Alabama Poultry, September/October 2011

September / October 2011 – Vol. 6 No. 5

Spence Jarnagin — Is he really that laid-back?

Address Service Requested AP&EA P.O. 240 Montgomery, AL 36101

Board of Directors Officers Spence Jarnagin, President, Huntsville* Johnny Adcock, Vice President, Woodland* Randall Ennis, Treasurer, Huntsville* Dale Gambrill, Secretary, Snead* John Pittard, Immediate Past President, Guntersville* Directors Ronnie Adrian, Collinsville George Attwood, Anniston Fred Cespedes, Hanceville Cory Early, Decatur Tim Esslinger, Eufaula* Billy Gilley, Cullman Harold Hunt, Gadsden* Heath Loyd, Boaz David Massey, Montgomery Dennis Maze, Horton Todd McMahen, Dothan Dr. Shannon Morgan, Birmingham John Pastrana, Russellville Mitchell Pate, Auburn Mike Pigg, Cullman John Roberts, Cullman Kenneth Sanders, Brundidge Roddy Sanders, Gordo Jason Shell, Gadsden Jack Sherwood, Troy Jason Spann, Hanceville Ken Taylor, Anniston Ben Thompson, Huntsville David Thompson, Ashland Stanley Usery, Athens Ricky Walker, Snead Craig Williams, Enterprise Advisors Dr. Don Conner, Auburn University James Donald, Auburn University Dr. Joe Hess, Auburn University Jacob Davis, Montgomery Dr. Tony Frazier, Montgomery Perry Oakes, Auburn

MES S AG E

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S

It’s been a tough year for state government. In the recent legislative session there was a great deal accomplished by the Alabama state legislators: ethics reform, campaign finance reform, tort reform, and new teacher and state employee retirement reform.

However, one measure that was not pleasing to anyone was cuts to the state’s General Fund budget. Because of the downturn in the economy and the reduction of tax revenues coming into state coffers, the Legislature was forced to make deep cuts into many state programs and, in some cases, completely ending some programs.

The state CAFO program, a program that is considered a model throughout the United States for CAFO regulations, was cut 50 percent. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) was forced to strongly consider implementing CAFO fees that could range from $185 to nearly $1,000. After several meetings and phone calls with farmers and leaders of agricultural associations, Sen. Arthur Orr, of Decatur, contacted ADEM officials to see if they could avoid implementing those fees. After several discussions with ADEM Director Lance LeFleur, Sen. Orr convinced Director LeFleur to give agriculture another year to encourage the Legislature to fully fund the CAFO program. Director Lefleur said his decision to avoid CAFO fees for this year was “ because of the strong environmental stewardship of the poultry industry and its tremendous economic impact on the state’s economy.” We owe both Sen. Orr and Director Lefleur a great deal for their strong consideration of fully funding the state CAFO program.

*Executive Committee Members

AP&EA STAFF Johnny Adams – Executive Director Wanda H. Linker – Administrative Director Ray Hilburn - Membership Director Huck Carroll – Communications Director/Editor Jennifer Shell – Support Director Alabama Poultry Magazine is published by the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association 465 South Bainbridge Street Montgomery, AL 36104 Phone: 334-265-2732 Fax: 334-265-0008 Send editorial and advertising correspondence to: Alabama Poultry Magazine Editor P.O. Box 240 Montgomery, AL 36101 Advertising rates and closing dates available upon request.

Editorial matter from sources outside AP&EA is sometimes presented for the information and interest of our members. Such material may or may not coincide with official AP&EA policy. Publication does not necessarily imply endorsement by AP&EA.

w w w. a l a b a m a p o u l t r y. o r g

Featuring This Issue Governmental Affairs Association News Grower Seminar Allied Golf Tournament Spence Jarnagin – Is He Really That Laid-Back?

Poultry Pioneer: John Udaka – Alabama Samurai Recipes Auburn News NPTC Short Course New Poultry Science Student Recruiter: Codi Plaster Practical Applications Calendar of Events

Alabama Poultry Magazine

pg.

4

pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg.

7 8 10 12 18 21 21 23 24 30

September / October

3

Governmental Affairs Several years ago, we wrote an article about the enemies of agriculture. This article from the National Farm Bureau illustrates reason for concern. For more information go to www.savefarmfamilies.org.

Case Against Small Maryland Farm Could Have Big Impact Maryland farmers Alan and Kristin Hudson are fighting for their farming lives against a national environmental organization that has sued them, claiming they are fouling local waterways with poultry litter.

All along, the case has been based on assumptions rather than facts. But regardless of whether the lawsuit has merit, it could do the farm in because of mounting legal expenses.

The Hudsons took over the family farm in Berlin, Md., from Alan’s dad in 1994. With just two chicken houses, the farm is small compared to the average chicken farm on the state’s Eastern Shore these days.

They also raise corn, soybeans, hay and a few beef cattle.

In late 2009, representatives of a local environmental group, the Assateague Coastal Trust, flew over the Hudsons’ farm looking for trouble and believed they found it when they spotted a pile of what they assumed was poultry manure on the farm.

It turned out the pile was not poultry litter, which the Hudsons store in covered areas to prevent runoff, but composted municipal waste from nearby Ocean City, Md., a populous resort area. The Hudsons intended to spread the waste as fertilizer through an environmental program to recycle treated sludge.

Municipal areas typically do not have the necessary storage to hold their sludge. It being the end of the year when the environmental group’s sortie took place, the treated sludge would not be spread until the spring, when the ground isn’t frozen and fields need to be prepped for planting. The waste was stored on

4

September / October 2011

the farm until it was time to use it.

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) followed up the environmental group’s allegations by visiting the farm and telling the Hudsons to move the pile farther away from a drainage ditch, which they did.

A staffer for the Assateague Coastal Trust tested water downstream of the Hudsons’ farm and claimed there were elevated levels of fecal coliform, nitrogen, ammonia and other pollutants, and that the source was the Hudsons’ farm. However, the MDE said it could not conclusively link the pollutants to the farm, and the pollutants could have come from other sources.

The MDE confirmed that no piles of animal manure were found outside. While poultry litter from farms like the Hudsons’ is regulated under the Clean Water Act, treated sewage sludge is in a regulatory class that does not require a Clean Water Act permit.

None of that stopped the environmental group from going after the Hudsons. The Assateague Coastal Trust, its staffer and the Waterkeepers Alliance, of which the Assateague Coastal Trust is a member, in March 2010, sued the Hudsons and the integrator with which they contracted, Perdue Farms, claiming that the farm and Perdue were in violation of the Clean Water Act. Because the case could be precedent setting for other farmers, Maryland Farm Bureau, the Worcester County Farm Bureau and Wicomico County Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee are part of a coalition, www.savefarmfamilies.org,

formed in September to raise money to help with the Hudsons’ legal defense.

The family’s legal bills are well over $100,000, according to Lee Richardson, spokesman for the family and president of the Wicomico County Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers. The coalition has raised $25,000 and is holding another fundraiser in early October.

