds of sweet potatoes, $3.15, down 11 cents; 1 gallon of whole milk, $3.59, down 7 cents; fresh cranberries, $2.45, down 3 cents; 1 pound of green peas, $1.66, down 2 cents; a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix and two 9-inch pie shells, $5.53, down 2 cents.

A 1-pound relish tray of carrots and celery remained the same at 76 cents.

Anderson noted that despite retail price increases during the last year or so, American consumers have enjoyed relatively stable food costs over the years, particularly when ad-justed for inflation.

The slight percentage increase in the national average cost reported this year by Farm Bureau for a classic Thanksgiving dinner tracks closely with the organization’s 2012 quarterly marketbasket surveys and the government’s Consumer Price

Index for food (available online at http://data.bls.gov/).

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best pos-sible prices, without taking advan-tage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spending $50 and receiving a free turkey.

Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages.

Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-

to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many super-markets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.

The AFBF survey was first con-ducted in 1986.

While Farm Bureau does not make any scientific claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation.

Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price compari-sons.

•Dinner(Continued from page 1)

For poultry industry news, www.poultrytimes.net

2K RimmiR light dimmeR

ReVeRSe PhASe2K gReeN RimmiR16 Amps, 2000 Watts

gReAt PAybAcK foR bRoileR gRoWeRSbiofeedbAcK extends the life of compact fluorescent bulbs$ $

cutting edge reverse phase technology

We're look'n back and no dimmer is close

DIMS ALL DIMMABLE GREAT POWER FACTORLONGER BULB LIFE

www.pro-techinc.com

4 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

ViewpointCompiled by Barbara Olejnik, Associate Editor

770-718-3440 bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

Poultry Innovations: Past and Future

“‘What is exciting to think about is what will be the next idea that will transform some segment of the poultry industry. ’

Mike GilesGeorgia Poultry Federation president

Mike Giles is president of the Geor-gia Poultry Federation with offices in Gainesville, Ga.

tion of tunnel ventilation by the U.S. poultry industry has led to a dra-matic reduction in mortality during hot weather and enabled us to grow the large broilers we produce today with a more consistent year-round bird performance. Tunnel ventila-tion has also allowed poultry pro-ducers to totally enclose their houses which has reduced the heat required

in broiler houses between 30 and 50 percent. Simply put, in today’s eco-nomic climate, a poultry company would not be able to stay in business without tunnel ventilated housing.”

Now only 20 years later, tun-nel ventilated poultry housing is

when poultry was primarily raised in curtain-sided houses which de-pended on side ventilation for cool-ing. The state of Georgia, as did other states, had received funds as part of a settlement for claims against the oil industry for overcharging for pe-troleum products. The funds were to be distributed on a competitive basis to support energy conversa-tion projects.

The Georgia Poultry Federa-tion, in cooperation with the Uni-versity of Georgia’s Mike Czarick and Mike Lacy, proposed a project entitled “Energy Efficient Broiler Production” to the Governor’s Of-fice of Energy Resources. In 1989, the project was funded through a $135,000 grant.

Czarick and Lacy’s research led to the publication of findings in 1991 which confirmed that broiler performance could be significantly improved in tunnel ventilated hous-ing. More research and publications followed for the team including an article published in 1992 in the Journal of Applied Poultry Research entitled “Tunnel-ventilated broiler houses: Broiler performance and operating costs.”

One of the researchers’ original goals was to develop a ventila-tion system that would avoid the catastrophic mortality rates that oc-curred during extreme heat waves. The additional, and more signifi-cant benefit, was the discovery of the potential for improved broiler performance and feed efficiency. Evaporative cooling systems were incorporated into the ventilation systems, and the modern tunnel ven-tilated broiler house was born.

In 1988, Georgia produced 3.4 billion pounds live weight of broil-ers, and today the state produces 7.4 billion pounds, an increase of 118 percent. While all of that increase certainly can not be attributed to the development of tunnel ventilated housing, it is fair to say that its de-velopment established a condition that allowed for the dramatic and efficient growth of poultry grow-ing in the hot climate of the south-ern United States over the past two decades.

According to Czarick, “the adop-

By Mike GilesSpecial to Poultry Times

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — As schoolchildren we learned that Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin transformed the economy of the southern United States. In more recent times, the Internet changed forever how we communicate and conduct commerce throughout the world. History is full of examples

such as these, and the poul-try industry is no excep-tion.

Years ago when he was e x e c u t i v e director of the Georgia A g r i b u s i -ness Coun-cil, Georgia Agriculture

Commissioner Gary Black asked Henry Simons, the first president of the council, what he thought was the most significant development in Georgia’s agricultural history. With-out hesitation, Mr. Simons replied, “the Big John hopper car.”

During the early days of the poul-try industry, a limiting factor was the availability of affordable grains for feed production. Georgia’s poultry industry was experiencing rapid growth in the early 1960s and was becoming more dependent on corn

grown in the Midwest to satisfy the growing demand. Railcars in use at the time were inefficient, and ship-ping rates were high due to the ca-pacity of the cars and methods used to unload the corn. Grain barges traveling the Mississippi and Ten-nessee rivers combined with truck-ing were the alternative.

Georgia native D.W. Bronsan, president of Southern Railway from 1962 through 1967, promoted a new hopper car that would eventu-ally revolutionize the way that corn would be shipped from the Midwest to the southern states where it was needed. The aluminum constructed Big John hopper car would haul as much corn in one railcar as three of the boxcars that were in use at the time. Hauling corn from St. Louis to Gainesville, Georgia, via the new hopper cars would drop shipping costs more than 50 percent.

However, the new technology faced obstacles. The barge industry engaged in a lengthy court chal-lenge. According to Abit Massey, the Georgia Poultry Federation’s executive director at the time, “the Federation worked with Southern Railway in support of the Big John hopper car by circulating petitions and attending hearings in an attempt to receive approval from the Inter-state Commerce Commission to allow Southern Railways to reduce rail rates.” In 1963, the lower rail rates were approved paving the way for the dramatic growth of the poul-try industry in Georgia and through-out the south.

For the next transformational in-novation, we fast forward to 1988

Giles

See Giles, Page 5

Corporate HeadquartersPoultry & Egg News Inc.

P.O. Box 1338Gainesville, Georgia 30503Telephone: 770-536-2476;

770-718-3444 (after 5:30 p.m.)Fax: 770-532-4894

General ManagerCindy Wellborn770-718-3443

cwellborn@poultrytimes.net

Editorial/Advertising StaffEditor

David B. Strickland770-718-3442

dstrickland@poultrytimes.net

Associate EditorBarbara L. Olejnik

770-718-3440bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

Account ExecutiveStacy Louis

770-718-3445slouis@poultrytimes.net

Account ExecutiveDinah Winfree770-718-3438

dwinfree@poultrytimes.net

Poultry Times (USPS 217-480) ISSN 0885-3371 is published every other Monday, 345 Green Street, N.W., Gainesville, Georgia 30501. Telephone 770-536-2476; Fax 770-532-4894. Postage paid at Gainesville, Georgia 30501.

Poultry Times assumes responsibli-ity for error in first run of an in-house designed ad only. Advertisers have ten (10) days from publication date to dis-pute such an advertisement. After ten (10) days, ad will be deemed correct and advertiser will be charged accord-ingly. Proofs approved by advertiser will always be regarded as correct.

Subscriptions: Surface mail in U.S., $18.00 for one year, $29 for two years and $40 for three years. Business or occupation information must accom-pany each subscription order.

Change of Address: Postmaster, report change of address to Poultry Times, P.O. Box 1338, Gainesville, GA 30503.

Companion Poultry Publications: A Guide to Poultry Associations; Poultry Resource Guide; Georgia Ag News.

The opinions expressed in this publi-cation by authors other than Poultry Times staff are those of the respec-tive author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Poultry Times.

Advertisement content is the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Poultry Times assumes no liability for any statements, claims or assertions ap-pearing in any advertisement.

Poultry Timeswww.poultrytimes.net

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012 5

the standard throughout the world. Chicken is produced with less en-ergy and lower feed inputs because of this one transformational innova-tion.

These are just two examples in the poultry industry of ideas that be-came widely adopted innovations.

There are many others in process-ing, breeding and animal health.

What is exciting to think about is what will be the next idea that will transform some segment of the poultry industry.

Will it be robotics in the process-ing plant or an advancement that will build on the remarkable progress already made by poultry processors

in the field of food safety? Perhaps it will be a new vaccine or breeder improvement.

Another example of this forward looking approach is a multi-uni-versity effort underway to consider what transformational innovations might be incorporated into the “Poultry Plant of the Future.” Doug Britton, program manager with the

Ag Technology Research Program at the Georgia Tech Research Insti-tute, and colleagues at poultry pro-grams throughout the United States are in the early stages of discussion on this topic.

Research priorities developed out of this effort could lead to dramatic advancements that will improve the poultry industry’s competitiveness

in the future. All it takes is an idea and then de-

velopment of that idea by an innova-tive company or one of our nation’s excellent land-grant or research universities.

As the poultry industry strives for continual improvement, these advancements are sure to come . . . stay tuned.

•Giles(Continued from page 4)

Developing a labor plan to fit all farmersBy Bob StallmanSpecial to Poultry Times

WASHINGTON — For far too long, farmers and ranchers have had to struggle to make sure that they have a legal, reliable supply of workers.

The reality has been a daunting, broken sys-tem, riddled with short-comings that have resulted i n l a b o r s h o r t a g e s , lost crops, bureaucratic n igh tmares and neigh-bors compet-ing with one

another to get the farm hands they need.

Farmers from around the country all feel the pain. From Washington state apple growers to New York

dairy producers, there is an across-the-board shortage of labor for hire. Agriculture needs and deserves a legal, stable workforce, and Farm Bureau has a plan.

Flexibility, stabilityFarm Bureau, along with other or-

ganizations in the agricultural com-munity, is working on a solution for farmers and ranchers in all sectors, in all regions and for all commodi-ties.

What Farm Bureau is bringing to the discussion is a plan that we think will accommodate all agricul-ture — from a grower who needs to hire harvesters for only a few days, to a dairy that needs a workforce 365 days of the year.

The crux of Farm Bureau’s plan is to establish and implement a new visa program that would give both employers and employees stabil-ity and flexibility into the future, while also addressing the current

workforce that has contributed to our farms and communities. Both elements are necessary to provide a long-term, stable and legal work-force.

Building on how the domestic market currently operates, farmers would be permitted to offer migrant laborers either a contract or at-will work. Similarly, workers would be able to choose their form of employ-ment.

With a contract, both employers and workers would be provided longer-term stability and the worker could have a visa term of up to 12 months.

On the other hand, the at-will op-tion offers flexibility to employers who may just need a week’s worth of harvesting, while allowing work-ers the portability to work at other seasonal jobs for up to 11 months.

This program reflects real-life workforce challenges and provides both the flexibility and stability that

domestic workers enjoy.Just as important, the plan would

allow key migrant workers — those who have been working in U.S. agriculture for a defined period, as well as those who are in manage-ment and other key positions at a farm – the ability to stay in the U.S. and continue to work in the agricul-ture sector.

Eliminating rigiditySince its inception, the H-2A tem-

porary agricultural worker program has been riddled with problems, cre-ating more challenges than provid-ing solutions.

Because of the diverse special labor needs within farming, the pro-gram has been difficult for growers to use, is not even available to some sectors of agriculture like dairy and simply is not feasible in some parts of the country.

Farm Bureau’s plan would remedy

many of H-2A’s failings by offering real-world solutions that better meet both employers’ and workers’ needs. Over time, as farmers begin using the new visa program, we imagine H-2A will become obsolete.

A market-based, flexible agricul-tural worker program makes sense and is long overdue. It is important for workers, farmers and especially consumers that agricultural produc-ers have access to a legal, stable workforce for the future.

With all of agriculture working together, we are optimistic we can offer Congress a reasonable, prac-tical, common-sense solution that works for growers while respecting the rights of workers.

It is time to move the discussion forward and find a solution that works for all farmers and ranchers.

Bob Stallman is president of the American Farm Bureau Federation with offices in Washington, D.C.

Stallman

6 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

BusinessCompiled by David B. Strickland, Editor

770-718-3442dstrickland@poultrytimes.net

DSM & Merial begin vaccine collaboration

COLUMBIA, Md. — DSM Nutritional Products, a subsidiary of Royal DSM, has announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Merial Ltd., under a Development and Option to License Agreement, to develop animal health vaccines using DSM’s proprietary algal expres-sion system.

For decades, the production of vaccines for both animal and human diseases has relied on the use of complex production processes, the companies noted. Alternative methods, such as the one being explored by Merial and DSM using microbial algae as the growth platform, may present a faster and more efficient production method.

“We are pleased to join with Merial on this important project that we expect will validate the algal expression system as a viable alternative to egg or cell culture-based vaccines, which would offer important ben-efits for animal vaccine production,” said Peter Nitze, president of the Nutritional Lipids division within DSM Nutritional Products.

As part of the collaboration, Merial will provide research and devel-opment funding to DSM to support DSM’s costs of developing animal vaccine antigens using this algal expression system.

DSM also would be eligible to earn milestone payments, license fees and royalties on product sales if the collaboration is successful.

Following the successful production of an animal vaccine product under this agreement, and prior to commercialization, DSM and Merial will either enter into a commercial supply agreement for the production of the vaccine antigen or DSM will receive a technology transfer fee to convey the manufacturing rights to Merial, the companies noted.

“Merial is pleased to join with DSM and explore innovative vaccine product solutions by developing manufacturing processes that are sim-ple and cost effective,” said Bob Nordgren, head of Merial Biologicals Research & Development.

More information can be obtained at www.dsm.com, and www.me-rial.com.

For Classifieds, see page 20

Other Business News

Perdue assists in hurricane relief

SALISBURY, Md.. — Perdue Foods has delivered 131,000 pounds of protein to Feeding America-af-filiated food banks to assist with “Superstorm” Sandy relief efforts in the Northeast.

Five tractor-trailer loads of fresh and frozen chicken products — the equivalent of 157,000 meals — were delivered to food banks.

The donations were delivered to food banks and distribution cen-ters in the Bronx, Staten Island and Hauppauge, N.Y., locations identi-fied by Feeding America to serve hurricane victims in the Northeast.

“Our thoughts and prayers re-main with all those affected by this tragedy,” said Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue Farms. “Our partners at Feeding America are working through their network of food banks and with emergency management responders to ensure our food dona-tions are helping those in their time of need.”

Perdue has partnered with Feed-ing America since 2000 in their efforts to fight hunger and provide relief in times of natural disasters.

Perdue has pledged a minimum annual donation of 2 million pounds of food to Feeding America for dis-tribution to community food banks and pantries.

“Thank you to Perdue for their support of Feeding America and its network with their generous donation of over 130,000 pounds of valuable protein items,” said Bill Thomas, vice president of op-erations for Feeding America. “Our network always asks for support such as theirs during times of disas-ter because the value it brings to cli-ents who have lost everything.”

More information can be obtained at www.perdue.com.

Donations to Feeding America can be made at www.feedingamer-ica.org.

Tyson pledges Red Cross support

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Tyson Foods has pledged to contribute to the American Red Cross’ relief and recovery efforts for Hurricane Sandy, Donnie Smith, president and CEO of the company, said.

A corporate match of up to $100,000 of employee donations will go to support victims of the hurricane.

“Our hearts go out to those who were in the path of the storm,” Smith said. “Our company’s culture is to step up and help our neighbors, and we want to do that now with a dollar-for-dollar corporate match to one of the largest disaster relief organiza-tions in America.”

Smith also said the company dis-patched its mobile feeding unit, a 53-foot semi-trailer dubbed “Meals that Matter,” and volunteer cook teams to New Jersey on Nov. 3.

Teams from corporate headquar-ters in Arkansas, the company’s transportation group and a pro-cessing plant in Shelbyville, Tenn., cooked meals for first responders and victims of Sandy as part of a partnership with the American Red Cross. Food for the meals was fur-nished by Tyson Foods.

The company unveiled the “Meals that Matter” trailer earlier this year to serve as a central supply unit at disaster sites. This marked the first time the unit has been dispatched.

“I’m glad I work for a company that has the ability to offer assistance and with more than 100,000 team members who are ready and willing to pitch in,” Smith said.

With the exception of a grill, the “Meals that Matter” trailer has ev-erything needed to set up and run a cooking site including: full refrig-eration, tents and lights, sanitation equipment, cooking and serving supplies, a generator, hydraulic lift and even a Wi-Fi hot spot for Inter-net connections via satellite. Mobile grills will be supplied, as needed, by

Tyson’s plant locations. More than 40 plant sites are currently capable of responding to disasters by send-ing grills and Tyson volunteers to cook food.