The help with legal expenses is necessary to prevent the family from having to settle the case, which in addition to putting the fourth generation Hudson Farm out of business could result in concessions that would affect other farmers, according to Richardson.

He says it also would open the floodgates for more lawsuits like the one against the Hudsons. “We feel like it’s a lawsuit against all of us,” Richardson said. “They’re not just after the family farm. They’re only suing the family farm to get to what they call ‘factory farming.’

If this extremist group succeeds in forcing the Hudson family to settle or declare bankruptcy before arguments are even heard in court, they’ll do it to other family farmers here and across the country just because we don’t conform to the Waterkeeper image of how animals should be raised.”

The case was filed in the federal district court of Maryland, which decided that Assateague Coastal Trust and its staff member did not have legal standing to sue. That left the national Waterkeeper Alliance as the sole plaintiff in the case.

According to Valerie Connelly, Maryland Farm Bureau’s director of

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

5

government relations, part of what Waterkeeper is trying to do is force co-permitting, which would make poultry companies like Perdue liable for the nutrient management practices of their contract growers.

Traditionally, farmers and ranchers have been responsible for managing livestock manure, giving them control over how to use it, as well.

Proponents of co-permitting claim that the integrators can best afford the investments needed to manage waste.

Opponents of co-permitting, including Maryland Farm Bureau, say that co-permitting would give integrators too much control over farm practices, such as using the manure as fertilizer, and too much leverage over contract terms.

“Farmers say that poultry litter is a valuable commodity to them,” Connelly explained. “They are opposed to giving it up to the poultry

6

September / October 2011

companies. If a remedy in this case is to make Perdue responsible for poultry litter, it gives the integrator more control over the farm. It could impact everyone who has a contract with an integrator.”

Now that it’s clear that the pile on the Hudsons’ farm isn’t poultry litter regulated under the Clean Water Act, Connelly says the Waterkeeper Alliance is pursuing what it believes to be other pollution sources, such as dust. “It’s not about the pile anymore,” she said. “It’s about the dust coming out of the fans in the poultry houses that could get into the ditches, or anything that creates or disturbs dust – even the dust that is kicked up by the farmer’s shoes.”

Of course, there’s still no evidence that any pollutants found in the ditches around the farm and farther downstream in the Pocomoke River or the Chesapeake Bay come from the Hudsons’ farm, whether in the

form of a pile or dust particles.

Yet another twist is the involvement of the University of Maryland law school’s environmental law clinic. Students in the law school, which is funded by state taxes, are representing the Waterkeeper Alliance for free and have represented the Assateague Coastal Trust in the case. The Hudsons and some state legislators have questioned why state funds are being used to represent the environmental groups when the farmers have to foot their own legal bills.

So far, the Legislature hasn’t withheld funding from the school, despite threats to do so. Lawmakers demanded and received a list of clients represented by the law school.

Connelly said the burden of legal expenses faced by the Hudsons represents a serious threat to farmers elsewhere. “If they can take a truly Continued on pg. 30

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Association News

2011 AP&EA Grower Seminars:

What Did We Learn?

With the memories of catastophic weather events still fresh in their minds, poultry growers in north Alabama came to see what went wrong with their poultry houses when first a winter snow collapsed roofs and then the tornados of April 27 wreaked havoc on their remaining houses. The south Alabama growers, understanding that they had escaped the tornados’ fury by the grace of God, came to see what they could do to prevent the devastation from happening to them.

First in Cullman and then in Boaz on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and then in Luverne and New Brockton on Thursday, Oct. 13, Jim Donald, Gene Simpson, Jess Campbell and Dennis Brothers of the National Poultry Technology Center (NPTC) at Auburn University examined the reasons behind the catastrophic failures of so many poultry houses in the storms and the subsequent system failures in the following days.

Jim Donald began each seminar by introducing the NPTC to the growers, many of whom had never heard of the group which, for the last four years, has been holding seminars to help growers become more profitable by reducing their costs and building their efficiency.

Donald was followed by Dennis Brothers who spoke on Structural and Insurance Considerations. He spoke extensively on strengthening trusses and improving tornado strapping, as well as chain wall vs. curb wall type construction.

Jess Campbell spoke authoritatively on Generator and Electrical Maintenance Issues. Since Jesse’s father is a poultry grower in north Alabama, he was able to bring special insights to this subject in an excellent presentation. He was followed by agricultural economist, Gene Simpson, who spoke on Winter Fuel and Electrical Saving Technologies.

In north Alabama, Associate State Veternarian Dr. Terry Slaten and in south Alabama, State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Frazier of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries gave a Poultry Regulatory Update and Emergency Response.

Sponsored by:

First South Farm Credit Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries American Proteins • Cumberland / Hired Hand Randy Jones Insurance Agency • Lee Energy Solutions

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

7

20th Annual Allied Industry Fund-Raising Golf Tournament

1st Place — Score 58 Josh Walsworth Frankie Daniel Jimmy Hanvey

2nd Place — Score 59 Randy Young Mitchell Pate Lanney Baugh

3rd Place — Score 59 Jeff Sims Aaron Branch Steve Smith Bill Ingram

4th Place — Score 61 Randy Allen Randall Smith John Pittard Travis Briscoe

8

September / October 2011

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Barry Fuller presented “Longest Drive” awards to Jimmy Hanvey and John Putnam

Barry Fuller presented Clay Borden won the put“Closest to the Pin” ting contest awards to Randy Young and Aaron Branch

Jason Spann won the drawing for the Remington shotgun, sponsored

by American Proteins

CHESLEY OAKS GOLF COURSE, Oct 20, 2011 – It was a glorious day for golf. The leaves were turning in the crisp air as the poultry pros took to the links again to raise money for poultry science scholarships. Which they did, bringing in more than $10,000 to keep the kids hitting the books, and build this wonderful industry.

Scholarship Sponsors Alabama Ag Credit Alabama Farm Credit AlaTrade Foods. LLC Alltech American Proteins, Inc. Animal Health International Aviagen Inc. Bob Cryar Consulting/FMC Burch Corporation

Cintas Cobb-Vantress Inc. Cumberland/Hired-Hand D & F Equipment Sales, Inc. Fabco Equipment Co. First South Farm Credit, NA First South Farm Credit, SA Fitco H. J. Baker & Bro., Inc.

Hubbard LLC International Paper Keystone Foods, LLC Keystone Foods - Eufaula Div. Lee Energy Solutions Liberty National Life Insurance Pfizer Animal Health Randy Jones Insurance Agency

Hole Sponsors Alabama Farm Credit AlaTrade Foods. LLC Alltech American Proteins, Inc. Bob Cryar Consulting/FMC Cobb-Vantress Inc.

Cumberland/Hired-Hand D & F Equipment Sales, Inc. Fabco Equipment Co. First South Farm Credit, NA Fitco H. J. Baker & Bro., Inc.

Hubbard LLC Keystone Foods, LLC Keystone Foods - Equity Div. Lee Energy Solutions Liberty National Life Insurance

Prize Sponsors 1st Place – American Proteins 2nd Place – Cobb-Vantress 3rd Place – Lee Energy Solutions

Raffle Prize Sponsor:

American Proteins

4th Place – Keystone Foods Putting Contest Prize – Casey Jones/L.B. White

Drinks Sponsor:

Aviagen

Longest Drive – Keystone Foods Closest to Pin – Keystone Foods

Box Lunch Sponsor:

Post Tournament Meal Sponsor:

First South Farm Credit

IVESCO

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

9

Just chillin’ on the sunporch: Spence and Wendy enjoy a little down time with close friends.

LANGSTON, Ala. – At first look, you would think that new AP&EA President Spence Jarnagin couldn’t get much more “laid-back.”

At home in Langston, Ala., on the beautiful shores of Lake Guntersville with Wendy, his lovely wife of 23 years, and their two dogs, Olive, a Boston Terrier, and Doc, a Dachshund, he seems almost to be the personification of “mellow.” But, that’s only when he’s home, and that’s not often.

Spence was born in Tifton, Ga., and attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for two years before getting a degree in marketing from Florida State University. During the summers, he worked at Alcoa Aluminum in Tifton, and upon graduation, Alcoa offered him a full-time position and he accepted. He worked for Alcoa for seven years, the first four in operations and the last three in human resources.

In 1988, he entered the poultry industry, taking a job in the human resources department of Seaboard Farms in Canton, Ga. While in Canton, he met Wendy, the daughter of a coworker. After a whirlwind courtship, they were married in March of 1989.

That same year, Seaboard broke ground on a greenfield operation in Mayfield, Ky., and sent Spence to be a part of a small team with the responsibility of developing growout facilities, a feed mill, a hatchery and a processing plant.

10

September / October 2011

The plant opened in 1990, and Spence stayed there until 1992 when he and Wendy were transferred back to Canton, Ga. By this time, however, there was an addition to the family. Their son, Cooper had been born.

Spence has another son, Jake, from a previous marriage.

Four years later Spence became general manager of the Canton facility. In 1998, he was back in Mayfield as general manager, a position he was to hold until 2000, when ConAgra bought Seaboard.

That same year, an opportunity opened with Keystone Foods in Huntsville and Spence took it, moving his family once again, settling them in Scottsboro.

Keystone Foods, which was recently purchased by Marfrig Group of Brazil, is a global multi-protein processor and food distributor headquartered in Philadelphia, Penn. Huntsville is the headquarters for their United States Protein Division. Keystone has three integrated poultry processing plants: Eufaula, Ala., Camilla, Ga., and Albany, Ky. They also have a fully cooked operation in Gadsden and a further processing facility in Reidsville, N.C. Over the past 11 years, Spence has held six different jobs with Keystone. Today, as vice president of operations, Spence is responsible for three poultry processing plants, Camilla, Ga., which is a fully integrated plant and a further processing plant; Albany, Ky., which is also a fully integrated and further processing plant; and

Alabama Poultry Magazine

a further processing plant in Reidsville, N.C. He is also responsible for a beef processing plant in Ohio and a fish processing plant in Wisconsin.

His travel schedule is daunting. In the two weeks before this interview, he had spent time at the Ohio plant, met with representatives of his major customer, spent time at the corporate office in Philadelphia, had been to meetings in Nashville as well as spending time at his office in Huntsville.

Spence enjoys working with all wide variety of people throughout the Keystone organization. He especially enjoys traveling to the plants and spending time with the employees where the products are produced.

Keystone has a robust social accountability program and takes great pride in its far-reaching animal welfare, food safety and employee safety programs. Auburn’s Sarge Bilgili is an active participant in Keystone’s animal welfare program.

While Spence is on the road, Wendy enjoys painting, which she took up seven years ago. She favors landscapes and dogs. She also supervised the renovation and additional construction on their home in Langston, which had been just a concrete block cabin on the lake.

Lately, she has been spending time at a house that they just purchased in Woodstock, Ga., to be close to both of their families.

Over the years, while Spence has been on one assignment or another for Keystone, Wendy has earned a degree in management technology from Southern Tech and a certificate in interior design from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Her greatest accomplishment, however, has been in raising Cooper. He is now a 21-year-old senior at Florida State University, with plans for law school.

Spence and Wendy also take pride in Jake, 27, who manages an major car rental agency at the airport in Jacksonville, Fla. He and his wife, Madeline, are expecting their first child, a girl, in January.

Spence says, after seven years on the AP&EA board, he is honored to be Association president. He plans to build on the successes of past presidents especially in the area of improved communications.

Welcome, Spence!

Cooper enjoys hanging out with his big brother, Jake, and Jake’s wife, Madeline

Spence

Olive

Doc

In a Dog Daze Spence and Wendy are crazy about their dogs. When they moved back from Kentucky, they brought six dogs (four were Labs) with them. They could not live in Huntsville because there was a ordinance prohibiting families from having more than three dogs, so they bought a home in Scottsboro.

When Keystone sent Spence to be general manager of the Albany, Ky., plant for 18 months, he took two dogs with him for company. Later, when Keystone purchased the Eufaula operation, Spence took two dogs with him to Eufaula.

Doc, 11, is the only dog left from those six.

With the demise of five of the original six, Spence and Wendy agreed that they would not get any other dogs without both being in agreement. However, one day while visiting in Ft. Payne, she fell in love with a Boston Terrier puppy and bought her. When she called Spence to tell him, he was so aggravated that he hung up on her.

The aggravation was short-lived once he met Olive. They have become inseparable, and Wendy has forgiven Spence for hanging up on her.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

11

Poultry Pioneer Profile

John Udaka’s grandfather had a Karate school in Japan, and Udaka has his own black belt.

Each day he does his karate excercises.

The Udakas are descended from an ancient line of legendary samurai warriors. Udaka displays this samurai armour in his home, giving it a decidedly Alabama connection.

John Udaka, the dean emeritus of Alabama chick sexers, has the dubious distinction of being the only Alabama poultryman ever quoted in Playboy Magazine.

And, although the quote was used metaphorically as a double entendre, John enjoys the notoriety with good humor.

I had the great pleasure of meeting John at his memorabilia filled home in Gadsden the day after his 92 birthday. His charm is as disarming as his hospitality is gracious. And, though his accent is a little overpowering, his intentions are unmistakeable — he loves the United States, the state of Alabama, Crimson Tide foot-

12

September / October 2011

ball and the Alabama poultry industry.

John Udaka came to Gadsden, Ala. by a long and sometimes dangerous route. Born in Portland, Ore. in 1918, at age 5, he traveled with his parents back to their native Japan when they inherited a family farm near Hiroshima. John, as a native born American, however, retained his American citizenship.