On average, Tyson noted that it is involved in responding to four to five major disasters each year. In recent years, the company has provided be-tween $300,000 and $500,000 an-nually in food and financial support to disaster relief.

Donations to the American Red Cross can be made at www.redcross.org.

Merck announces third quarter results

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck has announced its financial results for the third quar-ter of 2012. Worldwide sales for the quarter were noted at $11.5 billion. Animal health sales were reported at $815 million for the third quar-ter, down from $826 million for the same quarter in 2011.

“We will continue to drive value for our customers and shareholders through Merck’s four-part strategy of executing on our core business, expanding geographically in high-growth markets, extending our complementary businesses and ex-celling at managing our costs while investing for growth,” said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck.

The animal health sales total of $815 million includes an 8 percent negative impact due to foreign exchange, the company said. Ex-cluding negative impact of foreign exchange, performance was driven by the poultry, cattle and compan-ion animal segments. The Animal Health division also launched the Activyl line of products in the U.S., which is an addition to the com-panion animal product line, Merck said.

Merck, known as MSD outside

(Continued on next page)

7POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

the U.S. and Canada, operates in more than 140 countries. More in-formation can be obtained at www.merck.com.

Diamond V/USDA research antibiotics

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A unique two-year research project is being undertaken by Diamond V and the National Animal Disease Center of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to examine the impact of antibiotics, dietary sup-plements and stress on the micro-bial communities and host mucosal tissues of the swine intestinal eco-system.

The goal is to identify alternatives to traditional antibiotics for use in re-ducing the antibiotic resistance gene reservoir and foodborne pathogens in farm animals.

“Both ARS and Diamond V share a common interest in discovering alternatives to traditional antibiot-ics for farm animal growth and for the production of a safe and secure food supply in the U.S. and around the world,” said John Bloomhall, president and CEO, Diamond V. “Together, we’ll develop an in-depth understanding of the path from the diet through the intestinal microbiome to healthy animals and safe food.”

“Advances in research technology give us new capabilities in defining the microbial populations in the gas-trointestinal (GI) system, their inter-actions and influence on the health and well being of the host animal,” said Mike Wright, director, Global Marketing and Research, Diamond V. “Using metagenomics, genomics and bioinformatics technologies, we will together focus on how diets im-pact the intestinal ecosystem. This ecosystem — microbes, host-tis-sues, dietary components and prod-ucts of the microbes and tissues — is fundamentally important for animal health and food safety.”

The collaborative research will be directed by Dr. Thad Stanton, re-search leader, NADC Food Safety

and Enteric Pathogens Research Unit (FSEPRU); and Dr. Jason Frank, director, Swine Research, Diamond V. The research will be conducted by Dr. Benjamin Bass, a postdoctoral research scientist, as an employee of Diamond V, and Dr. Meggan Bandrick, NADC postdoc-toral veterinarian.

Other project collaborators will include NADC microbiologists, molecular biologists, pathologists, veterinarians and animal scientists.

Diamond V will share its first-hand experience gained through the large- scale production and analysis of innovative applications for nutri-tion and health with fermentation products and microbial cell deriva-tives, the company said, adding that its expertise includes measuring and monitoring the effects of specific diets on biochemical, physiologi-cal, immunological and cytological responses by livestock.

More information can be obtained at www.diamondv.com.

Hormel donates to Sandy relief

AUSTIN, Minn. — Hormel Foods Corp. has announced a do-nation of four semi-trailer loads of product to assist with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The donation includes two semi-trailers of Hor-mel® Compleats® microwave meals, which is about 110,400 meals and two semi-trailers of Hormel® pizza toppings white chicken cuts, which is approximately 156,000 packs to Feeding America food banks in aid to relief efforts in the areas impacted by the Oct. 29 hurricane.

“Our thoughts are with those af-fected by this devastating event,” said Julie H. Craven, vice president of corporate communications at Hormel Foods. “As relief efforts begin, we hope these meals will provide a source of nourishment for so many in need.”

In describing the foods, the com-pany noted that Hormel Compleats microwave meals are 10-ounce meals that feature chicken, turkey or beef, as well as vegetables and pasta, potatoes or rice. They do not

need to be frozen or refrigerated and can be microwaved in the tray. They are fully cooked and can be eaten straight from the package for those without access to electricity. The pizza toppings are fully cooked, large cuts of white meat chicken that can be added as a protein source to a variety of meals, Hormel added.

More information can be obtained at www.hormelfoods.com.

Cargill reports quarterly earnings

MINNEAPOLIS — Cargill has reported net earnings of $975 mil-lion in the fiscal 2013 first quarter ended Aug. 31, compared with $236 million in the same period a year ago. First-quarter revenues were $33.8 billion compared with $34.6 billion in the year-ago period.

“During the past two years, Car-gill has invested $8.1 billion to bet-ter serve our customers all around the world,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive offi-cer. “By investing steadily, we’ve been able to significantly boost the breadth and depth of the products and services we offer our customers. And that has strengthened the bal-ance, diversification and resilience we strive for in our business.”

Three additional factors contrib-uted to Cargill’s performance. Re-sults were balanced, with improved earnings across all five business segments.

There were no significant losses in any one business unit, the latter a factor that affected the year-ago pe-riod. The company benefited from the considerable time and energy in-vested during the past 12 months to lower costs, simplify and streamline processes, and ensure capital expen-ditures were being directed to where they mattered most to customers.

The impact of the U.S. drought and weather events in other crop-growing areas such as the Black Sea region is still unfolding. A key vari-able is how food and feed demand worldwide will adjust in the coming months if prices remain high.

“Now more than ever Cargill is

using our knowledge and market insight to help customers manage in this time of tighter supplies, higher prices and more volatile markets,” said Page. “We are reaching out to customers and tapping the full re-sources of Cargill to create solutions that address their needs.”

The impact of the drought on Car-gill’s business has been mixed and will continue to be so in the months ahead.

The weather has altered the nor-mal distribution of raw materials around the world, and that is push-ing more international buyers to non-U.S. origins.

As a result, Cargill expects more atypical trade flows — a condition that calls upon its capabilities in

market analytics, risk management and logistics. Cargill’s North Amer-ican grain handling volumes for exports are anticipated to be lower than pre-drought expectations, and it may be a challenging year for the company’s animal protein busi-nesses globally.

The company recently purchased a ground beef processing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, that was formerly owned by AFA Foods.

Cargill is also constructing an animal nutrition facility in South Korea’s port of Dangjin. It also an-nounced plans to build a specialty feed facility in Bovina, Texas.

More information can be obtained at www.cargill.com.

(Continued from previous page)

Business

Call 229-546-4113 for dealers in your area!www.peripheralmowers.us

Save Time & Money

Can also be used as a mower to control grass growth

ThePeripheral Poultry Litter Rejuvenator (PLR)

3Sits next to the wall Cleans corners

No clumps Environmentally friendly3

33

Saves 100% of Litter

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 20128

Food Trends

KFCKFC has announced the launch of Dip’ems,

which pairs extra crispy chicken tenders with six dipping sauces. The chicken tenders are made from 100 percent premium all-white meat chicken, marinated and double-breaded in special seasonings.

There is also the option to dip them in six flavorful Dip’ems sauces. Three new sauce selections — Creamy Buffalo, Orange Ginger and Bacon Ranch — join the existing sauces of Honey BBQ, Honey Mustard and Creamy Ranch. Dip’ems are available at participating KFC locations in a bucket of 20 tenders and all six sauces or in a combo with three tenders, a choice of two sauces, a side item, a biscuit and a medium drink.

More information: www.kfc.com

Jennie-O Turkey StoreJennie-O, a recognized leader in turkey, has

teamed up with the first app-enabled wireless

meat thermometer, iGrill, to help home cooks and grill masters prepare tender, delicious tur-key — such as turkey burgers — while ensur-ing food safety from anywhere in the home, from the convenience of their iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android. The app takes the guesswork out that turkey burgers will always come out tender, delicious and fully cooked to a safe 165 degrees F.

A meat thermometer is a necessity for home cooks and professional chefs, but the iGrill wireless thermometer takes this concept a step further by enabling the cook to monitor food temperature without being glued to the grill, stove or oven.

The iGrill works with a free app that fea-tures multiple preset temperatures and allows the user to monitor multiple probes that are inserted into meat to measure temperature while cooking. The probes relay temperature information to the user’s Apple or Android de-vice and send an alert when the meat is fully cooked. iGrill’s wireless capabilities enable

home cooks and professionals to monitor food from up to 200 feet away, so they can get out of the kitchen or away from the grill, and spend time with guests or on other important things.

The app includes 25 recipes for Jennie-O® turkey meals, such as the Jack and Guac Turkey Bacon Burger, Cranberry Horserad-ish Turkey Burger and Moroccan Style Tur-key Burger. The iGrill app is free and can be downloaded at the iTunes Store or the Google Play Store. The wireless meat thermometer is available for purchase at iGrillinc.com.

More information: www.jennieo.com

SONICWith the growing popularity of chicken

among diners, SONIC has introduced two new Premium Chicken Sandwiches to give guests the most bang for their cluck: a new, limited time Asiago Caesar Chicken Sandwich and an improved Classic Chicken Sandwich,

both available in either grilled or crispy. “Chicken sandwiches are sometimes over-

looked on menus and we wanted our new Premium Chicken Sandwiches to wake up the standard fare with a fresh flavor experience,” said Chef Clas Petersson, vice president of re-search & development for SONIC.

The Asiago Caesar Chicken Sandwich is a choice of grilled or crispy all-white meat chicken breast, topped with sliced Asiago cheese, thick, hand-sliced tomatoes on SONIC’s warm ciabatta bun with 10 grams of whole grain. The signature Caesar dress-ing on the sandwich is based on an aioli that Chef Petersson has been developing for the last 18 years.

The Classic Chicken Sandwich takes the same grilled or crispy all-white meat chicken breast, tops it with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, light mayo and serves it up between a warm whole-grain ciabatta bun with only 450 calo-ries.

More information: http:bit.ly/SON-ICPremiumChickenBTS

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012 9

Vet. students invited to apply for Pfizer scholarship MADISON, N.J. — For the fourth

consecutive year, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) invite second- and third-year students of veterinary medicine to apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship. In an effort to help alleviate some of the burden of student debt, a mini-mum of 330 scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to assist stu-dents across various disciplines in veterinary medicine.

To apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Schol-arship Program, students can visit www.vetstudentconnect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer until Dec. 2, 2012.

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on traditional schol-arship selection criteria, such as academic excellence and financial need. In addition, the scholarship will focus on meeting the ongoing

needs of the veterinary profession: increasing diversity among practi-tioners in ethnic heritage, gender, socioeconomic background, profes-sional aspirations and improving the availability of veterinarians to serve in areas of the profession that have increased demand.

“Pfizer recognizes that enter-ing into this rewarding and critical profession does not come at a low cost,” said Vanessa Mariani, direc-tor of Academic and Professional Affairs, U.S. Operations at Pfizer Animal Health. “In fact, according to the American Veterinary Medi-cal Association, more than 2,500 students graduated from veterinary schools with an average debt load nearing $140,000 in 2011.”

In 2013, Pfizer Animal Health will provide a minimum of $660,000 in student scholarships to eligible stu-dents in colleges of veterinary medi-cine in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Scholarships will be awarded to stu-dents in all areas of study, including food animal medicine, equine and small animal medicine, research, academia and government services, among others. Award eligibility is subject to the guidelines established by individual schools.

“This scholarship is one way that Pfizer looks to help address the chal-lenges within the veterinary profes-sion to ensure that it has a thriving future,” said Mariani. “The first three years of this program have been very successful, as we awarded scholarships to students from a vari-ety of socioeconomic backgrounds studying across a diverse array of species and veterinary disciplines.”

In 2012, the program awarded 331 students with scholarships. The group included:

31 percent from diverse back-grounds

47 percent studying to practice

food and mixed animal veterinary medicine

28 percent going into small animal practice

8 percent entering academia (research and clinical)

Remaining students going into other areas of practice, such as pub-lic health, lab animal medicine and poultry

“In part because of the Pfizer-AVMF scholarship, I was able to begin research this summer on the challenges veterinary students face and how a variety of factors — including Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) and other vital programs for vet-erinary school curricula — impact their success after graduation,” said 2012 scholarship recipient Tammy J. Oseid, a University of Minnesota DVM/MPH class of 2014 student. “The scholarship enabled me to take the time off of work this summer to

begin investigating this area of great personal interest as well as potential benefit to the entire profession.”

The scholarship program is a part of Pfizer Animal Health’s Com-mitment to Veterinarians platform — which offers support through training and education, research and development, investing in the future of the veterinary profession and philanthropy.

The scholarship complements a number of other Pfizer Animal Health programs supporting the veterinary profession, including millions invested in universities, industry education and training, scholarships and allied organiza-tions each year.

To learn more or apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program, stu-dents can visit www.vetstudentcon-nect.com or www.avmf.org/pfizer.

How U.S. drought damaged economy as well as cropsThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The worst drought in decades didn’t just shrivel corn and soybeans. It shrank economic growth too.

The government said on Oct. 26, that the U.S. economy grew at a modest 2 percent annual rate from July through September. And the crop-killing drought reduced growth by 0.4 percentage points.

That means normal weather would have lifted economic growth to 2.4 percent for the quarter, the Commerce Department said.

Q & ABelow are questions and answers

about the drought and its effect on gross domestic product. GDP is the broadest measure of the economy:

Q: How severe was the drought?

A: The dry spell that hit the Mid-

west and Great Plains last summer was the worst since the 1950s. It covered 80 percent of U.S. farm-land.

The drought hit hardest in July, a critical time for corn and other crops.

Corn production is expected to drop more than 13 percent in the 2012-2013 growing season. Soy-bean production will likely fall 8 percent. Cattle, sheep and pig farm-ers are getting hit, too: The cost of feed is rising, and pastures have withered in the heat.

Q: How did the drought reduce economic growth?

A: Mainly by reducing crop sup-plies. Smaller supplies cut growth by 0.17 percentage point from April to June and by 0.42 percentage point from July through September. Jeet Dutta, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, says he thinks the worst is over.

He expects the drought’s im-pact on growth to diminish to 0.1 percentage point in the final three months of 2012.

Q: Does the economic damage go beyond the farm?

A: Yes, because GDP fig-ures don’t capture, for example, higher food prices that can follow a drought. And farmers hit by a drought typically cut back on pur-chases of farm equipment, vehicles and other goods.

That can hurt merchants in farm country and damage that part of the economy. Ernie Goss, an economics professor at Creighton University in Omaha, says Midwest merchants are expecting a weak holiday season in part because farmers have curtailed their spending.

And the drought led to lower wa-ter levels in the Mississippi River that stranded barges, causing costly shipping delays.

Q: How does the economic damage from droughts compare with the damage from other natu-ral disasters?

A: Hurricanes and earthquakes can reduce economic growth by disrupting production and con-sumer spending. But once the earth has stopped shaking and the winds have died down, communities can rebuild, boosted by insurance pay-outs and federal aid.

Reconstruction can help the over-all economy. By contrast, crops killed by drought can’t be recovered. “It’s a one-shot-a-year production practice for corn and soybeans,” said Todd Davis, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federa-tion.

Q: Have farmers’ incomes suf-fered?

A: Despite the drought, the USDA expects farm incomes to hit $122 billion this year, highest since 1973

when adjusted for inflation. They’ve benefited from higher

prices for their crops and livestock. And government-subsidized crop insurance helps cushion the dam-age.

Congress has been promoting crop insurance since the 1990s, notes economist Mekael Teshome of the PNC Financial Services Group.

Q: What is the effect on Ameri-can consumers?

A: Prices for corn and soybeans in commodity markets have probably just about peaked, PNC says. But it will take three to six months for higher food prices to work their way through the food chain, says Dutta of Moody’s.

USDA expects food prices to rise between 3 percent and 4 percent next year. That would be up from an average of 2.5 percent to 3 percent over the past 20 years.

10 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

CalendarCompiled by Barbara Olejnik, Associate Editor

770-718-3440 bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

NOV26-28 — ITF WINTER CONV.,Marriott Hotel, West Des Moines, Iowa. Contact: Iowa Turkey Federation, 535 E. Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010. Ph: 515-232-7492; info@iowaturkey.org; www.iowaturkey.org.