In 1925, Dr. Kioyshi Masui, of the University of Tokyo, discovered the process of sexing chicks by genital eminence. This discovery caused some excitement among poultrymen in Japan. Unfortunately the process of determining the sex was time consuming and often

Alabama Poultry Magazine

resulted in the death of the chick. However, a few years later, some Japanese poultrymen perfected the process so that it could be used in the poultry industry. It was not long before chick sexing was firmly established in Japan.

In 1933, a team of Japanese experts gave demonstrations in the perfected Masui method at colleges in Canada, Oregon and California. That year chick sexing operations on a relatively large scale were begun in British Columbia. In addition, a demonstration at a convention in Michigan was followed by dissection which showed 100 percent accuracy by the Japanese team.

This success assured the commercial feasibility of the method.

Udaka learned chick sexing at the original school in Nagoya, Japan, under the tutelage of Dr. Masui himself.

Of Dr. Masui, Udaka says, “he was one of my most respected teachers.” After passing his first class sexer’s test in Japan in 1939, he returned to the United States.

His greatest reason for returning was his growing alarm over rampant Japanese militarism and concern that he might become involved.

He returned to the Portland area, and, for a time, worked on the railroad. Soon, however, he completed the official test given by the International Baby Chick Association given under the supervision of the Alabama Polytechnical Institute, now Auburn University.

Udaka found employment with Hilckmeyer Brothers’ Hatchery in Birmingham, Ala., the largest chain hatchery in the south at that time. However, that employment was to be cut short by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941.

By the spring of 1942, Udaka found himself a U.S. Army draftee at Ft. McClellan in Anniston, Ala., for basic training. He was the only oriental in his training battalion.

The fact that Udaka was of Japanese ancestry brought him under intense scrutiny, especially since he had lived for so long in Japan. The FBI photographed and fingerprinted him and grilled him about living in Japan. “Because I was Japanese, they thought I was a spy,” he said. He was able to convince them of his loyalty to the United States.

From Ft. McClellan, he was sent to Camp Shelby, Miss., and then to the European Theatre as a part of the famed 442 Regimental Combat Team with the rank of sergeant. The team was composed entirely of JapaneseAmerican troops. It arrived in Italy in June of 1944 and

by September was heavily involved in fighting.

In May of 1945, Sergeant Udaka was leading his

We don't give a damn! We'll round up the Huns At the point of our guns, And vict'ry will be ours! GO FOR BROKE! 442 Regimental fight song

Pvt. John Udaka at Fort McClelland with the 442 regimental unit patch and his medals

The 442 Regimental Combat Team was composed entirely of Japanese-American troops, although many of their officers were caucasians. At Camp Shelby, Miss., where they trained, they were given the most menial duties, such as digging ditches and latrines. They came under repeated harassment and were required to constantly reaffirm their loyalty oaths as American soldiers.

According to Udaka, one of the worst indignities was having to sleep in tents during the winter while the rest of the post was quartered in heated barracks.

Once in combat, the unit proved its loyalty and will to fight. For its size, it was the most decorated unit in the U.S. Army, with 21 Medals of Honor. It also had one of the highest casualty rates, with 9,486 Purple Hearts for the more than 14,000 men who served in the regiment during World War II. Its exploits were memorialized in a Hollywood movie, Go For Broke, starring Van Johnson. The “go for broke spirit” characterized the units fighting spirit and willingness to take on the Germans at every opportunity.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

13

John Udaka at the Japan Poultry Federation in Nagoya, Japan, the original chick sexing school, in 1939

squad up a rocky slope near Mt. Bellinilla in Italy’s Po River Valley when German artillery opened up on them.

A crashing 88 mm shell exploded to the front of his unit killing a number of his men and wounding him severely.

“To protect myself, I fell face down,” he said, “and the shrapnel hit me along the back and legs. It also hit my right arm where I carried my rifle.”

He realized that he had been wounded when he saw blood pouring from his right arm. After that, the memories grow hazy. After being treated at a field hospital, he was transfered to a hospital in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he finally regained full conciousness. He spent a year in the hospital recovering from his wounds. Doctors told him that if they removed all of the shrapnel from his legs, back and right arm that there would be nothing left.

It was in the hospital that he learned of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It would be many months before he would learn that his family had survived. A mountain that separated their farm from the city saved them from destruction.

Udaka’s adopted sister, Eiko, who is also his cousin, lost both parents in the bombing. She remembers being told that her adoptive parents paid little attention to the rumble that came from Hiroshima that August morning.

After his discharge and still weak from his wounds, Udaka accompanied a friend on a trip to Chicago. In

14

September / October 2011

Chicago, he was introduced to Mieko Fujiswara, a Japanese-American girl from California. Mieko’s family had been living in Fresno prior to the outbreak of the war. The prosperous family owned a hotel and a vineyard.

Soon after the war began, as was the case with most Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast, they were moved from their home and sent to an internment camp in Arkansas. They were forced to remain there until the end of the war, and subsequently losing their California home.

The attraction must have been immediate and mutual, because it wasn’t long before they were married.

She was very instrumental in his recovery from his wounds. “I was so thin,” he said, “she thought the wind would blow me away.”

Meiko’s family invited Udaka to join them in the family’s new dry cleaning business in Chicago, but his heart was in chick sexing. Shortly after the couple’s daughter, Clare, was born, they move back to the south where he took up his job with Hilckmeyer Brothers’ Hatchery, first in Tennessee and then in Texas. During this time, he also taught Mieko to sex chicks.

Clare remembers her mother taking her to work in the hatchery and making a pallet for her out of cardboard box tops, and having baby chicks as playthings. She also remembers the day in Texas that her mother found a tarantula near her play area. It was time to leave Texas.

Udaka had become so skilled at chick sexing that in 1949, he was invited to Belgium and France to demonstrate his technique. He even appeared at the World Fowls Exposition in Paris.

In 1958, the Udakas established an independent chick sexing service, the first of its kind, working in north Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. They established a base in Gadsden, where they built a home.

Gadsden was not without its difficulties. There was still a good deal of distrust and resentment toward anyone of Japanese heritage. Clare suffered a lot of teasing in school. School-yard taunts and being called “Jap” were not uncommon. Still the family persevered.

Mieko’s English was excellent, and she insisted that Clare’s be as well. There was a time when the family tried to speak Japanese at home, but wanting to be truly American, the Udaka home became “English only.”

While Udaka ran the chick sexing part of the business, Mieko ran the business. Her excellent communication and organizational skills allowed her to handle all of the communications with the various hatcheries, as well as the financial aspects of the business.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Mieko Udaka shortly after the couple came to Gadsden

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

15

The business grew rapidly, and, although they had a number of experienced chick sexers, it was necessary to hire more. Udaka reached out to Japan to his sister Eiko. She had been trained in Japan and was ready to join her brother’s business.

Several years later, Eiko married another Japanese chick sexer, Fujiaka Honda. He became a part of the business as well.

Eventually, Clare and her husband, Gary Chandler, who both attended the University of Alabama, were trained and became a part of the family business that serviced dozens of hatcheries in three states.

The work has always been long and hard with accuracy an essential. An accuracy rate of 98 percent is barely acceptable. Speed also is important with crew members expected to sex 800 to 1,000 chicks per hour.

Even today, they sit for three hours at a time, hunched over crates of minutes-old chicks under high powered lights. Each chick gets a light squeeze to expel the meconium from its vent and then is inverted for inspection. There are 32 variations in the organs that can present and the sexer must be familiar with each presentation to determine the chick’s sex.

The pullets go into the white crates and the cockerels go into the yellow crates. After a 30-minute break, it’s back to work until the last chick is sexed. It’s the Udaka motto, “Every Chick Counts.”

In 1987, Mieko died in a tragic automobile accident.

By this time, she had developed crippling arthritis in her hands with her fingers forming into a natural chick holding shape. Clare says that her mother loved the work.

“We always thought that she would die with a chick in her hands,” Clare said.

Shortly after Mieko’s death, Udaka, who was also badly injured in the accident, turned over the business operation to Clare and Gary. Today, there are 34 crew members servicing hatcheries in north Alabama and into Tennessee.

John Udaka’s contribution to the Alabama poultry industry is significant and ongoing. His work has facilitated the growth of elite breeders such as Aviagen and Hubbard, as well as smaller breeders. This good work continues with the Chandlers.

John Udaka’s contribution to his country and community is outstanding. The blood he shed for his country in Italy and the shrapnel he still carries in his legs offers a living testimony of his devotion to his country and full fledged membership in, what has been called, “America’s Greatest Generation.” Thank you, John Udaka.

Fujiaka Honda, John Udaka’s brother-in-law, sexes chicks at Aviagen’s Talladega hatchery. Pullets go in the white crate and cockerels go in the yellow crate. (Bellow) Each sexer has his own style of handling the chicks. Honda handles two chicks at a time. Here he examines the vent of one while holding another chick in his right hand. He can sex more that 1,000 an hour.

Go For Broke!

16

September / October 2011

Alabama Poultry Magazine

RECIPES

Fall Chicken Recipes are Quick and Easy After a hot summer away from the stove, fall is the season when many of us start cooking again. But as schedules fill up with the new routine, extra time to spend in the kitchen may be in short supply. For those busy back-to-school weeknights, or during the weekends and celebrations of autumn, chicken is the solution for quick-but-tasty dishes that reflect the cooler weather.

From the National Chicken Council of Washington, D.C., here are three new seasonal chicken recipes, all easy to pull together when time is tight.

Two easy weeknight meals that are tasty enough for special occasions are Chicken Paillards with Porcini-Cider Sauce and Warm Chicken-Lentil Salad. Chicken “paillards� are simply chicken breast halves, flattened to enlarge and ensure even cooking. In this recipe, dried porcini mushrooms that have been reconstituted in water combine with shallots, balsamic vinegar, thyme and apple cider to make an accompanying sauce. Serve this dish over rice or couscous so that the delicious sauce is further absorbed.

Chicken Paillards with Porcini-Cider Sauce Serves 4

4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless, pounded thin 2 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided 1 shallot, minced 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in 1 cup boiling water 1/4 cup apple cider 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced, plus more for garnish Preheat oven 200 degrees F. Place flour in a shallow bowl; season with salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken paillard in flour, shaking off excess. Strain reconstituted porcinis, saving liquid. Chop porcinis and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to an ovenproof plate and keep warm in the oven.

Add remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan over medium heat, add shallots and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Turn heat to high and add the balsamic vinegar, porcini liquid and apple cider. Stir to incorporate any browned bits in the pan and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and add mushrooms and thyme leaves to sauce. Allow to simmer until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place one chicken paillard on each plate and top with some of the porcini-cider sauce. Garnish with additional thyme sprigs before serving.

18

September / October 2011

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Warm Chicken-Lentil Salad is a healthful and delicious entrée salad. Prepare green lentils by boiling to soften, and pan-sauté a pound of chicken tenders until crisp. Toss with a mix of cooked garlic and chopped celery and onion, and top with a bottled salad dressing and parsley. This salad can be a perfect one-dish meal, or serve along with a cooked vegetable and crusty bread.

Warm Chicken-Lentil Salad Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (8-12 tenders) 1 cup French green lentils 3 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 small onion, diced 1 stalk celery, chopped 1/4 cup purchased red wine vinaigrette salad dressing 1/4 cup minced Italian parsley In a medium sized saute pan with a tight fitting lid, combine lentils, water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring water and lentils to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

While lentils cook, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add garlic, onions and celery and sauté until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables to a medium sized bowl.

In same pan used to cook vegetables, heat remaining oil over medium high heat. Season chicken tenders with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place in heated pan. Saute on both sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.

When lentils are tender, drain any liquid, and add lentils to vegetables. Stir in dressing and parsley, mix well.

Spoon lentils onto a serving platter and top with chicken tenders.

If a crowd is gathering at your house to watch a football game, Lemon-Pesto Chicken Wings are certain to be a hit.

Simply bake a batch of wings and toss with a sauce made by combining bottled pesto sauce, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Serve as part of a buffet or as an entrée along with pasta and a green salad.

Lemon-Pesto Chicken Wings Serves 4

4 pounds chicken wings, tips removed 3/4 cup store-bought basil pesto

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place wings in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until wings are well browned and crispy.

While wings are roasting, combine pesto, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and lemon zest (the peel without any of the white pith) in a bowl large enough to hold all wings.

When wings are finished, remove from oven and place in pesto mixture. Toss to coat well.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

19

Another Grandson For Wanda SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 – AP&EA Administrative Director Wanda Linker proudly showed off the latest addition to her family, Sean Gibson Baker, at the Association office. Master Sean arrived at 7:24 a.m., August 10, on his grandaddy's (Mike’s) birthday, weighing in at 9 lbs. 1 oz., 21 3/4 inches long. The proud parents are, Wanda and Mike’s daughter, Lindsey, and her husband, Jared Baker, of Clanton.

Also welcoming Sean was his big brother, Michael.

Congratulations to Wanda and Mike on another fine addition to the Linker clan.

20

September / October 2011

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Auburn News

NPTC Holds Poultry Housing Short Course AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Oct. 3-5, 2011 – The National Poultry Technology Center conducted a three-day housing short course for professionals working in all aspects of the poultry house construction business. With more than 125 enrolled from poultry growing areas accross the nation, and featuring internationally recognized experts in the field, the short course focus was on Construction, Retrofitting and Energy Conservation.

Topics covered included: Permitting for Poultry Farms; Structural Design Consideration for Poultry House Construction; Budgets for Broiler, Breeder and Pullet Farms; Building Materials and Site Preparation for Poultry House Structures; plus many more.

It was an intense three days. Even during breaks, the conversations with speakers continued, as participants tried to glean every possible bit of information that they could.

Congratulations to the NPTC for conducting this important event.