2013

JAN 13-16 — AFBF ANNUAL MTNG., Nashville, Tenn. Contact: American Farm Bureau Federation, 600 Maryland Ave., S.W., Suite 1000 W, Washington, D.C. 20024. Ph: 202-406-3673; www.fb.org.

JAN 25 — GEORGIA AG FORECAST, Georgia Center for Continuing Education, Athens, Ga. Contact: University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; www.georgiaagforecast.com.

JAN 28 — GEORGIA AG FORECAST, ECO Center, Rome, Ga. Contact: University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; www.georgiaagforecast.com.

JAN 28-29 — INT’L. POULTRYSCIENTIFIC FORUM, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: Southern Poultry Science Society, P.O. Box 1705, Clemson, S.C. 29633. Ph: 662-325-3416; execsec@southern-poultrysciencesociety.org; www.southernpoultrysciencesociety.org.

JAN 28-29 — UEP BOARD MTNG.,Atlanta, Ga. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; www.unitedegg.com.

JAN 29 — GEORGIA AG FORECAST,Georgia Farm Bureau, Macon, Ga. Contact: University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; www.georgiaagforecast.com.

JAN 29 — NCC TECHNICAL &REGULATORYCOMMITTEE, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1052 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; ncc@chickenusa.org; www.nationalchick-encouncil.org; www.eatchicken.com.

JAN 29-31 — INTERNATIONALPRODUCTION & PROCESSINGEXPO,Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoultry.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org; or American Feed Industry Association, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 916,

Arlington, Va. 22201, 703-524-0810, afia@afia.org, www.afia.org; American Meat Institute, 1150 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Wshington, D.C. 20036, 202-587-4200, www.meatami.com

JAN 29-Feb.1—NPFDAANNUALCONV.,Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: National Poultry & Food Distributors Assocatiion, 2014 Osborne Road, Saint Marys, Ga. 31558. Ph: 770-535-9901; kkm@npfda.org; www.npfda.org.

JAN 30 — GEORGIA AG FORECAST, UGA Tifton Conference Center, Tifton, Ga. Contact: University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; www.georgiaagforecast.com.

JAN 30 — CHICKEN SUMMIT 2013ADVSORY GROUP, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1052 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; ncc@chickenusa.org; www.nationalchick-encouncil.org; www.eatchicken.com.

JAN 30 — NCC MARKETINGCOMMITTEE, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1052 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; ncc@chick-enusa.org; www.nationalchicken-council.org; www.eatchicken.com.

JAN 30—NCCBOARDMTNG., Atlanta, Ga. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1052 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; ncc@chickenusa.org; www.nationalchick-encouncil.org; www.eatchicken.com.

JAN 30 — NEQS ANNUALSTAKEHOLDERSMTNG., Atlanta, Ga. Contact: National Egg Quality School, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Pkwy., Annapolis, Md. 21401. Ph: 410-841-5769; Deanna.Baldwin@maryland.gov; www.neqs.org.

JAN 31 — GEORGIA AG FORECAST, Decatur County Livestock Complex, Bainbridge, Ga. Contact: University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; www.georgiaagforecast.com.

FEB 1 — GEORGIA AG FORECAST, Toombs County Agri-Center, Lyons, Ga. Contact: University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; www.georgiaagforecast.com.

FEB 13-16 — NTF ANNUAL CONF.,Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, Calif. Contact: National Turkey Federation, 1225 New York Ave., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-898-0100; info@tur-

keyfed.org; www.eatturkey.com.

FEB 20-21—NPICONV., Norfolk Lodge & Suites, Divots Conference Center, Norfolk, Neb. Contact: Nebraska Poultry Industries Inc., University of Nebraska, 102 Mussehl Hall, P.O. Box 830721, Lincoln, Neb. 68583-0721; 402-472-2051; egg-tur-key@uni.edu; www.nepoultry.org.

FEB 21 — TPA POULTRY SCHOOL, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: Tennessee Poultry Association, P.O. Box 1525, Shelbyville, Tenn. 37162-1525. Ph: 931-225-1123; dbarnett@tnpoultry.org; www.tnpoultry.org.

FEB 25-27 — PEPA ANNUAL CONV., Intercontinental, Monterey, Calif. Contact: Pacific Egg & Poultry Association, 1521 I St., Sacramento, Calif. 95814. Ph: 916-441-0801; dmur-dock@cgfa.org; www.pacificegg.org.

FEB 25-March 17 — HOUSTONLIVESTOCK SHOW & RODEO,Houston, Texas. Contact: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, P.O. Box 20070, Houston, Texas 77225-0070. Ph: 832-667-1000; questions@rodeohouston.com; www.hlrs.com.

MAR11 — CPF WINTER BOARDMTNG., Piccadilly Inn, Fresno, Calif. Contact: California Poultry Federation, 4640 Spyres Way, Suite 4, Modesto, Calif. 95356. PAh: 209-576-6355; www.cpif.org.

MAR11-15—AFIASPRINGCOMMITTEEMTNGS./PURCHASING &INGREDIENT SUPPLIERS CONF., Omni Fort Worth Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas. Contact: American Feed Industry Association, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 916. Arlington, Va. 22201. Ph: 703-524-0810; afia@afia.org; www.afia.org.

MAR12-13 — ENVIRONMENTALMGMNT. SMNR, New Orleans, La. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401; seminar@uspoultry.org; www.poultryegginstitute.org.

MAR12-14 — MPF ANNUAL CONV., Saint Paul RiverCentre, St. Paul, Minn. Contact: Midwest Poultry Federation, 108 Marty Drive, Buffalo, Minn. 55313. Ph: 763-682-2171; info@midwestpoul-try.com; www.midwestpoultry.com.

MAR13 — CEAM ANNUAL MTNG., Saint Paul RiverCentr, St. Paul, Minn. Contact: Chicken & Egg Association of Minnesota, 108 Marty Drive, Buffalo, Minn. 55313. Ph: 763-682-2171; info@mnchicken.org; www.mnchicken.org.

MAR13—MTGAANNUALMTNG.,Saint Paul RiverCentre, St. Paul, Minn. Contact: Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, 108 Marty Drive, Buffalo, Minn. 55313. Ph: 763-682-2171; info@minnesotatur-key.com; www.minnesotaturkey.com.

MAR20-21—FEEDMILLMGMNT.SMNR, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoultry.

org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

MAR20-21 — AEB BOARD MTNG.,Chicago, Ill. Ga. Contact: American Egg Board, 1460 Renaissance Drive, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068. Ph: 847-296-7043; aeb@aeb.org; www.aeb.org.

APR 5—OPAINDUSTRYCELEBRATIONBANQUET, Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, Columbus, Ohio. Contact: Ohio Poultry Association, 5930 Sharonb Woods Blvd., Columbus, Ohio 43229. Ph: 614-882-6111; jchakeres@ohiopoultry.org; www.ohiopoultry.org.

APR 17 — DPI BOOSTER BANQUET, Salisbury, Md. Contact: Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., 16686 County Seat Hwy., Georgetown, Del. 19947-4881; dpi@dpichicken.com; www.dpichicken.com

APR 19-21 — GPF ANNUAL MTNG., Lake Lanier Islands Resort, Buford, Ga. Contact: Georgia Poultry Federation, P.O. Box 763, Gainesville, Ga. 30503. Ph: 770-532-0473; www.gapf.org.

APR 22-24 — HUMAN RESOURCESSMNR., Destin, Fla. Mo. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoul-try.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

MAY2-3 — NATIONAL BREEDERSROUNDTABLE, St. Louis, Mo. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoul-try.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

MAY14-15 — AFIA BOARD MTNG., Arlington, Va. Contact: American Feed Industry Association, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 916, Arlington, Va. 22201. Ph: 703-524-0810; afia@afia.org, www.afia.org.

MAY15-16 — POULTRY PROCESSORSWKSHP., Atlanta, Ga. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoul-try.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

MAY20-22 — UEP LEGISLATIVEBOARD MTNG., Washington, D.C. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; www.unitedegg.com.

MAY20-23 — NEQS, Harrisburg, Pa. Contact: National Egg Quality School, Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Pkwy., Annapolis, Md. 21401. Ph: 410-841-5769; Deanna.Baldwin@maryland.gov; www.neqs.org.

JUN 7-8—AP&EAGOLFTOURNAMENTandEVENINGOFFUN, Birmingham, Ala. Contact: Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, P.O. Box 240, Montgomery, Ala. 36101. Ph: 334-265-2732; www.alabamapoultry.org.

JUN 11-13 — ITF SUMMER MTNG.,Adventureland Inn, Altoona, Iowa. Contact: Iowa Turkey Federation, 535 E. Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010. Ph: 515-22-7492;gretta@iowaturkey.org; sheila@iowaturkey.org; www.iowaturkey.org.

JUN 14-15 — ANNUAL POULTRY

FESTIVAL, Rogers, Ark. Contact: Poultry Federation, P.O. Box 1446, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Ph: 501-375-8131; www.thepoultryfederation.com.

JUN 10-11 — CPF SUMMER BOARDMTNG., The Cliffs Resort, Shell Beach, Calif. Contact: California Poultry Federation, 4640 Spyres Way, Suite 4, Modesto, Calif. 95356. PAh: 209-576-6355; www.cpif.org.

JUN 19-21 — GEA - GEC ANNUALMTNGS., King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, St. Simons Island, Ga. Contact: Jewell Hutto, Georgia Egg Assocation - Georgia Egg Commission, P.O. Box 2929, Suwanee, Ga. 30024. Ph: 770-932-4622; goodeggs@bell-south.net; www.georgiaeggs.org.

JUN 20-22 — NCC SUMMER BOARDMTNG., Newport Coast, Calif. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1052 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; ncc@chickenusa.org; www.nationalchick-encouncil.org; www.eatchicken.com.

JUN 21-22 — DELMARVA CHICKENFESTIVAL, Snow Hill, Md. Contact: Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., 16686 County Seat Hwy., Georgetown, Del. 19947-4881; dpi@dpich-icken.com; www.dpichicken.com

JUN 24-26 — FINANCIAL MGMNT.SMNR., Orlando, Fla. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoul-try.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

JUL 27-30 — TPF ANNUAL CONV.,San Antonio, Texas. Contact: Texas Poultry Federation, 595 Round Rock W. Drive, Suite 305, Round Rock, Texas 78581. Ph: 512-248-0600; tpf@texspoultry.org; www.texaspoultry.org

JUL 9-10 — HATCHERY BREEDERCLINIC, The Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham, Ala. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoultry.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

JUL 10-11 — AEB BOARD MTNG.,Chicago, Ill. Contact: American Egg Board, 1460 Renaissance Drive, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068. Ph: 847-296-7043; aeb@aeb.org; www.aeb.org.

JUL 16-17—INFORMATIONSYSTEMSSMNR., Doubletree Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401, seminar@uspoultry.org, www.poultryegginstitute.org.

JUL 18-20 — AAMP CONV., Charleston Area Convention Center, North Charleston, S.C. Contact: American Association of Meat Processors, 1 Meating Place, Elizabethtown, Pa. 17022. Ph: 717-367-1168; aamp@amp.com; www.aamp.com.

11POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Farm bill could hinge on budget talksThe Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A farm bill that stalled in Congress before the election could see quick action by the end of the year if congressional leaders decide they need its spend-ing cuts — including a small reduc-tion in the $80-billion-a-year food stamps program — to make a deal for averting the “fiscal cliff.”

The farm bill passed by the Senate in June would save $23 billion over 10 years, while a version passed by the House Agriculture Committee in July would save $35 billion. The savings come from cuts to farm sub-sidies and by tightening eligibility requirements for those who receive food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

That pot of money could be use-ful to lawmakers who will be scram-bling in the year’s final weeks to address the combination of tax in-creases and automatic spending cuts due in January — dubbed the fiscal cliff because the combination could plunge the economy into another recession.

The Senate has already passed its version of the farm bill. So any decision to make it part of a budget agreement will require the acquies-cence of Republican House leaders who stopped action on the bill before the election, saying there weren’t enough votes. But they also avoided a nasty and what would have been a highly visible pre-election floor fight over food stamps.

Democrats said the program, which feeds about one in seven

Americans, shouldn’t be touched while conservatives complained the bill’s 2 percent cut in the program — $1.6 billion a year — was too small.

Doug Heye, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Can-tor, said no decisions have been made on how to move the farm bill or whether it will be part of the fis-cal negotiations. The 2008 farm bill expired Sept. 30, so Congress at a minimum will have to extend parts of it into next year.

Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) sig-naled her eagerness to pair the two bills with a statement Nov. 9 saying the farm bill’s passage would be “a significant first step in meeting the critical deficit reduction challenges our country must face head-on this year.”

Retiring Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he has already started working on a compromise farm bill in an effort to move it along-side deficit reduction. Conrad, who is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and sits on the Agricul-ture Committee, said he spent part of Congress’ election recess con-sulting with Senate and House aides who worked on the legislation.

The House and Senate farm bills differ in how they address subsidies for farmers. But the biggest differ-ence between the two versions is the amount cut from food stamps: The Democratic-led Senate’s bill would cut $4 billion from the almost $800 billion program over 10 years; the GOP-led House’s version would cut

$16 billion.Conrad said he has attempted to

“take some sort of reasonable differ-ence” between the House and Senate bills but would not provide details. He argues that next year’s budget will be even worse and farm-state legislators will be forced to make even deeper cuts.

“Time is not on our side,” he said. Next year’s budget situation on farm programs will be “a big mess and it’s infinitely better for everyone to get these decisions made now.”

Farm groups are aggressively pushing a combination of the farm bill and the fiscal package, seeing the deficit reduction as the last, best vehicle to get the bill done this year.

“I think it’s going to be very hard to get a farm bill done unless a deci-sion is made very quickly to be part of a package,” said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bu-reau Federation.

Stallman said he thinks the bill can move very quickly once law-makers find a compromise on the food stamp issue.

“When political leadership de-cides they want something done they will craft a path to make it hap-pen,” he said. “But that hasn’t hap-pened yet.”

Food stamps make up roughly 80 percent of the bill’s half-trillion dol-lar cost over five years. Sustained unemployment, rising food prices and expanded eligibility under President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus have doubled the program’s cost since 2008, and

food stamps now help feed 47 mil-lion people.

The proposed House cuts would target practices by many states that critics claim swell the rolls of ben-eficiaries. They include waiving as-set and income eligibility limits for people who get other welfare bene-fits or signing people up for minimal heating aid so that they can qualify automatically for food stamps, too. The Senate bill also tightens eligi-bility in some areas but doesn’t save as much money.

The House and Senate bills also differ on how subsidies are struc-tured for various crops. Commod-ity groups for specific crops and lawmakers who represent their constituencies have battled over how those subsidies should work in

an environment where there is less money to go around.

This year’s farm bill situation is unusual. The last four farm bills — passed in 2008, 2002, 1996 and 1990 — were all passed prior to elections with rural politics driving the equation. This year politics had the opposite effect as food stamps got in the way.

Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, said the results of the Nov. 6 election should be good news for those who want to see a farm bill passed, since the bal-ance of power stayed the same.

“The outcome removed any sort of political rationale for a delay,” Johnson said. “The political argu-ment I think is gone. Not to say it will be easy.”

Mexico declares end to bird flu outbreakThe Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Mexico says an outbreak of the H7N3 bird flu virus in western Mexico has been “totally controlled” after 68 days without any reports of new cases.

President Felipe Calderon said on Oct. 24, that more than 22 million hens had been slaughtered through-out the country since efforts to con-tain the outbreak were announced in July.

The outbreak caused price in-

creases in chicken and egg products in Mexico. Calderon said the out-break caused significant damage because of the outbreak.

The United States was among the countries that began exporting eggs to Mexico to help lower egg prices.

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 201212

when we know there is strong bipar-tisan support for this legislation in both chambers.”

Other poultry interests signing the letters include: Penn Ag Industry

Poultry Council, The Poultry Feder-ation, Sanderson Farms, Simmons Prepared Foods, Texas Turkey Fed-eration, Virginia Poultry Federation, Wisconsin Poultry and Egg Indus-try Association, California Poultry Federation, Case Farms, Chicken

and Egg Association of Minnesota, Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., Georgia Poultry Federation, Iowa Turkey Federation, Minnesota Tur-key Growers Association, North Carolina Poultry Federation and Ohio Poultry Federation.

of previously known and unknown turkey viruses. Scientists confirmed common avian viruses such as rota-virus, astrovirus and reovirus. They also detected many RNA viruses, such as members of the Picornaviri-dae family.

“We discovered an abundance of previously unknown turkey vi-ruses like picobirnavirus, which is a small, double-stranded RNA virus implicated in enteric disease in other agricultural animals,” Day says. “In addition, we identified a calicivirus, which is associated with human en-teric diseases, in poultry.”

By using metagenomics, sci-entists were able to generate and continue to analyze additional data from the samples. They discovered

a new bacteriophage that had never been described in turkey intestinal samples.

“The bacteriophage is called phiCA82,” Zsak says. “It belongs to a group known as microphages and is the type of virus that naturally kills bacteria. Phages are important because they can potentially be used as alternatives to antibiotics and as weapons against multi-drug-resis-tant pathogens.”

Future studies will be done to de-termine if phages like this one actu-ally kill the bacteria they infect, Zsak says. Once this process is identified, scientists can design identical ways to kill dangerous pathogens.

Metagenomics also was used to produce the first in-depth analysis of the full-length genome sequence of a novel chicken parvovirus. Sci-entists then developed a PCR assay

to detect the virus in turkeys and chickens. They used the highly ef-fective test to detect parvoviruses in enteric samples collected from commercial poultry flocks in differ-ent U.S. regions.

“The beauty of metagenomics is that viruses do not have to be iso-lated or propagated. Small pieces of nucleic acid can be sequenced from samples taken from mixed commu-nities,” Day says. “The main goal is to use this technology to develop diagnostic tools, identify effective new treatments and improve man-agement to help control costly ani-mal and plant diseases.”

“Egging On” diseasesA different type of technology is

being used to prevent coccidiosis and other enteric diseases in poultry at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Belts-ville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Md.

Avian immunologist Hyun Lille-hoj partnered with scientists at uni-versities and industry to develop a passive immunization strategy to control poultry diseases. The novel, antibiotic-free technology uses hy-

perimmune egg yolk antibodies to enhance the immune capability of newly hatched chicks.

“By controlling coccidiosis, you’re also reducing the impact of this disease on other enteric patho-gens,” says Lillehoj, who works in BARC’s Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory. “For example, this method could be used to control the bacterial pathogens that cause necrotic enteritis, a prevalent gut disease of poultry.”

Live vaccinations and good man-agement practices help reduce the spread of disease in poultry. The new method offers producers an antibiotic-free alternative in con-trolling drug-resistant strains of the disease.

In studies of intestinal samples from turkeys with enteric diseases, ARS scientists have discovered a new virus that may have future anti-microbial applications.

“The technology is simple,” Lillehoj says. “Antibodies are ex-tracted from yolks of eggs from pathogen-free birds that have been hyperimmunized.”

These birds possess strong im-munity due to an abundance of anti-

bodies against the pathogen-causing intestinal disease, she explains. The egg yolk is spray-dried, mixed with feed and given to chicks that have no immune protection right after hatching.

In one experiment, one-day-old chicks were given feed mixed with spray-dried egg yolk powder pre-pared from hyperimmunized hens. The chicks were then challenged with a coccidia infection.

Typically, birds infected with coc-cidiosis are unable to absorb nutri-ents from food or gain weight.

The chicks that received the hy-perimmune egg yolk antibodies had increased body weight, significantly reduced gut lesions than those that did not receive the treatment.

Thanks to this research, a product is now available from a commercial company to help control coccidio-sis. Similar approaches are being applied to control other poultry en-teric diseases.

This article is drawn from Healthy Animals, a publication of the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

•Technology(Continued from page 1)

•Russia(Continued from page 1)

For the latest Market information, see page 22

CAREER OPPORTUNITIESWhether you are just starting your career or you are an experienced professional, Rose Acre Farms offers possibilities for those looking to grow and develop.We offer competitive benefits. We also provide many training opportunities to help you achieve your career development goals.We are currently seeking candidates for the following management trainee programs:

If you are looking for a company where you can truly make an impact and provide value-added work, explore the possibilities at Rose Acre Farms, Inc.

Interested applicants may send a resume to Jeff Collins at jcollins@goodegg.com or apply online at roseacrefarms.com.

Rose Acre Farms, Inc and its affiliated and subsidiary corporations refrain from discrimination and engage in affirmative steps to ensure that applicants and employees receive equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, and/or national origin.

PTScaleAd812.indd 1 8/19/12 6:28 PM

Creativ

e:Clien

ts:Elan

co:23

10-21

903 R

esized

Electo

r PSP A

d for Po

ultry Ti

mes:O

utput:2

310-2

1903

Resiz

ed Ele

ctor PS

P Ad fo

r Poultr

y Time

s_v02

Folde

r:2310

-2190

3 Resi

zed Ele

ctor PS

P Ad fo

r Poultr

y Time

s_v02

.indd

May 2

3, 20

12 11

:32 AM

1-800-428-4441www.elanco.com

1 “Northern Fowl Mite.” Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology website. Accessed 3/4/2011. <http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/cals/entomology/extension/vet/aid/chicken/nfmite.cfm>.

© 2011 Elanco Animal Health. All rights reserved. ElancoT, ElectorT PSP Premise Insect Control Agent and the diagonal color bar are registered trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company.PBU1278

Powerful protection against profit-robbing poultry parasites.

•Effectivelycontrolsdarklingbeetles,houseflies(adultsandlarvae),stablefliesandnowapprovedforthemostcommonexternalpoultryparasiteintheU.S.—thenorthernfowlmite1

•Foruseonallpoultrypremises:broilers,breeders,layersandturkeys•Noprotectiveequipmentneeded;poultryand/oreggsmaybepresent

duringtreatment•Nocross-resistance(pyrethroids,carbamatesororganophosphates)The label contains complete use information, including cautions and warnings. Always read, understand and follow the label and use directions. It is a violation of federal law to use this product in any manner inconsistent with its labeling. Labeling must be in possession of the user at the time of pesticide application.

Now approved to control northern fowl mites

(Ornithonyssus sylviarum)

ElectorT PSP

The EcodrumTM system is a proven technology, successfully installed on poultry operations throughout North America. The EcodrumTM is perfect for large scale animal production.

Clean and simple to operate

Low cost operation

Reduces odor and pathogens

Maintains composting activity in cold weather

Eliminates ground and water contamination

Produces a high quality compost used as a soil enhancer

Benefits:

www.ecodrumcomposter.com

Atlanta, GAirwinbyron@gmail.com

701-446-6139

To learn more about how the ecodrumTM can benefit your operation contact us at:

Do not–repeat–do not

Forget everything you know about

soybean meal.You know that U.S. soybean meal is

the gold standard. And you know why.

Exceptional consistency.

Handling.

Availability.

and a naturally balanced amino acid profile.

Is it any wonder you’ve always used it? Or Any Surprise You STILL SEE ITS OUTSTANDING NUTRITIONAL VALUE?

For technical information visit www.soymeal.org

1106598_USBFM10126598_PT_10-625x10_4C_r1.indd 1 10/29/12 4:56 PM

Integrate your fly control program using fly parasites from

Beneficial InsectaryCall for a free video on using fly parasites and learn how you can save up to 40% on your fly control bill and have better control!

1-800-477-3715phil@insectary.com

If you could save up to 40% on fly control and have

better control, would you do it?

Integrate your fly control program using fly parasites from

Beneficial InsectaryCall for a free video on using fly parasites and learn how you can save up to 40% on your fly control bill and have better control!

1-800-477-3715phil@insectary.com

If you could save up to 40% on fly control and have

better control, would you do it?

If you could save up to 40% on fly control and

have better control, would you do it?

Integrate your fly control program using fly parasites from

Beneficial InsectaryIntegrate your fly control program using fly parasites from

Beneficial InsectaryCall for a free video on using fly parasites and learn how you can save up to 40% on your fly control bill and have better control!

1-800-477-3715phil@insectary.com

If you could save up to 40% on fly control and have

better control, would you do it?

Integrate your fly control program using fly parasites from

Beneficial InsectaryCall for a free video on using fly parasites and learn how you can save up to 40% on your fly control bill and have better control!

1-800-477-3715phil@insectary.com

If you could save up to 40% on fly control and have

better control, would you do it?

If you could save up to 40% on fly control and

have better control, would you do it?

Integrate your fly control program using fly parasites from

Beneficial Insectary

Over the past 30 years, Beneficial Insectary, Inc. has grown from a small family business to one of the largest producers and suppliers of beneficial insects used for...

AffordAble fly Control

FPM Inc. Poultry Moving EquipmentPullet Trailer UnitsMove over 12,000 birds economically per load.

Rhino Rail Lift Gate2000# Capacity

Depopulation MAK CartsMeet UEP Standards

Poultry Moving CartsGalvanized Finish

FPM Inc. Fairbury NE 402-729-2264www.fpmne.com

Move your birds the right way!

vs.

®

(4.1kg)

Due to its speed of kill and the highly effective active ingredient (bromethalin),

RAMPAGE has one of the lowest costs per kill of any rodenticide. Under normal

feeding conditions, RAMPAGE can kill up to 7X more* rodents than 2nd generation

actives. In addition, you can bait twice as many stations with each 9 lb. bucket* as

compared to many anticoagulant baits, making RAMPAGE an extraordinary value.

BUY 1 CASEGET 1 CASE

*Compared to Bromadiolone Madison, WI 53704 USA • (800) 418-9242 • www.motomco.com

The World Leader In Rodent Control Technology®

Contact your local Novartis Animal Health representative or wholesaler for more information about LARVADEX and NEPOREX for further advice and support in implementing the Novartis Fly Control Program in your operation.

LARVADEX and NEPOREX are key components of the Fly Control Program, part of the Novartis Animal Health Bioprotection Program.

Always read and follow label directions.

For further information on Larvadex and Neporex applications and performance please contact Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. LARVADEX and NEPOREX are registered trademarks of Novartis AG, Basel. © 2012 Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. Greensboro, NC 27408 www.livestock.novartis.com (800) 843-3386 NVNEP06127307

Don’t give flies a chance to impact your operation. Fight back with the Novartis Fly Control Program and the integrated fly control of LARVADEX® and NEPOREX® larvicides and a rotating adulticide. A powerful combination for effective fly control to protect your investment and local community.

LARVADEX and NEPOREX stop fly larvae from ever developing into adult flies.

Proven to prevent flies

• Proven multi-species larvae control

• Prevents fly larvae from developing into adult flies

• Scatter or spray to minimize risk of house and stable fly-borne parasite infestation

• A highly effective, in-feed larvicide for poultry

• LARVADEX, containing the active ingredient cyromazine, is the same as NEPOREX, except with LARVADEX the birds do all the work

• Specially designed for easy, effective mixing (1 lb/ton of feed)

DEPARTMENT: Desktop Artist Proofreader Art

DirectorCreative Director Copywriter Production

ManagerAccount Service

Client: Novartis Pig and Poultry

Media Type: Poultry Times

APPROVAL: Color: 4C

Trim: 10.625x10

Live: 10.125x9.5

Bleed: 11.125x10.5

OUTPUT SIZE: NOTES: Job Title:

Ad Number: NVNEP06127307

1107307_NVNEP06127307_10-625x10_r0.indd 1 11/8/12 9:48 AM

1-800-457-3720 www.weightechinc.com

Bench ScalesThe WeighTech line of bench scales offers processors the

best of both worlds: functionality and durability.Our bench scales feature our industry leading

MicroWeigh indicator, and is available in many sizes to

fit your processing needs.

In today’s fast paced processing world, efficient,

reliable and rugged scale systems and equipment are crucial.

1649 Country Elite Drive, Waldron, AR 72958 Phone: 479-637-4182 Fax: 479-637-4183

The patented industry leading electronic indicator for

harsh washdown environments

Patents

Pending

• 23-30 GPM And Hi-flo Required• Universal Quick Hitch

The LVI LITTER PROCESSOR!

888-414-7518CALL FOR A DEALER NEAR YOU

Pulverizes Litter CakesTop-Dress After Windrowing

Quality Litter ConditionImproved Paw Quality

Available In 60”And 84”

• Deluxe Model Available• Standard Hydraulic Side Shift Feature

NEW PRODUCT

See the LVI LITTER PROCESSOR in action at binkleyhurst.com

Danisco Animal Nutrition, USA

Email: info.animalnutrition@danisco.com

Tel: +1 262 521 1717

www.danisco.com/animalnutrition

••••

improves economic return from poultry diets

supports natural gut health

thermostable to 203ºF in pelleted diets

no withdrawal period for reduced feed mill complexity

*

*

The proven probiotic choice

enviva PROTM

Healthy flocks for healthy profits

The scientifically selected multi-strain probiotic of choice.

* References available on request

Saves Feed

Increases Chick Weight

Moderates Feed Flow

Simple InstallationFits All Chickmate Feeders

n

n

n

n

n

800-331-7509125 Evelyn S. Wade Blvd., Buchanan, GA 30113770-646-9327 Fax: 770-646-9329Email: sales@chickmate.comwww.chickmate.com

Peace of mind is now wireless!!No Monthly/Annual Fees to pay!

No wires to install and maintain between buildings!Remote call in to check temperature and all conditions!

Farm Alarm Systems F: 704.753.5205

T: 800.407.5455 www.FarmAlarm.com

Call a Wyr-LS 4.0 and try it for yourself!

Call 1-800-942-5276…when the Wyr-LS 4.0 answers, press 0 then # and listen to 5 houses.

Skip to next house by pressing #. Hang up at any time.

Monitor:➤ Power➤ Temperature➤ Water➤ Ventilation➤ Controller➤ Curtain➤ Feed over run➤ Generator➤ Customized settings by owner

Wyr-LS 4 .0

Top Line Incinerationofthe

National Incinerator of Boaz

4

44

4

4

Quick, sanitary disposal of poultry and swine

Energy efficient 3000 degree refractory lining

Meets or exceeds EPA standards

Secondary Chamber available where required

PO Box 266, Boaz, AL 35957205-589-6720 Fax: 205-589-2326

email: niofboaz@hopper.net

$18

26 issuesfor only

Still on top of the pecking orderSince 1954 — Poultry Times is the nation’s only poultry industry newspaper

Poultry Times offers full coverage of industry issues, including:

l Housing & Equipmentl Healthl Government Regulations

l Industry Eventsl Food Safetyl Processing

Poultry Times focuses each of its biweekly issues on topical news and informative features to a wide audience, ranging from growers to pro-cessors to affiliated industries.

With up-to-date news and standing features, Poultry Times provides its readers with the complete picture of the poultry industry — from farm to table. And at an annual subscription price of just $18 for 26 regular issues, as well as other special issues; it is a tremendous value.

To subscribe, call 770-536-2476 or visit www.poultrytimes.net

Poultry TimesThe nation’s only poultry newspaperYour one-stop source for news and information

Find us on Facebook

+

The year poultry heating changed forever

Lee Energy Solutions is now reserving placements of the long-awaited, cost-cutting, sustainable BIO-500F

wood pellet-burning furnace growers have been asking for. The technology & the time has nally arrived.

2013 Better for bird health

Save more than 50% on heating

More efficient

Dry heat = less ammonia

Made in U.S.A.

Renewable source

MEET THE BIO-500FPOULTRY FURNACE

Don’t wait. Reserve your farm today. Watch videos & learn the facts at LeeEnergySolutions.com or call (855) 966-3432

Ellsworth, IA..............888-378-4045Willmar, MN..............800-533-1899Washington, IN..........877-254-3410Dagsboror, DE...........877-732-3894Manheim, PA.............717-940-4805

BEST VETERINARY SOLUTIONS, INC.

Tontitown, AR...........866-361-4689Indian Trail, NC.........704-219-7959

CLEARVIEW ENTERPRISES

Albertville, AL...............256-894-0034Forest, MS..................877-893-0034

K SUPPLY CO.

Fresno, CA....................559-485-7474VET SERVICE

Gainesville, GA..............770-287-7891POULTRY TECH SERVICE

Cleveland, GA................800-248-5940AGRAMED

www.cidlines.comwww.bestvetsolutions.com

Poultry TimesYour resource for

poultry industry news.

In print and online.

www.poultrytimes.net345 Green Street, P.O. Box 1338, Gainesville, GA 30503

Fax 770-532-4894 Phone 770-536-2476

13POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Flood-related diseases in poultry and livestockMISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. — If

your fields or farm buildings have been flooded, take special precau-tions against flood-related diseases in poultry and livestock.

Give animals extra care, particu-larly if they have been stranded by flood water and have been off regu-lar feeding schedules

Be careful when giving wet feed to livestock. Feed just a few animals first, and watch them for several days before giving wet feed to all stock.

In addition, watch for signs of flood-related diseases.