A Note of Congratulations Jess Campbell completed all requirements for his PhD on October 26, and will be awarded the degree at the Auburn University graduation in December. Jess has been employed by Auburn University for over ten years. He first served as a research associate and technician in the biosystems engineering department and is currently serving as a poultry housing specialist and program manager for the National Poultry Technology Center in the College of Agriculture. Congratulations, Jess!

Congratulations also go out to the poultry science faculty members who were honored at the Poultry Science Association’s 100th annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo., in July. Ed Moran earned the Merial Distinguished Poultry Industry Award and Joe Hess was presented the Phibro Extension Award. Sacit “Sarge” Bilgili was named a Poultry Science Association Fellow.

Top Forage Professionals Featured at 2011 Alabama Forage Conference Farmers from Alabama and the Southeast have the opportunity to hear from leaders in forage production at the 2011 Alabama Forage Conference, being held in north Alabama.

Kent Stanford, a specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says the conference provides producers with an excellent opportunity to learn the latest infor-

mation and research on forages and grazing management from.

“It’s a great one day conference at an excellent cost,” says Stanford.

“For example, Dr. John Jennings with Arkansas Extension will talk about ways to extend the grazing season.”

The Dec. 1 conference will be held at Lake Guntersville State Park in Guntersville. Registration begins

Alabama Poultry Magazine

at 7:30 a.m. Registration before November 18 is $25 per person and includes lunch; the fee is $30 per person after that date.

For more information about the conference or if you are interested in having an exhibit, contact Eddie Jolley at (334) 887-4564 or at eddie.jolley@al.usda.gov; Kent Stanford at (256) 557-1206 or stanfmk@auburn.edu.

September / October 2011

21

Auburn Poultry Science Recruiting Barbecue AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Sept 25, 2011 – It was all smiles and “War Eagle” whoops as 150 prospective students and their parents mingled with professors and alumni at the annual department of poultry science recruiting barbecue just prior to the Auburn–Florida Atlantic football game.

Poultry science department head, Dr. Don Connor, welcomed everyone to the event, held for the first time in Ham Wilson Arena, just blocks from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

22

September / October 2011

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Department of Poultry Science Hires New Recruiter AUBURN UNIVERSITY – The department of poultry science is pleased on announce that Codi Plaster has joined the department as coordinator of student services.

Her primary responsibility will be student recruitment.

Codi is a graduate of Auburn University and has a strong background in working with and recruiting students to Auburn. “I am very impressed with Codi’s qualifications, especially her heart for working with students and her commitment to the Auburn Family. I am very excited to have her as part of our department,” said Dr. Don Conner, head of the department.

Codi adds, “I am humbled and excited to join the department of poultry science. During my time as an student at Auburn I had the opportunity to serve in positions of recruitment and orientation, which strengthened my love for Auburn and expanded my knowledge of opportunities for students such as scholarships, academics, and involvement. Our department has so much to offer and has a strong foundation for recruitment, and I hope to continue that tradition of excellence. I want to equip students with the skills they need for applying to

college and, of course, to succeed once they arrive. In addition to all of the events sponsored by the department and the College of Agriculture, I will be developing programs specifically tailored to recruit great students.

I look forward to connecting with our Poultry science’s Codi Plaster alumni, students, faculty, and of course, prospective students and their families – War Eagle!”

In addition to student recruiting, Codi will be assisting with a number of other student related activities including working with the Poultry Science Club, advising the department’s Scholarship Committee, and organizing Career Development Events, just to name a few.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

23

Practical Applications J.B. Hess, K.S. Macklin, J.P. Blake, W.D. Berry and R.J. Lien – Poultry Science Department, Auburn University

Dictionaries define quality as “the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind.” As such, chick quality is a semi-quantitative measure that describes the readiness of a group of dayold broilers to adapt to the rigors of life in a broiler house. There are several definitions for the word “chick” and we got some interesting internet hits in looking up background information for this article.

Poultry industry tech people have developed a number of ways of categorizing hatchlings to standardize measures of chick quality. Over time, day-old body weight, seven-day mortality and/or 14-day mortality were routinely used to follow chick quality. More recently, rectal temperature (104 to 105 F is normal) and chick length have been used to monitor early bird vitality. Chick length is a repeatable measure well correlated with later broiler performance (Figure 1). Also, chick length measurement (stretched out from tip of beak to longest toe) is an easy and quick measurement to take on a number of birds. Others have used shank length in place of chick length as a repeatable measure of chick size.

Day-old chick weight is often used to gauge chick

quality, and larger chicks are often easier to brood, but chick weight cannot determine chick development as closely as some other day-old measurements. For instance, a chick containing a large amount of absorbed yolk (internalized yolk may weigh from two to eight grams) may weigh as much as another chick that has used that yolk material to build body tissues. The latter chick will probably perform slightly better in both the short and long term. The advantage of day-old chick weight is that it is much easier to do than measuring chick length individually. In general, side-by-side com-

24

September / October 2011

parisons of chick length and day-old chick weight indicate that both are reasonable predictors of chick quality.

In addition, chick length and chick weight track closely with each other, indicating that either may be useful in monitoring chick quality.

Determining the health and vigor of an individual chick is relatively straight forward, predicting the performance of 100,000 chicks based on breeder, incubation, transport and house conditions can be more troublesome and less accurate. Chick quality is affected by each of the above-mentioned phases of broiler production and the combined effects determine how birds respond to brooding.

Information from the www.cfo.on.ca (info@ontariochicken.ca) website reminds us that “Early livability is a shared responsibility.

The outcome is based on the combined efforts of the breeder, hatchery and farmer with a number of different factors influencing each step along the way.” Most chick quality assessment tools utilize a number of factors to determine chick quality, with activity, down (wet or dry), closed navel, distended belly and condition of the eyes (bright, open) and legs (ability to stand, red hocks) considered. These areas are weighted differently and eye, navel and leg assessments often receive high weightings. Programs such as the Pasgar-score, which give weightings to these generally subjective measurements, allow for more repeatable measurements of chick quality.

Eggs from young breeders are often blamed for poor early chick survivability. While chicks hatched from eggs laid by young breeders are generally small and need extra care during brooding, they also come from eggs with stronger shells and, therefore, have reduced bacterial problems. Integrators remove the smallest eggs from the hatching process as breeders come into production, but must start setting eggs from young hens eventually to avoid high hatching egg costs and to provide enough chicks to keep broiler growers’ houses full.

Mike Eckman always pointed out that each grower must occasionally take their batch of chicks hatched from young hens and spend the extra time necessary to brood the small chicks successfully. The best chicks come from breeders in the middle of their production cycle, while chicks from late-production hens show increased bacterial problems due to decreases in shell quality that come naturally as the hens age. Each grower will re-

Alabama Poultry Magazine

ceive chicks from the various breeder age categories over the course of a year’s growouts.

It’s amazing how quickly the broiler industry delivers chicks to the farm after hatch. This is facilitated by working with farmers within a certain radius of the hatchery, feed mill and processing plant. Despite this, a chick that hatched early in the hatching cycle may have waited 48 hours from the time it actually hatched until it is placed on food and water. Since all chicks do not hatch at the same time, logistics does play a role in placement times. New technologies available in the hatchery include adding a hydration/nutrition block to each chick box. This allows birds access to some early nutrients and moisture if they must be held longer than normal. Other commercial operations are looking at holding chicks for longer periods (several days) in brooding units in the hatchery complex before delivery to strengthen the chicks and get them on feed and water sooner.

If there are noticeable numbers of unhealed navels, sticky chicks, red hocks, big bellies or red dots on the chicks’ beaks, growers should notify their serviceperson to let the poultry company know. Many times, small modifications in the hatchery can help to reduce these problems if they are commonly popping up in the field.

One area of chick handling that requires constant supervision is delivery. Over the years, the poultry industry has continually improved the quality of the chick buses used to deliver chicks. Despite this, transportation can have negative effects on early chick health unless constant attention is paid to the micro-environment in the chick boxes. Managing chick bus environment is one of the “arts” involved in poultry husbandry as everchanging weather conditions require fine-tuning of the bus environment to keep chicks healthy. New growers often worry about chick health when chicks are dumped unceremoniously onto feed trays or chick paper in the house. It must be remembered that young chicks weigh very little and don’t have the mass necessary to hurt themselves during a fall. In addition, their bones are still quite flexible at this age since they are not fully calcified. Anyone who has watched a wood duck duckling jump 20 feet from its nest hole and bounce on landing on its day of hatch will understand this concept. Also, the sooner chicks are place in a warmed house with access to feed and water, the sooner they will settle down and become comfortable (and productive).

A lot of importance has been placed on house preparation and brooding in getting chicks off to a good start.

This topic has not been over-stressed as day-old chicks

26

September / October 2011

require exacting conditions to set the stage for later growth performance. Research completed by Sarge Bilgili and Don Mulvaney at Auburn has shown that breast meat yield potential is increased if conditions are perfect during the first several days of a chick’s life. The first three days apparently are crucial to what that broiler will do late in the growout and through processing at the plant. Growers must balance temperature, ventilation and litter quality to make sure that birds get the best start possible. Having litter, feed and water warmed to brooding temperature is crucial to getting chicks to move around, explore their surroundings, and develop good eating and drinking patterns, particularly if they are on the small side to begin with. Many sources point to the establishment of good eating and drinking patterns as crucial to early chick vitality (Figures 2 and 3) and long-term performance as well.

Chick quality will always be an important field measurement and poultry companies are going to continue to put emphasis in this area to increase bird productivity. To optimize chick quality, top performance is necessary from the breeder farm, hatchery, delivery and brooding on the broiler farm. Growers can maximize the pounds of broiler through their houses by attention to all aspects of brooding.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Dennis Brothers, John D. Hyde P.E.,* Jess Campbell, Gene Simpson, James Donald – National Poultry Technology Center, Auburn University

Recent storm events caused serious damage on numerous poultry farms across the Southeastern U.S. From the snow storms early in the year to the infamous April 27th tornados that especially hit Alabama hard, this region’s poultry structures have “weathered” more than their fair share of storms. A lot has been learned from these storm events. Both good and not so good aspects of poultry house construction have been brought to light. The industry has seen some houses take minimal damage in the face of heavy storm impact while some houses sustained substantial damage – up to total structural failure – from seemingly lighter storm activity. The obvious question to ask is “What exactly was learned from this?” The answer has two parts: 1. There is no way to totally remove all weather related risk from a poultry grow-out structure.

There is no poultry structure that anyone can design or build, suitable and affordable for poultry production, that will withstand a direct hit from an EF-3 or greater tornado.

2. One can, however, remove a large portion of the risk by building to the International Building Code (IBC) design criteria and carefully monitoring the process to insure it is carried out properly.

The IBC guidelines are based on weather data for specific regions over time. By building to IBC regional standards, growers can have a high degree of confidence that their poultry houses will be capable of standing up to the types of severe weather events accounted for under these guidelines.

We at the NPTC are keenly aware of the impact these facts will have on our region’s, and the nation’s, poultry industry. It is imperative for all stakeholders involved – grower, integrator, banker and insurer alike – to benefit from the lessons learned from the recent storm activity. In this article, we will leave the question of future building standards for later discussion, focusing on the more immediately pressing question, “In light of these lessons learned, what should growers be doing now to protect their existing houses from the future storms that assuredly will come and may be even more severe?” We note that this applies to all poultry farms, not just those hit by the recent storms.

The poultry house attic is a critically important part of the house and is the most often overlooked. In a worst case scenario, a single failure of a single truss member could eventually cause the total collapse of the house.

Growers should thoroughly inspect truss systems on a regular basis to spot weaknesses on their way to becoming disasters.

If repairs are needed or have recently been done, growers should make sure they are done properly, closely inspecting houses following repairs.

Looking for potential problems?

Good idea – Start in the attic INSPECT THE ATTIC REGULARLY should be on every grower’s house management priority list. This point cannot be overemphasized. More specifically, after any major wind or snow event, an attic inspection should be high on the list of priorities. The only way to avoid catastrophic events is close inspection and proper repair.

It is probable that poultry houses that sustained repairable damage from the recent storm events will have had repairs completed by now. Assuming that those repairs were made by reputable contractors under close supervision of the farm owner, those growers are back to “business as usual.” However, for every grower out there who sustained damage, a strong word of caution is warranted – make sure your repairs were made properly and will stand the test of time and future storms. *John D. Hyde, P.E. is a consulting structural engineer headquartered in Arab, Ala.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

27

We encourage every grower to closely inspect his poultry houses after a repair has been made. Good craftsmanship stands out. Poor craftsmanship does as well. Unfortunately, the nature of a poultry house allows for some aspects of poor craftsmanship to be hidden from normal view. The first and easiest place that poor craftsmanship can be hidden is in the poultry house attic, which too often suffers from “out of sight, out of mind” neglect. The attic area is also where the most critical damage can be hidden from normal view.

In a worst case scenario, a single failure of a single truss member in the attic could eventually cause the total collapse of the poultry house. Unaddressed failure or weakness of one member will cause undue stress on the attached members and adjacent trusses, eventually leading to a much more widespread failure. In the photo on page 27, for example, failure in the bottom chord of one truss put excessive load on and caused failure of adjoining trusses in a kind of domino effect, almost literally “unzipping” the house.

What causes minor failures that turn into major ones?

Storm events, including heavy snowfall, winds or rain, are a common cause of minor structural problems in the roof system, problems which may exist even if no major damage is visible from the outside. The other main cause is the normal aging and degradation of the wood structural members and the fasteners associated with them. When moisture from roof leaks or ceiling holes is introduced into the attic, this degradation process is accelerated.