Clostridial diseasesBlackleg, caused by micro-organ-

isms spread over fields by standing water, can be a serious post flood disease. Usually it affects cattle 6 to 24 months old, but it also affects sheep, goats, and swine.

Symptoms include acute lame-ness, depression, fever, and swell-ing in the hip, shoulder, chest, back, neck, or throat muscles. If untreated, blackleg is usually fatal within 24 hours after onset.

Treatment may be effective in the early disease stages. The best pre-vention against blackleg is inocula-tion of all unvaccinated young cattle

before they are put out on pastures that have been flooded. Some vac-cines also protect against malignant edema (gas edema) and other water-borne diseases.

Anthrax may break out after flooding. A veterinarian should study all animals that die suddenly after flooding.

Malignant edemaHot, painful swelling at the point

of infection, high fever, loss of ap-petite, decreased milk production, difficulty breathing, convulsions, then death are signs of malignant edema.

This disease kills animals one or two days after symptoms appear. In its early stages, malignant edema can be successfully treated by a vet-erinarian. Both specific and combi-nation vaccines are available.

Tetanus (lockjaw)Tetanus is a problem whenever

animals have puncture wounds. Symptoms include generalized stiffness caused by muscle contrac-tions.

Legs and tail are extended; the third eyelid hovers over the eye when its head is raised. Animals can

be vaccinated as a preventative, and the disease is treatable in its early stages.

Foot rotConstant exposure to mud and

water softens tissues around the feet of cows and sheep, greatly increas-ing their susceptibility to foot rot. Lameness, a painful swelling of the hoof, and foul-smelling dead tissue in the space between the claws are common symptoms of the disease.

To prevent foot rot and other foot infections, walk cows through a so-lution of copper sulfate (2 pounds of ordinary commercial bluestone in 5 gallons of water) as they leave the milking parlor or stable after they have been thoroughly milked.

Put the solution in a 4- to 6-inch deep trough in an alleyway or doorway. As long as cows’ feet are stained with the copper sulfate solu-tion, they are reasonably protected against foot rot.

MastitisOrganisms in mud and muddy

water can cause severe mastitis. Coliform organisms are usually in-volved. They cause acute intoxica-tion (septicemia) in the udder and

death of udder tissue(gangrene).To protect cows against mastitis,

clean their teats thoroughly before milking. Wash teats and udders with warm water and a mild dishwashing detergent before using the sanitizing solution. Dry teat end carefully with clean paper towels before applying the milking machine. Milk the cows carefully. Do not milk too much, and be careful to prevent injury of teat ends.

If possible, allow cows to lie down in a relatively dry, clean place. Cows are probably better off outside in a wet muddy pasture than they are in wet, foul indoor stalls.

BotulismBotulism, the most common post

flood ailment in chickens, is caused by organisms in spoiled vegetables or decaying animal carcasses.

The birds are infected when they eat this material. Paralysis, diffi-culty in eating and swallowing, and general weakness are symptoms.

The best way to prevent this disease is to confine chickens well away from spoiled meat or decay-ing matter.

Horses are also very susceptible to botulism from drinking stagnant water and eating spoiled food.

Brooder pneumoniaThis disease affects chickens and

results from their eating wet, moldy feed or from wet litter. Symptoms include fast breathing, coughing and gasping.

To prevent brooder pneumonia, keep brooders sanitary, give the birds clean litter, clean all utensils and do not use moldy feed.

ErysipelasThis disease commonly affects

turkeys and swine after flooding. In swine the disease may be either acute (causing high fever and rapid death) or chronic (with development of characteristic skin lesions).

Swine that have not been vacci-nated against erysipelas should be vaccinated before they are put into flooded buildings or pastures.

Prompt antibiotic treatment is ef-fective against erysipelas in swine and turkeys.

In turkeys, the disease frequently affects the snood of toms after even a slight injury.

This article is drawn from a publica-tion from the Mississippi State Uni-versity Extension Service in Missis-sippi State, Miss.

USDA delivers funding for Hurricane Sandy recovery in 11 statesWASHINGTON — As part of

federal efforts to provide neces-sary support to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Nov. 8, that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided $5.3 million in Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program funds to 11 states affected by the storm. EWP — an emergency recovery program — re-sponds to emergencies created by natural disasters by helping people relieve imminent hazards to life and property.

“USDA is deploying resources to help those impacted by this chal-lenging event,” said Vilsack. “This funding will help communities undertake emergency measures to address public safety concerns and begin restoration efforts. This assis-tance also keeps farmers, ranchers and landowners on their land, help-ing to keep American agriculture strong and profitable.”

Connecticut, Delaware, Mary-land, Massachusetts, New Hamp-shire, New Jersey, New York, Penn-sylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia

and West Virginia each received $480,000 for recovery projects to address public safety and restora-tion efforts on private, public and tribal lands.

With these new EWP funds on hand, NRCS state offices will be able to move swiftly as sponsors come forward for projects to reduce threats to life or property.

All projects undertaken, with the exception of the purchase of flood-plain easements, must have a project sponsor.

When funding is allocated to a

project, NRCS contracts the heavy construction work to local contrac-tors, spurring creation of jobs.

Typical projects funded under EWP include removing debris from waterways, protecting eroded stream banks, reseeding damaged areas, and in some cases, purchas-ing floodplain easements on eligible land.

NRCS funds up to 75 percent of project costs, with local sponsors paying the remaining 25 percent in either cash or in-kind services.

Funding is subject to congressio-

nal approval. NRCS also has posted online

Plants for Atlantic Coastal Restora-tion, a large collection of guides, fact sheets and other sources of informa-tion on re-vegetating shorelines and stabilizing sand dunes after storms.

Additional information about as-sistance programs, safety tips and updates about USDA’s hurricane relief efforts are posted at www.usda.gov/disaster.

Information about the U.S. gov-ernment’s hurricane response efforts is available at www.ready.gov.

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 201214

Tracing listeria in chicken cooking plantsBy Sharon DurhamSpecial to Poultry Times

BELTSVILLE, Md. — Incoming raw poultry is the primary source of Listeria monocytogenes contamina-tion in commercial chicken cook-ing plants, according to a 21-month study that was conducted by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collabo-rators at the University of Georgia.

The study’s results will help these facilities more sharply focus their sanitation processes to reduce cross-contamination. L. monocytogenes is a bacterial human pathogen that is sometimes found in fully cooked,

ready-to-eat processed meat and poultry products.

By testing a brand-new commer-cial cooking facility before and after processing began, the research team was able to track sources of contami-nation. The research team was led by ARS microbiologist Mark Berrang of the Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit at the agency’s Richard B. Rus-sell Research Center in Athens, Ga.

Because the pathogen is prevalent in the environment and in various forms, there were several potential sources of contamination, including employees, incoming fresh air, raw

meat and the surrounding environ-ment.

Potential sources of L. monocyto-genes were tested by taking samples of soil and water around and near the facility exterior, and by testing heav-ily traveled floor surfaces following personnel shift changes.

Samples were also collected and tested from incoming air from air vent filters and from monthly swabs of incoming raw meat. The plant was free of L. monocytogenes when first constructed; floor drains in the fa-cility were sampled approximately monthly to determine at what point the plant would become colonized with the bacteria.

Within four months of operation, L. monocytogenes was detected in floor drains, indicating that the or-ganism had been introduced from some outside source. No L. mono-cytogenes was recovered from any floor samples in the plant entryways, locker room or cafeteria. Likewise, the organism was not detected on air vent filters during the survey. The only tested source found to be consistently positive for L. monocy-togenes was incoming raw poultry meat.

Quality assurance in the test plant was exceptional and included an extensive proactive sampling plan to assure food safety. L. monocy-

togenes can become prevalent in food processing environments; sanitation, biosafety and product sampling protocols are in place in these facilities to prevent shipping contaminated product.

This research was first reported in the Journal of Food Protection. Co-authors included ARS micro-biologist Richard Meinersmann in Athens, University of Georgia sci-entist Joseph Frank and former ARS researcher Scott Ladely.

Sharon Durham is a public affairs specialist with the USDA’s Agricul-tural Research Service in Beltsville, Md.

USPOULTRY releases video series on antibiotic use TUCKER, GA — Antibiotic use

in poultry production has been ex-tremely effective in enhancing bird health.

To help provide answers to how and why antibiotics are used in the poultry industry, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has created a series of six short videos.

The series is called Poultry Insight and provides information about anti-biotic resistance, antibiotic residues,

why and when antibiotics are used, who regulates antibiotic use and what would happen if the poultry industry stopped using antibiotics.

“USPOULTRY and our members recognize consumers have ques-tions about antibiotics,” said US-POULTRY President John Starkey. “This series of videos is designed to provide a general overview about antibiotics and antibiotic use in the poultry industry, and we welcome

any feedback from consumers who have additional questions.”

The videos are a discussion with Dr. John Glisson, retired head of the Department of Population Health at the University of Georgia, and former head of the Department of Avian Medicine and associate dean of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Glisson now serves as USPOUL-

TRY’s director of research.“It is through funds generated by

the International Poultry Expo that USPOULTRY is able to develop educational pieces of this type. This video series is only one example of the IPE funds that have been fun-neled back into the industry over the years,” said Mark Waller, Ingram Farms, Cullman, Ala., chairman of USPOULTRY.

“We sincerely appreciate the sup-port of our members and exhibi-tors that allowed USPOULTRY to develop this information,” Waller added.

The videos can be viewed on USPOULTRY’s website at www.uspoultry.org.

They can also be viewed on You-Tube at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzh0TnoT7JfrFarFd0vZNJCZGsn7T9KrO.

Delmarva poultry industry escapes major damageThe Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. — The Delmarva peninsula’s poultry industry is up and running after emerging from the recent hurricane, “Superstorm” Sandy, relatively un-scathed.

The hurricane made landfall on Oct. 29.

The Delaware Department of Ag-riculture said that there was no sig-nificant flooding or poultry house damage, and that chicken farmers

are generally in good shape. Feed trucks are back on the road,

and poultry processing plants re-sumed operations Oct. 31.

Bill Satterfield, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., said a farm on the lower Delmarva peninsula lost 80,000 two-week-old chickens to flooding, and that some chicken houses in the same area were still relying on generator power.

Another chicken house lost part of the roof, and two chicken houses

near Crisfield, Md., also were flooded, said Satterfield, who was unaware of any other damage.

Satterfield scoffed at the notion from two agriculture econom-ics professors at Mississippi State University that the storm is likely to cause short-term disruptions and potential price-gouging because of damage on the Delmarva peninsula

“We managed pretty well con-sidering there are about 100 million chickens alive on the Delmarva pen-insula at any one time,” he said.

G90 Steel RoofinG29Ga x 36” cover

$1.19/lfcut to lenGth

Goldin Metals, Inc.

15POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Chicken Whisperer continues as biosecurity spokespersonWASHINGTON — Practically

anything and everything you ever wanted to know about chickens can be offered up by Andy Schneider, better known as the Chicken Whis-perer®, and who has become a go-to guy across the country for informa-tion on raising and keeping back-yard poultry safe from disease.

Schneider is a national radio personality and the author of The Chicken Whisperer’s Guide to Keeping Chickens.

Schneider is entering his third year as spokesperson for a national public awareness campaign focus-ing on keeping backyard poultry disease free.

The Biosecurity For Birds cam-paign, conducted by the USDA’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), is designed to educate the growing population of backyard poultry owners on how to keep their flocks healthy and free from such diseases as avian influ-enza (AI) and exotic Newcastle dis-ease (END).

The initiative, begun in 2004, teaches bird owners how to prevent diseases, what signs to look for and how to respond if they suspect their flocks are ill.

Backyard poultry has grown in-creasingly popular in the U.S. in re-cent years as more Americans seek fresh food, locally.

Schneider has helped countless numbers of people start their own backyard flocks. He is the founder of the Atlanta Backyard Poultry Meetup group, which has grown to more than 2,000 members and conducts poultry owner workshops nationwide.

Throughout the year, Schneider will be using his radio show, guest appearances, website, Facebook and Twitter pages to promote proper biosecurity measures to ensure healthy flocks.

One of his first undertakings will be to host a webinar the last week in February that will focus on the upcoming chicks’ season and offer helpful hints to start your backyard

flocks the right way, keep them safe from disease, as well as safe from predators. The one hour webinar will also cover new technology and tips to keep adult poultry healthy and safe.

“Serving as a spokesperson for the USDA/APHIS Biosecurity For Birds program has been a wonder-ful opportunity for me to educate poultry owners and those who are interested in raising chickens about the appropriate steps they need to take to keep them free from disease as well as the enormous rewards of having your own birds,” Schneider said.

Schneider has been featured on CNN, HLN, CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, as well as in Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Econo-mist, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and many other pub-lications.

More information about the Bi-osecurity For Birds program can be obtained at http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.

Special

Ground turkey showcased in NTF videoWASHINGTON — Average

Betty has created a “man-loaf” sandwich from a turkey chipotle meatloaf for the National Turkey Federation video library to show how ground turkey is versatile and tasty.

Sara O’Donnell, food blogger and creator of Average Betty, shows viewers how to create this simple, but tasty new recipe using turkey because of its natural ability to com-bine readily with different season-ings.

Ground turkey is an ideal protein to spice up with all the heat involved in a chipotle glaze, the NTF notes.

Average Betty, who is anything but average, takes it a step further

by creating an innovative twist of turning the meatloaf into a creative sandwich, she affectionately calls a ‘man-loaf.’

In the video, O’Donnell uses a pound and a quarter of ground tur-key.

The turkey is then seasoned with onion, garlic, jalapenos, diced toma-toes, less sodium soy sauce, ground cumin, chipotle chili powder, panko bread crumbs, an egg and cracked pepper.

O’Donnell then mixes all the ingredients in a bowl using her “meat hooks” — or hands — while reminding viewers to wash them thoroughly before and after work-ing with the mixture.

The ground turkey mixture is added to a loaf pan and gently pat-ted to the form of the pan.

The turkey meatloaf is then baked until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F as indicated on a meat thermometer.

To view the Turkey Chipotle Meatloaf recipe video, visit NTF’s Cooking Video Library at www.eat-turkey.com/consumer/videolibrary/ or www.averagebetty.com/recipes/turkey-chipotle-meatloaf-recipe/.

More recipes, and especially tips and techniques for creating holiday meals, can be obtained from the Na-tional Turkey Federation at www.eatturkey.com.

16 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Do you need to go to a higher level of biosecurity?By Dr. A. Bruce WebsterSpecial to Poultry Times

ATHENS, Ga. — It has been noted that there is no good way to depopulate a large cage layer house to contain an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian disease.

In a case of potentially zoonotic disease, such as H5N1 avian influ-enza, existing depopulation meth-ods may be unworkable because exposure of human workers to the pathogen would be too high.

Even if a good depopulation method were available, it would be a nightmarish prospect if an egg company had to depopulate an en-tire multi-flock complex.

The best alternative is to keep such diseases off the premises. This means the use of appropriate bios-ecurity measures.

People are naturally pragmatic. We will do what is necessary to achieve what is important, but are unwilling to put out extra effort for what we believe has little benefit.

This is especially true if the extra effort is inconvenient and interferes with our daily activities. Unfortu-nately, biosecurity measures are inconvenient and do interfere with other things that must be done.

Keeping doors locked, main-taining disinfectant foot baths at doorways, controlling direction of personnel movement between company-owned flocks according to bird age or risk of disease trans-

mission, controlling personnel ex-posure to potential off-site sources of avian disease, wearing only dedi-cated footwear and clothing, show-ering between facilities, etc., require more personal commitment and at-tention to detail than most of us will exercise unless we are absolutely convinced of their necessity.

So what level of biosecurity ef-fort is necessary? This is not an easy question to answer, and can only be answered properly within each company according to its own cir-cumstances and tolerance for risk. Too strict a biosecurity program may be unnecessarily expensive and difficult to maintain.

Too lax a program overly exposes a company to serious economic loss. The right program will properly balance the potential damage of outbreaks of likely avian diseases against the efforts required to pro-tect against them.

The situation is a little like my personal choice whether to leave the doors of my car unlocked when I park it somewhere. If my car is old, I might feel less need to lock it up than if it were new because the con-sequences of it being stolen would have less impact on me.

Similarly, for instance, it is quite rational that the biosecurity mea-sures taken when removing spent hens from the layer house would be less than those exercised when removing a pullet flock from the pullet house because the economic

value tied up in the younger birds is greater and more harm could be done by allowing them to be ex-posed to pathogens.

Returning again to the example of my car, I am more likely to lock it up if I leave it in a busy city parking lot than if I park it at a friend’s house in a quiet neighborhood. In this case, the value of my car does not change, but my worry about it being stolen does.

Similarly, an egg producer who would not normally vaccinate, for instance, against M. gallisepticum would be quite rational to go to the expense of doing so if MG were found in the vicinity.

The decision to take action against potential harm and the amount of ef-fort undertaken, therefore, are func-tions of the risk of a harmful event occurring and the amount of harm done if the event occurs.

It may be time for egg companies to reweigh the risks and harms of potential avian diseases in light of new realities.

If an indemnification program to compensate for flock depopulation were sufficiently robust, depopula-tion of a multi-age layer complex might be manageable, although maintenance of product flow and service of contracts would be awk-ward at best.

Lacking a robust indemnification program, it might be wise to take another look at the cost of having to depopulate a house or a complex

and ask if that cost would justify the price of a higher level of biosecu-rity.

Psychologically, it can be hard to spend money and effort up front to minimize the risk of a rare, cata-strophic event when the event itself seems distant and may never hap-pen.

However, biosecurity is a little like buying insurance. It is an in-convenient expenditure now that hopefully will prevent an economic tragedy.

The commercial egg industry has, on the whole, improved its com-mitment to biosecurity in the last 10 years, and egg companies have proven themselves able to manage many diseases by modest biosecu-rity measures to reduce inter-flock transmission of pathogens and relatively inexpensive vaccination programs.

However, given the potential seri-ousness of a disease such as avian in-fluenza, many egg companies might do more to protect themselves. Do the biosecurity measures taken at your farm or complex accurately reflect the seriousness of the harm that would be done if an outbreak occurred?

Since human traffic is the most likely vector to bring diseases onto poultry farms, control of human movement and reduction of patho-gens carried by humans are likely to be the most effective ways to up-

grade biosecurity. In addition to the items listed above, it might be wise in some cases to fence the facility and require entry through a moni-tored gate.

It may be valuable to hire people with specific biosecurity respon-sibilities if existing employees are already busy or would have trouble being diligent with the biosecurity program.

To improve the likelihood of compliance, training programs should help employees understand why they are being asked to obey a company biosecurity program.

Some of these suggestions proba-bly are already part of your biosecu-rity efforts and are mentioned here merely as reminders. Contact your state Cooperative Extension Service for assistance in development of a comprehensive biosecurity plan for your facilities.

However, even before entering into a serious planning process, there may be something you can do today or this week that would sig-nificantly improve the biosecurity of your facility.

Ask yourself what is the next most important thing that you can do in this matter. It might be some-thing simple.

Dr. A. Bruce Webster is a professor and Extension coordinator with the University of Georgia‘s Poultry Sci-ence Department in Athens, Ga.

USDA working to restore water & electricity following hurricaneWASHINGTON — As part of

federal efforts to provide neces-sary support to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Nov. 6 announced that power and water services have been restored to more than 130,000 rural customers on USDA-financed systems in nine states.

“USDA Rural Development has

been working closely with electric cooperatives, utilities and operators of rural water systems to restore these critical services as quickly as possible,” Vilsack said. “We will continue to work with utilities and local officials to ensure that every-one in the disaster area has access to electricity and safe drinking wa-ter.”

Twelve USDA-funded rural elec-

tric systems in nine states reported on Nov. 5 that power has been re-stored to all but 38 customers. At the height of the storm, 130,720 customers in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia had lost power.

Nearly all of the USDA funded rural water systems in Connecticut,

Maryland, North Carolina, New Jer-sey and Pennsylvania that reported problems are back online, and USDA field staff and utility workers are continuing to conduct additional assessments.

These water systems serve 91,553 rural residents.

USDA encourages homeowners and business owners in rural com-munities to contact their local Rural

Development office for housing, business or community assistance information.

Additional information about as-sistance programs, safety tips and updates about USDA’s hurricane relief efforts are posted on the web at www.usda.gov/disaster.

More information about hurricane response efforts can be obtained at www.ready.gov.

17POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Strategies that work as alternatives for antibiotics

USDA Agricultural Research Service

Fighting poultry diseases: USDA Agricultural Research Service avian immunologist Hyun Lillehoj, left, and visiting scientists Duk Kyung Kim and Hong Yeong Ho identify host defense genes of broiler chickens infected with protozoan parasites.

By Sandra AvantSpecial to Poultry Times

BELTSVILLE, Md. — In the early 1940s, the first antibiotic — penicillin — was used success-fully to treat bacterial infections and to save thousands of lives, includ-ing those of wounded World War II soldiers.

Today, antibiotics, which target microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and parasites, are essential for hu-man and animal health. They con-tinue to save lives as well as increase animal production and efficiency.

However, exploration of alterna-tive strategies to mitigate the use of antibiotics is needed in view of growing concerns about antibiotic resistance to certain strains of bac-teria and increasing restrictions on their prudent use in animals.

Some of the latest scientific break-throughs and technologies, which provide new options and alternative strategies for enhancing production and improving animal health and well-being, were presented at an international symposium, “Alterna-tives to Antibiotics: Challenges and Solutions in Animal Production,” held in September 2012, at the head-quarters of the World Organization for Animal Health (known as OIE) in Paris, France.

“A number of the new technolo-gies have direct applications as medical interventions for human health, but the focus of the sym-posium is animal production, ani-mal health and food safety,” says Cyril Gay, national program leader for animal health with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Md. “The result of this symposium will be an assessment of new technologies for treating and preventing diseases of animals and

recommendations that will advance strategies for growth promotion and health in livestock, poultry and aquaculture.”

Through the years, ARS scien-tists have developed and patented new technologies that could aid in reducing antibiotic use. Some of those tools have been shown to be effective in treating mastitis in cat-tle, controlling foodborne enteric bacterial pathogens, creating anti-microbials that kill disease-caus-ing bacteria and protecting poultry against parasites.

Poultry diseasesAvian immunologist Hyun Lille-

hoj, at the ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Maryland) Agricultural Research Center (BARC), has de-voted her career to developing al-ternative-to-antibiotics strategies to control infectious diseases in poultry.

Through partnerships with indus-try, international scientists and col-leagues in the BARC Animal Para-sitic Diseases Laboratory, Lillehoj has demonstrated the effectiveness of using food supplements and pro-biotics, molecules produced by cells of the immune system and phytonu-trients to fight poultry diseases like coccidiosis — a parasitic disease that causes annual losses of more than $600 million in the U.S. and $3.2 billion worldwide.

Lillehoj is now applying similar technology to develop alternatives to treat enteric (intestinal) bacterial infections caused by Clostridium, a pathogen associated with necrotic enteritis in poultry.

“My work over the last 27 years at ARS has involved trying to figure out how to grow poultry without us-ing drugs and enhance their innate immunity,” Lillehoj said. “One of those strategies is genetic improve-ment. We’ve been working to iden-tify genetic markers associated with enhanced innate immunity to enteric pathogens.”

Lillehoj and her colleagues have

identified several chicken genetic markers that influence parasitic dis-eases, and she hopes to eventually identify genetic markers for use in selecting and breeding birds for en-hanced disease resistance.

The team is also studying innate immune molecules that have antimi-crobial activity. During an infection, chickens respond to pathogens by producing immune molecules, some of which are antimicrobial peptides or proteins, Lillehoj explains. These tiny proteins can kill pathogens, im-prove host immune responses and promote growth of beneficial gut bacterial populations.

If we can identify all the mol-ecules that enhance immunity,

See Strategies, Page 18

Sandra Avant is a public affairs spe-cialist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Md. This article is drawn from one that originally appeared in ARS’ Agri-cultural Research magazine.

800-340-2435

www.qualitymetalroofing.com

B&M MetalsIn business for over 40 Years

Galvalume®

Painted (25-40 yr warranty)

18 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

translate critical cross talks between these antimicrobial molecules and the host’s immune system, and most importantly, figure out how to acti-vate them at the proper time when birds are immature, I think we’ll re-ally have a way to use the bird’s own immune system to do the job.”

Lillehoj and her colleagues have identified and applied for a patent for one of the immune molecules, called “NK lysin.”

“NK lysin is produced by host lymphocytes that are activated by parasites during coccidiosis infec-tion in the gut.” Lillehoj says. “We cloned the chicken NK lysin gene, made biologically active recom-binant NK lysin protein and dem-onstrated for the first time that this chicken recombinant antimicrobial protein (host defense molecule) not only kills chicken coccidia, but also kills Neospora and Cryptosporidia, which infect large animals and hu-mans, respectively.”

A private company is investigat-ing to see whether chicken NK lysin can be developed into a product that targets and kills chicken intestinal parasites, she says.

Lillehoj also studies the effects of phytochemicals derived from plants such as safflower, plums, peppers, cinnamon and green tea in enhanc-ing the chicken’s immune system. In addition, Lillehoj is partnering with commercial company leaders to examine the beneficial effects of

probiotics — live, nonpathogenic bacteria that promote health and balance of the intestinal tract.

Effective compoundsIn other research, compounds

proven to be effective in killing foodborne bacteria may hold poten-tial for treating piglets and calves.

Microbiologist Robin Anderson and his colleagues at ARS’s Food and Feed Safety Research Unit in College Station, Texas, received a patent for their invention, which provides a method for controlling foodborne intestinal bacterial patho-gens in animals.

Chlorate and a certain class of chemicals called “nitro compounds” were shown to substantially reduce or eliminate the important food-borne pathogens salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Salmonella is estimated to cause more than 1.3 million cases of hu-man foodborne disease each year, costing economic losses of $2.4 bil-lion. Salmonella, as well as certain E. coli strains, can also cause sub-stantial losses to the swine industry due to enteric or systemic diseases of pigs.

In previous research, Anderson mixed a chlorate-based compound into water or feed and gave it to cat-tle two days before the animals were harvested. The compound, which has since been licensed by a private company, was highly effective in reducing E. coli. Bacterial levels fell from 100,000 E. coli cells per

gram of fecal material to 100 cells per gram.

Scientists were equally successful in using chlorate to reduce salmo-nella in poultry. Turkeys and broiler chickens received the compound 48 hours before they were processed. In turkeys, the incidence of salmonella dropped from 35 percent to zero, and from 37 percent to 2 percent in broiler chickens.

In a more recent study, Anderson and his team looked at using certain nitro compounds — organic com-pounds that contain one or more “nitro groups” — as a means of con-trolling foodborne bacteria. A nitro group consists of three atoms — one of nitrogen and two of oxygen — that act as one. The compound can be liquid or solid.

“We collected fresh pig feces, which harbor a mixed population of gut bacteria, and used the bacteria as a gut-simulation model to find out how the nitro compounds would work,” Anderson said.

Salmonella or E. coli were treated with or without chlorate and with or without an appropriate amount of ni-tro compound. At various intervals, data was collected on the number of bacteria to determine the treatment’s effect on pathogen survivability.

“We found that chlorate by itself had significant bacteria-killing ac-tivity against E. coli and salmonella, and that activity was enhanced 10- to 100-fold with addition of the ni-tro compound,” Anderson said. “We also found that the nitro compounds by themselves had significant bacte-

ria-killing activity, and that activity was more persistent than the chlo-rate activity by itself.”

The nitro and chlorate com-pounds together were the best treat-ment. “The two compounds were synergistic,” Anderson said. “They worked well together by enhancing the efficacy of the other.”

Scientists hypothesize that this method could have applications for young animals that have been re-cently weaned and are particularly susceptible to bacterial infections.

“This could be used instead of cer-tain antibiotics that are commonly used to treat diarrheal infections in young pigs and cattle,” Anderson said.

AntimicrobialsCreating targeted antimicrobials

is the focus of David Donovan, a molecular biologist in BARC’s Ani-mal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory. Research conducted by Donovan, in collaboration with uni-versity, industry and federal scien-tists, has demonstrated that phages — viruses that infect bacteria — produce enzymes that can be used to kill pathogens like methicillin-re-sistant Staphylococcus aureus.

“These enzymes — known as ‘endolysins’ — have molecular domains that can be isolated and will act independently of their pro-tein surroundings,” Donovan says. “They can be shuffled like cars in a train, resulting in an antimicrobial that targets just the pathogens of

interest, significantly reducing the odds that nontargeted bacteria will develop resistance.”

Endolysins destroy bacteria by breaking down their cell walls, he explains. Antimicrobials are created by joining key domains from multi-ple cell-wall-degrading endolysins. The novel enzymes have been suc-cessful in killing streptococci and S. aureus.

Animal healthAs the demand for animal food

products increases to meet the nu-tritional needs of a growing world population, finding alternative strat-egies to prevent and control animal diseases has become a global issue and a critical component of efforts to alleviate poverty and world hun-ger, Gay said.

This year’s symposium provided an opportunity for an international community of scientists, veterinar-ians and public policymakers to learn more about the pros and cons of using alternative biotherapeutics to reduce bacterial pathogens asso-ciated with food animals, he said.

“The major issue addressed is novel biocontrol approaches for re-ducing bacterial pathogens in food animal production that employ strategies specifically geared to re-duce or eliminate drug-resistance development,” Gay said.

More information from the Sep-tember symposium is available at www.alternativestoantibiotics.org.

•Strategies(Continued from page 17)

OSHA cites Quail International for 23 violationsGREENSBORO, Ga. — The

U.S. Department of Labor’s Occu-pational Safety & Health Adminis-tration has recently cited Quail In-ternational Inc. with 23 safety and health violations at the company’s Greensboro plant following an in-spection that was initiated based on a complaint. Proposed penalties total $92,115.

Citations with $68,715 in penal-

ties have been issued for 16 serious safety violations, including expos-ing workers to “struck-by” and electrical hazards as well as failing to protect workers from hand inju-ries, determine whether personal protective equipment such as eye protection is needed in the de-bon-ing room, create specific steps to ensure that processing equipment will not accidentally start up while

being cleaned, monthly inspect or annually maintain portable fire ex-tinguishers and make exits in the de-boning room operable.

Citations with $23,400 in penal-ties have been issued for four seri-ous health violations, including an unsanitary restroom, exposing workers to noise levels that exceed OSHA standards and failing to pro-vide hearing protection and annual

audiograms for workers exposed to excessive noise.

A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Citations with no monetary pen-alties have been issued for three other-than-serious safety violations,

including using a flexible electrical cord as permanent wiring, stringing electrical wiring through holes in the ceiling and improperly splicing a flexible electrical cord with duct tape in the shipping department. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012 19

Study examines housing systems impact on laying hensBLOOMINGTON, Minn. — In-

terim findings presented from Flock One of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES) Laying Hen Housing Research illustrate the tradeoffs that exist between housing systems in impact to the environ-ment, animal health and well-being and food affordability.

The three-year, two-flock study, being conducted on a commercial farm with three housing types in the same location, is assessing five areas of sustainability: Animal Health and Well-Being, Environment, Food Af-fordability, Food Safety and Worker Health and Safety. A final analysis following Flock Two will review all data collected, exploring inter-actions and tradeoffs between each sustainability area across the three housing systems being studied: cage-free aviary, enriched cages and conventional cages.

Preliminary findings from three of those areas, Environment, Ani-mal Health and Well-Being and Food Affordability, were shared with CSES members at the orga-nization’s annual meeting in Min-neapolis. Researchers stressed that the information presented should be considered preliminary, as it has not been subject to peer review. CSES is committed to sharing results. Final research results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for appro-priate validation.

“The preliminary findings from Flock One have produced intrigu-ing data. The findings have illumi-

nated opportunities to integrate data between the different areas of sus-tainability to better understand each housing system and its impact,” stated Dr. Janice Swanson, profes-sor and director of Animal Welfare at Michigan State University and co-scientific director for the project.

Highlights of the preliminary findings from three research ar-eas follow. First flock findings for Worker Safety and Health as well as Food Safety will be shared with CSES members at a later date.

EnvironmentThe Environment research is

evaluating and comparing indoor air quality, emissions from the houses and from manure storage and pro-duction efficiency, including feed, water and energy use.

“The conventional and enriched houses had very good indoor air quality, with ammonia and particu-late matter (dust) levels being very low. The aviary ammonia levels tended to be 1.5 to 2 times as high, likely due to manure on the floor not being removed until the end of the flock,” reported Dr. Hongwei Xin, professor at Iowa State University and director of the Egg Industry Center. “This could be corrected with higher ventilation rates but that will use more energy, illustrat-ing some of the tradeoffs between systems.”

In addition to differences in ma-nure handling, dust-bathing and for-

aging in the aviary system, where the hens scratch and flap their wings in bedding on the floor, generates ad-ditional dust, eight to 10 times more than in the enriched or conventional houses. Ongoing research will as-sess whether this impacts worker or hen health.