Knowing what to look for is important. The galvanized metal nailing plates that hold the truss members together are a main area of concern and should be closely inspected. The increased stress they are put under during a wind or snow event can cause them to pull loose from the truss. Moisture from roof leaks or inside air leakage into the attic can cause corrosion on these truss plates and lessen their holding ability. If one of these nailing plates begins to pull out, the truss will deform so that it is no longer carrying its designed full load. This will cause increased stress load on the adjacent trusses, which can over time cause those trusses to fail – eventually leading to collapse.

That domino effect is why it is so important to spot and repair truss weaknesses or failures.The key is to make the right repair at the right time.

28

September / October 2011

Repair, or replace?

One must first decide if repair of the existing truss is possible or if truss replacement is needed. If multiple parts on any one truss have failed, then replacement of that truss is highly recommended. It is generally not recommended to scab a broken top or bottom chord without an engineer’s inspection and recommendation to do so.

When in doubt, opt for replacing the truss. Replacement can usually be accomplished by simply removing the metal roofing over the broken truss/trusses and moving a new truss into position beside or in place of the broken one.

Repair mistakes you don’t want to make It is important that any repair makes the truss as strong, or stronger, than it was originally. An inferior repair will only delay the inevitable failure of the system.

The truss must first be pulled back into a position that matches its original shape as closely as possible. Then any nailing plates that are loose must be plated over with plywood. The mistakes made most often with this repair are: 1. Plating the truss joint with lightweight plywood or OSB; 2. Using plywood pieces that are too small: 3. Plating only one side of the truss: and 4. Not using enough fasteners.

Making repairs you can trust Applying plywood plating is a key repair strategy: use at least 3/8-inch plywood (not OSB) cut to at least two times the size of the metal nailing plate being repaired. A plate needs to be fastened on both sides of the

This photo shows an acceptable truss repair in progress. The plate is 3/8-inch plywood of significant size being applied with numerous fasteners on each truss member. This repair will be complete when a matching plate is similarly applied to the other side.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

Moisture is the enemy in a poultry house attic. Humid “bird air� like that leaking around the attic access panel in the left photo causes the metal nailing plates to corrode and wooden members to show early signs of rot. Roof leaks seen in the right hand photo can also cause truss members and purlins to rot.

truss with not less than six 1-1/4 inch 12d nails in each lumber member under it.

While it is generally not recommended to scab a broken top or bottom chord, broken interior web bracing members can be easily scabbed. Make sure such scabs are at least half the original member’s length and fastened with at least six 16d nails on both sides of a break or crack.

Growers should also look at the lathe or purlins while in the attic. Check for rot, breaks or pulling up from the truss. While single instances of lathe failure usually are not much to worry about, multiple failures in the purlins can add to the stress on the truss system and contribute to a total failure. Such lathe failures can be symptomatic of larger roof failures. If multiple lathe issues are found, closer inspection of the remaining roof system is needed.

Once the attic has been thoroughly inspected, some inspection time on the roof is necessary. Check for loose nails and screws over the entire roof. Roofing nails and screws naturally back out over time. They can be easily replaced or repaired as needed. This type of backing out will usually be seen scattered in no particular place or order over the entire roof. However, if you observe a high percentage of nails or screws backed out in one particular area and other adjacent areas appear normal, then there may have been a weather event that caused some damage. Further inspection is needed in this case, particularly in the attic.

As has been mentioned, one of the main causes of roof system failures is roof leakage over time. One minor leak is nothing to get upset about, but multiple, persistent leaks in a confined area can lead to other damage in the future. If found and addressed quickly, repairs are typically minor in these cases.

The truss plates on these trusses above are in the first stage of failure, beginning to pull out and allow the trusses to deform. Neither of these trusses showed any sign of a problem from the outside of the house. Only through close attic inspection can this be found. This may be the result of a storm event or normal aging.

The Bottom Line No poultry building will last forever. However, it is of utmost importance to the poultry grower operating in the current economy to maximize the usable life of his poultry house. The one factor most limiting this lifespan is maintenance and upkeep. The truss system in the attic is the most critical element contributing to the structural integrity of the roof and the house as a whole. The best weapon the grower has to fight this battle is constant vigilance.

Alabama Poultry Magazine

September / October 2011

29

Maryland Farm Family ... Continued from pg. 6

This photo illustrates an inferior repair attempt. Notice the bottom chord of the truss on the left hand side down in the insulation. The 1/4-inch finish plywood plate, on one side, with a few nails, did not hold this truss together as the grower intended. This repair might have been successful if the plates had been 3/8-inch thick plywood, installed on both sides of the truss, and a sufficient number of fasteners installed.

small family farm and put them under in this situation, then everybody’s at risk,” she warned. “Part of the risk is they have to bow out early because they don’t have the money to go on. They may agree to something that would affect the rest of the farm community – it could be a term of contracts in the future. It’s important that we all pitch in and help the Hudsons so we can get to the end.”

Alan and Kristin Hudson of Berlin, Md., are defending themselves against a lawsuit by the national Waterkeeper Alliance. Maryland Farm Bureau says that if the Hudsons can be targeted and put under by the lawsuit, no farmer is safe.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Alabama Forage and Grassland Conference December 1, 2011- Lake Guntersville State Park, For info contact Eddie Jolley, NRCS, 334-887-4564 AP&EA Executive Committee Meeting December 8, 2011, AP&EA Office AP&EA Christmas Open House December 8, 2011, AP&EA Office AP&EA Board of Directors Meeting December 9, 2011, AP&EA Office

This photo shows an acceptable plating repair of a truss whose center metal truss plates had come loose. Numerous screws were used instead of nails in the plywood plates. A matching plate on the other side makes this truss as strong or stronger than it was prior to the damage. However, these large plates do restrict attic access for future inspection.

Making it a habit to inspect the building – and especially the truss system in the attic – with “fresh eyes” from time to time can make growers aware of issues while they are small and repairable with the least amount of time and money.

NOTICE We are in the process of updating all of our grower lists, and, after the November/December edition of the magazine, only current paid members will receive the magazine. If you do not receive the magazine and feel as though you should be receiving it, please contact us at 334-265-2732 or you can email us at ray@alabamapoultry.org

30

September / October 2011

International Poultry Expo January 24 - 26, 2012, Atlanta, Ga.

County Association Meetings Clay County Poultry & Egg Association December 13, 2011– 6:30 p.m.

Miss Anita’s Café, Lineville Central Alabama Poultry & Egg Association January 19, 2012 – 6:30 p.m.

Beeland Park, Greenville

ADVERTISING INDEX Agrifan AirTight Alabama Ag/ Alabama Farm Credit American Proteins Aviagen Daughtry Insurance Agency First Financial Bank First South Farm Credit Jones-Hamilton PLT Lee Energy Solutions Nathan Nixon Insurance Agency Randy Jones Insurance Agency

Alabama Poultry Magazine

pg. pg.

15 20

pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg. pg.

6 31 15 23 22 5 25 2 17 32