Similarly, ammonia and par-ticulate matter emissions from the houses were highest for the aviary house, followed by the conventional house and the enriched house. Meth-ane emissions for all housing sys-tems were similar and quite small.

Electricity use was similar across all three systems. The aviary house also used a small amount of supple-mental heat (from propane) (about 1,400 gallons for the year), although the winter during the monitoring pe-riod was milder than normal.

Health, well-BeingThe animal health and well-be-

ing research is looking at multiple factors in the three different housing systems: hen health and well-being using a standardized assessment, physiological stresses and use of resources and space.

“As other studies have indicated, each system has its own advantages and shortcomings in providing ap-propriate health and well-being for the hens,” said Dr. Joy Mench, professor and director of the Center for Animal Welfare at University of California Davis and co-scientific director of the project.

Hens in the enriched system ex-perienced more fractured wings and legs during placement into the house. Hen mortality over the life of the flock was much higher in the aviary system due to conditions as-sociated with egg production and behavioral issues with hens either being excessively pecked, or picked out (vent).

When compared to birds in the conventional system, those in avi-ary and enriched systems both had a higher incidence of keel (breast bone) deviations. The hens in con-ventional cages had the highest in-cidence of foot problems, mainly hyperkeratosis. When hens in the aviary had foot problems they were more severe than those in conven-tional or enriched cages.

Conventional and enriched hens had cleaner feathers but worse feather cover than aviary hens. Hens with large areas of feather loss lost more body heat than better-feath-ered hens. Patterns of feather loss suggested that hens in conventional and enriched systems lost feathers due mainly to abrasion against the cage, while those in the aviary sys-tem lost feathers due to aggressive pecking from other birds.

Food affordability“One of the useful features about

this research is that it is being done in commercial-size and commer-cially operated houses. Data from Europe are from smaller houses

and are not comparable to the U.S. situation. And we don’t ever have economic and affordability data on experimental flocks, so quite rea-sonably no one has done this type of economic analysis before,” said Dr. Daniel Sumner, University of California Davis agricultural eco-nomics professor and director of the University of California Ag-ricultural Issues Center. Sumner is leading the economics and food affordability research component. “We’re not done slicing the data all the ways we will, but we are seeing real cost differences that are likely to be important if people implement these alternative housing systems.”

On the basis of per dozen eggs, overall costs are highest for eggs produced in the aviary system, fol-lowed by those from enriched hous-ing and then by conventional hous-ing. Annual operating costs — feed, pullet and labor costs — were high-est in the aviary system, while the other two houses were lower, and similar to each other.

Feed comprises the largest share of operating costs. “While the price of corn and soybeans have been his-torically high, we are not likely to see those prices go back down to where they were before 2007, so feed cost differentials will remain particularly important,” Sumner said.

Capital costs per dozen eggs were much higher for aviary and enriched systems than conventional due to the cost of the barns and equipment and the smaller scale of those houses.

FFA notes increases in its student memberships nationwideINDIANAPOLIS — From Cali-

fornia to North Carolina and every-where between, FFA is on the grow, the group notes.

During the 2011-12 school year, 16,939 students joined FFA and raised the organization’s total membership to 557,318 students in grades seven through 12 in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

“Interest in agricultural education continues to grow due to the hard

work, dedication and commitment agriculture teachers and state FFA leaders have toward developing our members for the future,” said National FFA Organization CEO Dwight Armstrong. “Our members are developing skills through edu-cational and real-world experiences that will ideally position them to pursue one of more than 300 careers in agriculture.”

Demographically, Texas added

more members than any other state last year, growing to 86,482 stu-dents. Trailing Texas was Georgia, Colorado, Delaware and Arizona.

Texas also leads the list of the top five largest FFA membership states, followed by California (70,683), Georgia (32,244), Missouri (25,748) and Oklahoma (24,364). Nine of the 10 largest FFA chapters are in California high schools in Fresno, Sacramento, Hanford, Woodland,

Atwater, Tulare, Madera, Romo-land and Clovis.

FFA chapters were in 18 of the 20 largest U.S. cities last year, includ-ing New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia.

“Through my travels this year, I have been quite impressed by the passion that agriculture teachers exude toward their students,” said National FFA President Ryan Best. “They’re working hard every hour

in the classroom to fully develop FFA members’ potential for future personal and career success.”

FFA operates on local, state and national levels. Student members belong to chapters organized at the local school level. There are 7,498 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

More information can be obtained at www.ffa.org.

Budget SaverSave $1.33 per linePlace ad in 4 issues/3 lines minimum, only $4.65 per line, each insertion

ClassifiedsFor classified advertising information 770-536-2476

Advertising RatesVisaMasterCardAmerican Express accepted

Open Rate$5.98 per line / 3 line minimumSpecial Bold Face Type available at $5.60 per line.Blind Box Charge $5.60 per issue; 4 issues for $2.80 each; Classified Display: Open rate $40.00 per column inch

20 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

908 SuppliesAll Star Packaging. For Sale: Egg Cartons

- pulp or foam, 30 dz egg cases, 5x6 or 4x5 filler flats, 2 1/2 dz egg sleeves and plastic 5x6 filler flats. 954-781-9066; www.eggboxes.com.

Fall Harvest Products. Wholesale quantity pricing on laying nests, automatic hen house doors, desktop incubators & hatching access., mini egg washers & small poultry items. www.fallharvestproducts.com 866-352-6652

DISCOUNT EGG CARTONS. Buy Online. Poultry Supplies, Egg Baskets, Incubators, Egg Wash Powder. Free Catalog. www.EggCartons.com 888-852-5340.

The Egg Carton Store. Online store with wholesale prices on Cartons, Trays, Nests, Incubators & much more. 866-333-1132. www.eggcartonstore.com

924 WantsAll Star Packaging

Wants to buy Used pulp and plastic egg flats - used 15 dz wire or plastic baskets - overruns or misprint egg cartons foam or pulp - egg carts 240 or 360 dozen. 954-781-9066; www.eggboxes.com.

Ark. farmers set records even in droughtThe Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas row crop farmers took advantage of early warm weather during spring to get their seed in the ground, allowing many to dodge the worst effects of the late-summer drought and go to market with some record yields.

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture says growers of corn, rice and soybeans came away with record production but were out the costs of irrigating through the dry weather.

The USDA estimates the Arkansas soybean yield will be 41 bushels per acre, breaking the 2004 record of 39 bushels.

The number of acres planted in soybeans declined slightly from last year, from 3.3 mil-

lion acres to 3.2 million in 2012.“The main reason the soybean yields were

exceptional for the 2012 season was early planting,” said Jeremy Ross, Extension soy-bean specialist for the division. “By the first of May, we had around 60 percent of the soybean crop planted. Typically by the first of May, we usually only have 25 percent planted.”

“The second factor that helped to produce these great yields was irrigation,” Ross said. “Around 75 percent of the soybean crop was irrigated this past year. Without irrigation, Ar-kansas soybean producers would not be able to produce these yields.”

Corn Belt states normally outproduce Arkansas growers on a per-acre basis. That remained true this year, but the drought nar-rowed the margin as growers further north

don’t have the irrigation that Arkansas has.“Arkansas was only one to two bushels per

acre less than many of these states. Usually, the average yield for Arkansas is 10 bushels per acre less than theses states,” he said.

The USDA estimate for corn comes in at 177 bushels per acre, much greater than 2011’s 142 bushels per acre. Total production is 122.1 million bushels, up from 73.8 million bushels in 2011. Arkansas farmers harvested 690,000 corn acres this year, up from 520,000 acres last year.

“2012 started off as a good year, and ended as a good year,” said Jason Kelley, Extension corn specialist for the division.

Rice growers produced 7,340 pounds per acre, up 8 percent above last year’s 6,770

pounds, and breaking the record of 7,230 pounds per acre set in 2007. Rice acreage was up also, 1.3 million in 2012 compared with 1.2 million acres last year.

“We had an extremely early spring,” said Keith Perkins, Lonoke County Extension agent for the division. “This allowed us to plant our crop at least two weeks earlier than normal. Normally we get set back by rains or floods, delaying planting.”

In Prairie County, “rice yields were impres-sive on most acres,” said Brent Griffin, Prairie County Extension staff chairman.

But there was a down side, he said. “Milling quality has led to $1 to 1.50 per bushel dis-count when selling, taking all the profit. Not all rice farmers are swimming in money.”

To Advertise in Poultry Times contact us at 770-536-2476

Water Quality Problems?

Aquatech specializes in water quality equipment

for the poultry industry. Gas Chlorination,

Iron Filtration, and Pond systems.

Give us a call at1-800-850-2423

www.aquatechpro.com

FLY PROBLEMS?Got Manure? We have the cure!

Entomologist on Staff.Free Phone Consultation.

www.kunafin.com1-800-832-1113

Poultry Equipment

www.fpmne.comJPS Fabrications, llc

Joe Perkins CELL: 912-690-2530Email: jpsfab@yahoo.com www.jpsfabrications.com

TUMBLER IIMULTI-WASHER

WANTEDChick Master Incubators

Model 66, 99, 102 and Generators

Also 42 and 48 CM Egg Flats

Joe Lawing PH 828-738-4427www.incubators.comEmail joe@incubators.com

Insect Control Specialists,Disease Control Specialists

Foggers + FormulationsElectric FLYPOP’R

Mite Control ApplicationsBeneficial InsectsWater Purification

Aerosol Disinfecting

Insect Guard of Virginia800-367-3597

www.InsectGuardinc.com

A Tognum Group Co. /800-325-5450 /www.mtuonsiteenergy.com

Power solutions for agriculture.

KATOLIGHT BY MTU ONSITE ENERGY

21POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Rivera to lead USPOULTRY food safety program

TUCKER, Ga. — The U.S. Poultry and Egg Association has announced the appointment of Rafael Rivera as manager, Food Safety and Production Programs.

He will guide USPOULTRY’s Food Safety and Production Pro-gram by developing on-going programs addressing major regu-latory and technical challenges facing poultry operations.

Rivera joins USPOULTRY from Perdue Farms. His experience in-cludes serving as flock supervisor, HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Criti-cal Control Point) coordinator and quality assurance supervisor.

Rivera holds a bachelor of sci-ence in animal science degree from the University of Puerto Rico and a master of science in poultry science degree from North Caro-lina State University.

“I am pleased to join the US-

POULTRY team. USPOULTRY is made up of professionals in their fields who are committed to supporting the poultry industry,” Rivera said.

“We are excited to w e l c o m e Rafael to our o rg a n i z a -tion. We are c o n f i d e n t his strong food safety background will enhance USPOUL-TRY’s ability to serve the indus-try,” said John Starkey, USPOUL-TRY president.

More information about the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and its programs can be obtained at http://uspoultry.org/.

Rivera

Drought tracker: sees dryness worsen in Kan. and Okla.The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — The worst U.S. drought in decades got worse in parts of the nation’s midsection, further frustrating ranchers and growers of winter wheat in Kansas and Oklahoma, a drought-tracking consortium’s update showed on Nov. 8.

The U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest map showed that 60 percent of the land in the lower 48 states was expe-riencing some degree of drought as of Nov. 6, down less than a percent-age point from the previous week. Nearly one-fifth of the contiguous U.S. remained in extreme or excep-tional drought, the two worst clas-sifications.

But the stubbornly dry conditions intensified in Kansas, the top U.S. producer of winter wheat.

The Nov. 8 update, put out by the National Drought Mitigation Cen-ter at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, showed that the expanse of that state in extreme or exceptional drought climbed roughly 6 percent-age points, to 83.8 percent.

Three-quarters of hard-hit Okla-homa — another key winter wheat state — is mired in the two highest forms of drought, up 8 percentage points from the previous week. The

Oklahoma Mesonet, a statewide network of environmental monitor-ing stations, said that 18 of its sta-tions recorded less than one-tenth of an inch of rainfall in October, while 66 measured less than an inch.

“The combination of warm and dry weather was taking a toll on grasses and small grains” such as winter wheat, which as of Nov. 5 was running out moisture, David Miskus, a senior meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center, wrote in authoring the Nov. 8 report.

Thirty percent of Oklahoma’s fledgling winter wheat crop was found to be in poor to very poor shape, a decline of 18 percentage points from the previous week, as topsoil moisture in the state contin-ues to grow increasingly parched.

“With so much of Oklahoma al-ready in (extreme or exceptional drought), it is getting difficult to degrade the state further,” Miskus wrote.

Ninety-five percent of Nebraska and half of Iowa remained in the two worst drought categories, the update showed.

Conditions continued improv-ing some states, such as Arkansas, where the amount of land in extreme or exceptional drought fell nearly 6 percentage points to 29.8 percent.

With the nation’s harvest of corn and soybeans nearly completed, Midwest farmers have turned their attention to their winter wheat, with little cooperation from the weather as about two-thirds of those plant-ings have taken place in drought-af-fected areas.

Some 92 percent of the nation’s winter wheat is now in the ground, on pace with the average planting speed over the previous five years, according to the USDA. Seventy-three percent of the latest crop has emerged, consistent with the show-ing during the past half-decade.

Thirty-five percent of the U.S. winter wheat plantings are con-sidered good while 42 percent are deemed fair. Nineteen percent of the crop is classified as poor or very poor.

Climate watchers haven’t antici-pated meaningful precipitation that would appreciably relax the grip of drought that has put soil moisture and levels of rivers and reservoirs used for irrigation at such a deficit.

Farmers embrace snowfall as a means of recharging soil moisture in time for each spring’s corn and soy-bean sowings, with about 20 inches of snow equating to just an inch of actual water.

Sandy’s fallout skips drought-plagued MidwestThe Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Drought-plagued Midwest farming states got little benefit from the massive storm Sandy that pounded the Eastern Sea-board recently, although the nation’s worst drought in decades appears to be easing in some areas.

The U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly update posted on Nov. 1, showed that 60 percent of the land in the lower 48 states was experiencing some degree of drought as of Oct. 30. That’s down nearly 2 percentage points, taking into account much of Sandy’s fallout.

Dry conditions continued easing

in Iowa, North Dakota and Illinois, although far too late to help the corn and soybean crops, which are nearly completely harvested.

The federal government says 88 percent of this year’s winter wheat crop had been planted as of Oct. 29. That’s 3 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

www.poultrytimes.net

When it comes to pressure washers & parts,Water Cannon, Inc has been putting the power in your hands for 30 years

WALL MOUNTED PRESSURE WASHERS SAFE FOR INDOOR USE

Powerful, compact wall mounted units from Water Cannon are available in hot and cold water styles. With plenty of power, these electric motor powered bad boys rest on cool deck frames to prevent overheating. Plus, these jetter capable systems can also function to keep drains and pipes clear.

Get the most out of your pressure washer with a

rotating nozzle - a low cost, highly

beneficial accessory.

HIGH IMPACT ROTATING NOZZLES FOR IMPROVED CLEANING EFFICIENCY

Visitwatercannon.com

Call800-333-9274

22 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Industry Stock ReportThe following chart provides an annual high and a comparison of recent activity of major poultry company stocks.

Company Annual High Nov. 6 Nov. 13

Cal-Maine 47.00 43.73 42.89Campbell Soup 36.28 35.30 36.58ConAgra 28.80 28.37 27.82Hormel 30.70 30.07 30.28Pilgrim’s Pride 8.68 5.89 6.11Sanderson Farms 55.87 47.05 47.01Seaboard 2353.00 2353.00 2230.00Tyson 21.06 17.26 17.11

(Courtesy: A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.) Turkey MarketsWeighted avg. prices for frozen whole young turkeysWeighted average (cents/lb.) F.O.B. shipper dock

National Week ending Nov. 9 Last yearHens (8-16 lbs.) 110.04 114.43Toms (16-24 lbs.) 111.37 114.20

Week ending Nov. 2 Oct. avg.Hens (8-16 lbs.) 109.58 110.27Toms (16-24 lbs.) 112.17 112.18

Nat’l. Broiler Market:(Nov. 13): Whole broiler/fryer pric-es were firm to higher in the East, fully steady to firm in the Midwest and steady in the West. Final major-

ity prices were 4¢ higher in the East, higher in the Midwest, and unchanged in the West when com-pared to the previous week’s prices. Offerings were light overall for cur-rent trade needs. Retail and foodser-vice demand cover the full range,

but is noted as mostly moderate to good as more seasonal items began to take center stage. Floor stocks were balanced to light. Market activity was moderate to active. In the parts structure, movement was light to moderate entering the week as most operations returned to nor-mal following the recent inclement weather. Prices were trending steady to firm for breast cuts, steady to weak for wings and drums. The bal-ance of parts were steady. Offerings were light to moderate for breast items, moderate to heavy for dark meat and generally sufficient for the balance of parts. Market activity was slow to moderate. In production areas, live supplies were moderate; weights were mixed at mostly desir-able weights.

Fowl:Nov. 9: Live spent heavy fowlFinal prices at Farm Buyer Loading (per pound): range 9½-21¢

Parts:Georgia: The f.o.b. dock quoted prices on ice-pack parts based on truckload and pool truckload lots for the week of Nov. 13: line run tenders $1.82½; skinless/boneless breasts $1.58; whole breasts $1.00½; bone-less/skinless thigh meat $1.32½; thighs 71½¢; drumsticks 65½¢; leg quarters 53½¢; wings $1.82.

National Slaughter:Broiler: Estimated slaugh-ter for week ending Nov. 10 is

155,331,000.Actual slaughter for the week end-ing Nov. 3 was 150,676,000.Heavy-type hen: Estimated slaugh-ter for the week ending Nov. 10 is 1,608,000.Actual slaughter for the week end-ing Nov. 3 was 1,658,000.Light-type hen: Estimated slaugh-ter for the week ending Nov. 10 is 1,220,000. Actual slaughter for the week ending Nov. 3 was 919,000. Total: Week of Nov. 10: 158,159,000. Week of Nov. 3: 153,253,000.

Estimates:The estimated number of broiler-fryers available for the week ending Nov. 10 was 150.4 million head. For the week of Nov. 17, the esti-mated available is 150.4 million head, notes USDA.

Grain PricesOHIO COUNTRY ELEV. Oct. 30 Nov. 6 Nov. 13 No. 2 Yellow Corn/bu. $7.50 $7.51 $7.33Soybeans/bu. $14.94 $14.68 $13.70(Courtesy: Prospect Farmers Exchange, Prospect, Ohio)

Broiler/Fryer MarketsUSDA Composite Weighted Average

For week of: Nov. 12 91.60¢For week of: Nov. 5 88.99¢ Chi.-Del.-Ga.-L.A.-Miss.-N.Y.--S.F.-South. StatesFor delivery week of: Oct. 29 Nov. 12 Chicago majority 81--87¢ 85--90¢Mississippi majority 82--86¢ 84--87¢ New York majority 84--87¢ 88--91¢ For delivery week of: Oct. 30 Nov. 13Delmarva weighted average TFTR 69¢--$1.09Georgia f.o.b. dock offering 96¢ 96¼¢Los Angeles majority price $1.05 $1.05San Francisco majority price $1.05½ $1.05½ Southern States f.o.b. average 64.93¢ 64.63¢

Broiler Eggs Set/Chicks Placed in 19 States EGGS SET (Thousands) CHICKS PLACED (Thousands)

AlaArkCa,Tn,WvDelFlaGaKyLaMdMissMo.N.C.OklaPaS.C.TexVa

19 StatesTotalPrev. year% Prev. yr.

Oct. 13

26,05317,6979,5503,1581,35330,8657.0143,3047,47116,5437,60617,3826,2873,6474,92413,0146,019

181,887181,852

100

Oct. 20

25,45818,3298,4283,1621,08828,1326,9563,2987,07116,3647,21018,3056,4163,3775,65412,6035,543

177,394183,537

97

Oct. 27

25,75520,06110,5733,2401,35330,1687,3193,1836,76916,3657,86719,3316,6223,2095,12213,2006,195

186,332185,172

101

Nov. 3

24,78720,13210,2713,2841,35129,8527,3302,9566,80415,1686,85919,2666,6623,1935,15612,9894,780

180,840186,594

97

Oct. 13

19,77818,9069,0273,50993527,8146,7182,8456,38613,5455,32714,4074,7822,6753,70410,7354,877

155,970155,108

101

Oct. 20

18,66018,6379,8043,7201,02325,9535,7622,7006,33113,6164,77015,1584,8542,9804,12711,6684,495

154,258151,134

102

Oct. 27

19,38019,28210,6734,2801,29126,5775,9102,7035,23914,1425,54314,9884,3562,9573,81811,1324,494

156,765153,311

102

Nov. 3

18,77817,2899,8754,0461,01525,8125,5442,9495,80813,9944,99614,5053,7063,0444,16111,0114,526

151,059149,126

1011/Current week as percent of same week last year.

Egg MarketsUSDA quotationsNew York cartoned del. store-door: Nov. 6 Nov. 13Extra large, up 4¢ $1.30--$1.34 $1.34--$1.38 Large, up 4¢ $1.28--$1.32 $1.32--$1.36 Medium, no change $1.13--$1.12 $1.13--$1.17Southeast Regional del. warehouse: Nov. 6 Nov. 13Extra large, up 4½¢ $1.25½--$1.38 $1.30--$1.45Large, up 7¢ $1.21½--$1.38 $1.28½--$1.45Medium, down ½¢ $1.07--$1.23 $1.06½--$1.14

MarketsCompiled by David B. Strickland, Editor

770-718-3442dstrickland@poultrytimes.net

USDA Shell EggsAMS weekly combined region shell egg pricesAverage prices on sales to volume buyers, Grade A or better, White

eggs in cartons, delivered warehouse, cents per dozen.Nov. 9 Extra Large Large MediumRegions: Northeast 122.50 121.00 108.50Southeast 131.50 129.50 111.00Midwest 122.50 120.50 105.50South Central 132.50 131.50 113.50Combined 127.48 125.89 109.80Computed from simple weekly averages weighted by regional area popula-tions

POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012 23

AMERICANEGG BOARDHOTLINE

AEB Hotline appears regu-larly in Poultry Times and provides an update on pro-grams and services provided for egg producers by the American Egg Board. Details on any item mentioned may be obtained by contacting AEB at 1460 Renaissance Dr., Park Ridge, Ill. 60068. Phone: 847-296-7043.

New improved features on the refreshed EggNutrition-Center.org include the Nutrition News and Hot Topics areas lo-cated on the homepage. These areas will be updated regularly with new research studies and nutrition items of interest. You can now easily navigate the site and find your favorite items such as egg facts, nutrition and research, Continuing Profes-sional Education (CPE) oppor-tunities, patient/client materials, recipes and more. Researchers can check out the ENC Grant Program page for relevant in-formation. Bookmark and visit EggNutritionCenter.org for great nutrition updates.

After reviewing the first part of the 2012 print plan, AEB is far exceeding its competi-tors, especially looking at Ac-tions Taken by readers who saw AEB’s ads. The Actions Taken measurement is a compilation of various individual actions including:

— More Favorable Opinion— Visited Website— Looked for More Informa-

tion— Recommended the Prod-

uct— Consider Purchasing the

Product— Purchased the Product— Saved the Ad.AEB’s success in Actions

Taken is partially a result of the relevant ad positioning secured within each publication. AEB consistently ran its ads along-side relevant content such as healthy egg recipes as well as breakfast and healthy lifestyle content. This 2012 print plan also outperformed the rest of its cat-egory (Dairy, Produce, Meat and Baked Goods) by 3 percent.

For the rest of 2012, AEB secured four tablet enhancement opportunities with Food Net-work, Prevention and Everyday with Rachael Ray to align with the back-to-school time period. These ads were focused toward tablet users and helped influence consumer engagement. The Food Network execution ran during the September issue and utilized a slideshow that allowed users to scroll through different facts about eggs. AEB ran two enhanced ads with Prevention; one in August and October is-sues. The August execution uti-lized five hot spots as tappable content which allowed users to access these same facts about eggs by clicking on various parts of the ad. The October execution utilized a slideshow similar to the enhanced ad that ran in Food Network. The Rachael Ray tablet takeover was executed with the September issue, and gave AEB a 100-percent share of voice on the application. Throughout the application, users were given six different AEB ads.

Index of AdvertisersAcme, 12K ........................................................................................................................................................ 918-682-7791; www.acmeag.comAgrifan, 2 ....................................................................................................................................................... 800-236-7080; www.envirofan.com American Proteins, 12F ............................................................................................................................................ www.americanproteins.comB&M Metals, 17 ........................................................................................................................... 800-340-2435; www.qualitymetalroofing.comBeneficial Insectary, 12d .................................................................................................................................................................. 800-477-3715 Binkley & Hurst, 12h .......................................................................................................................................... 888-414-7518; binkleyhurst.comChickmate, 12J ............................................................................................................................................. 800-331-7509; www.chickmate.comCID Lines, 12K ...........................................................................................................................................................................www.cidlines.com Creek View, 12D ................................................................................................................................................................................717-445-4922Danisco, 12I ....................................................................................................................314-771-7766; www.danisco.com/animalnutrition.comEcodrum, 12B .................................................................................................................................701-446-6139; www.ecodrumcomposter.comElanco, 12B ........................................................................................................................................................ 800-428-4441; www.elanco.comFarm Alarm, 12J ...........................................................................................................................................800-407-5455; www.farmalarm.comFlame, 12F ........................................................................................................................................ 800-255-2469; www.flameengineering.comFPM, 12D ............................................................................................................................................................402-729-2264; www.fpmne.comGoldin Metals, 14 .....................................................................................................................................288-575-7735; www.goldinmetals.comGrassworx, 8 ................................................................................................................................................................................grassworxllc.comIPS- Carefree Enzymes, 15 .................................................................................................................262-878-3899; www.naturesenzymes.comJones-Hamilton-PLT, 12A .................................................................................................................800-379-2243; www.joneshamiltonAg.comKelley Mfg., 12B .......................................................................................................................................... 800-444-5449; www.kelleymfg.comLee Energy, 12K .......................................................................................................................................................www.leeenergysolutions.comLudell Mfg., 11 ..............................................................................................................................................414-476-9934; www.ludellmfg.comMerck Animal Health, Cover III .......................................................................................................................................... www.ihc-poultry.comMotomco, Cover 12E .................................................................................................................................... 800-237-6843; www.motomco.comNational Incinerator of Boaz, 12J ................................................................................................... 205-589-6720; www.nationalincinerator.comNovartis, 12G.....................................................................................................................................................................................336-392-2186Peripheral Mowers, 7...........................................................................................................................229-546-4113; www.peripheralmowers.usPrecision, 12H ...................................................................................................................................................................................800-737-1837Preserve, Cover II ..............................................................................................................................................................................800-995-1607Pro Tech, 3 .................................................................................................................................................. 800-438-1707; www.pro-techinc.comReeves, Cover IV ......................................................................................................................................888-854-5221; www.reevessupply.comRose Acre Farms, 12 ........................................................................................................................................................ www.roseacrefarms.comSpace-Ray, 5 ................................................................................................................................................... 800-849-7311; www.spaceray.comStar Labs, 12D .................................................................................................................................................800-894-5396; www.primalac.comUnited Soybean, 12C ........................................................................................................................................................ www.unitedsoybean.orgWater Cannon, 21 .....................................................................................................................................800-333-9274; www.watercannon.comWeigh Tech, 12H ..................................................................................................................................... 800-457-3720; www.weightechinc.com

EPA approves temporary fuel waiversto aid states impacted by hurricane

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has exercised its authority under the Clean Air Act to temporarily waive certain federal clean gasoline requirements for gasoline sold and distributed in Tennessee, North Car-olina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, District of Co-lumbia, New York, Maryland, Con-necticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

The waiver was granted by EPA in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE).

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jack-son determined that, as a result of effects of Hurricane Sandy, extreme and unusual supply circumstances exist, which may result in a tempo-rary shortage of gasoline compliant with federal regulations.

The federal waiver will help en-sure an adequate supply of fuels in

the impacted states.The waiver allows the sale and

distribution of conventional gaso-line in a number of Eastern states that are required to use reformulated gasoline, and allows a number of ad-ditional states to mix reformulated gasoline and conventional gasoline to remove potential barriers to the supply of gasoline to the region.

More information is available at http://epa.gov/enforcement/air/fuel-waivers.html.

24 POULTRY TIMES, November 19, 2012

Study finds essential oil blend reduces salmonella contaminationBy Sharon DowdySpecial to Poultry Times

ATHENS, Ga. — Oil and water may not mix, but a University of Georgia study has found feeding chickens a blend of plant-based oils in their drinking water can help prevent salmonella contamination before the meat reaches the dinner table, or even the grocery store.

Salmonella is a bacterium that causes an estimated 1 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States each year, said Walid Alali, a food safety scientist with the UGA Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Ga.

“Each year some 20,000 people will go to the hospital and close to 400 will die due to salmonellosis,” Alali said.

LinksUsually, symptoms last four to

seven days and most people get bet-ter without treatment. But salmo-nella can cause more serious illness to older adults, infants and those with chronic diseases.

Poultry is a common source of salmonellosis, as are eggs, raw sprouts and unpasteurized juices, but proper cooking and pasteuriza-tion kill salmonella.

A major outbreak in 2011 was linked to ground turkey that infected close to 136 people in 34 states. In 2009 almost 400 people in 42 states were sickened after eating contami-nated peanut butter.

Alali’s work focuses on control-ling harmful bacteria in an effort to reduce human illness.

In this study, published in the October issue of Food Control, he tested the effectiveness of adding a blend of oils to the poultry’s water source.

The product, Mix-Oil, is a highly concentrated blend of essential oils

from thyme, eucalyptol and oregano developed by the Italian company Animal Wellness Products. Mix-Oil has been on the market since 2004 and is used for all animal species, including commercially raised fish.

Better meat/profit“Our field results show that Mix-

Oil helps get better performance and better meat quality and always gives profitability,” said AWP President Paolo Cristofori.

On a farm in Athens, Ga., Alali compared Mix-Oil to two organic acids traditionally used in the poul-try industry to reduce the amount of salmonella the chickens carry. Cur-rently farmers control salmonella in their flocks by administering vacci-nations, “probiotics — a cocktail of good bacteria that compete with bad bacteria — and by adding acids to their drinking water,” Alali said.

The right combination“These extracts come from plant

material, and they have antibacte-rial qualities. They have the ability to kill pathogens — we just have to come up with the right blend,” Cris-tofori said.

The UGA study found the chick-ens that were fed Mix-Oil in their water had higher weight gains, a lower feed conversion rate and lower mortality rate.

They also drank as much water as they did before the Mix-Oil regi-men and more water than chickens that were given lactic acid to prevent salmonella.

“Chickens consume less water when one of the organic acids, lactic acid, is used because they don’t like the taste of it,” Alali said. “It can also inflame the chicken’s intestines and, over time, it can damage the farm’s water pipes.”

Mix-oil reduced salmonella con-

tamination in the chickens just “as well as lactic acid, and it improved the performance of the chickens,” he said.

Salmonella typically collects in two chicken organs; the crop and the ceca. The crop is located at the base of the esophagus and the ceca is part of the large intestine.

The UGA study also looked at the salmonella frequency in these organs. There was less salmonella in the crop of the chicken flock that consumed Mix-Oil, but the levels remained unchanged in the ceca.

From farm to forkIn a second study, Alali searched

for the best concentration level of Mix-Oil. “The concentration means money, and how much you add re-sults in a cost to the farmer,” he

said. “Poultry producers are always concerned over how a treatment is going to affect their birds and how much it’s going to cost them.”

The UGA research project shows Mix-Oil costs around $500 per 20,000-bird chicken flock to control salmonella in chickens and improve performance.

Next the researchers will test Mix-Oil on a commercial poultry farm.

“We have proven the concept, now we have to take this to the commercial level and see how it

performs on an actual farm,” Alali said. “We are trying to control sal-monella in the poultry industry both at the preharvest level, on the farm and at the processing plants. This is what we call farm to fork control. The industry does its job and gro-cers and consumers control what happens after that.

Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

John Amis/UGA

Reducing salmonella: Roosters in a laboratory on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga. UGA researchers are studying the role of essential oils in reducing salmonella in chickens.

www.poultrytimes.net

When you make BronNewcavac® SE part of your salmonella prevention protocol, you protect your commercial layer flock, your business and your reputation. For the confidence that comes with long-lasting control, ask your Merck Animal Health representative for BronNewcavac SE. Part of the Merck Poultry program of total bird health.

It’s hard to fIx a reputatIon.

Copyright © 2012 Intervet International B.V., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. All rights reserved.0919151 POUT

REEVES SUPPLY

1-888-854-5221 • reevessupply.com

• Custom built cooling systems for specific cooling needs• Foam injected fiberglass tunnel doors• 18”,20” and 24” stir fans• Complete line of pumps, motors, filter housings and elements, fan belts and pullies

Cooling SyStemS Built to laSt