Poultry Times June 4 2012 Edition

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June 4, 2012

Poultry Times

June 4, 2012 Volume 59, Number 12 www.poultrytimes.net

Missouri enacts law aimed at videos

By Barbara Olejnik Poultry Times Staff

bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri has become the third state to pass legislation directed at undercover videos which allege animal abuse.

On May 17, the Missouri Senate voted 25-5 for final passage of the bill, which was a watered-down version of one proposed in the Missouri House.

The legislation, contained in an omnibus agricultural law, states that “employees of animal agricultural operations who videotape what they suspect is animal abuse must provide the recording to a law enforcement agency within 24 hours. Any such recordings must

not be edited in any way. An intentional violation of the act is a Class A misdemeanor.”

The original state House bill would have criminalized undercover videos and prevented animal rights activists from lying on job applications or using false pretenses to gain access to a livestock farm or facility.

Missouri follows Iowa and Utah in passing legislation aimed at undercover videotaping.

On March 20, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed legislation into law which criminalizes undercover videos or photographs of agricultural operations. The law states that agricultural operations means property used for livestock, poultry, livestock products or poultry products.

A violation of the law is a misdemeanor and results in a fine and the possibility of up to a year in jail.

Iowa’s Gov. Terry Branstad signed that state’s legislation into law on March 2. The Iowa bill criminalizes the act of surreptitiously getting into a farming operation to videotape animal abuse.

In the bill, the penalty for lying on a job application to gain access to an Iowa farm facility increases to a serious misdemeanor in the bill, and a second conviction makes it an aggravated misdemeanor. A serious misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $1,500 and up to a year imprisonment, while an aggravated misdemeanor can be punished by a fine of up to $5,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.

Poultry house ‘energy hogs’

By Dr. J. Timmons, R. Nottingham & J. Rhodes Special to Poultry Times

SALISBURY, Md. — Energy costs are usually the largest single out-of-pocket expense for poultry growers. Unfortunately, electricity prices continue to increase.

Using electricity more efficiently Dr. Jennifer Timmons is a regional poultry specialist, Richard Nottingham and Jenny Rhodes are Extension educators, all with the University of Maryland Lower Eastern Shore Research and Education Center in Salisbury, Md.

HOUSING & EQUIPMENT while maintaining flock performance is one alternative a grower has to decrease energy costs. Maintaining and managing existing equipment can reduce electricity usage with little input costs.

Did you know...? l That one dirty tunnel fan can decrease fan efficiency, and can cost about $35/fan/year. A poultry house with 10 dirty tunnel fans can cost $350/year. Not

only are dirty fans moving less air through the house, they also increase energy consumption. l Dirty fans and shutters have a negative impact on flock performance. A study by researchers at Mississippi States (Simmons et al., 2003) reported that a 30 percent reduction in tunnel air velocity had a negative impact on bird performance. Body weight gain of birds decreased by 5 percent, and feed conversion was 5.5 percent higher in birds exposed to lower air velocity. l Leaving fans on after a flock has moved can also cost you money. If four tunnel fans are left on in an empty house

See Energy, Page 8

Photo by Gary Meek

Chicken talk: Wayne Daley, a Georgia Tech Research Institute principal research scientist, left, and Casey Ritz, a University of Georgia associate professor of poultry science, prepare to record vocalizations of a small flock of chickens at the University of Georgia’s Poultry Research Center.

Listening to chickens could improve poultry production ATLANTA — Chickens can’t speak, but they can definitely make themselves heard. Most people who have visited a poultry farm will recall chicken vocalization — the technical term for clucking and squawking – as a memorable part of the experience.

Researchers now believe that such avian expressiveness may be more than idle chatter. A collaborative project being conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia is investigating whether the birds’ volubility can provide clues to how healthy and comfortable they are.

And that could be valuable information. Economically, chickens rule the roost in Georgia, where poultry is the top agricultural product with an estimated annual impact of nearly $20 billion statewide.

See Talk, Page 12

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POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Report: Beef is taking a back burner to chicken CHICAGO — Beef may not be ‘what’s for dinner.’ After the recent report of mad cow disease in California, combined with the bad press that is already looming over the beef industry from ‘pink slime’ — the beloved chicken might be making a resurgence on the foodservice scene, according to latest research from Mintel.

“In addition to the recent health-related issues surrounding beef, and the already high beef prices, we expect restaurants to start focusing their attention on other proteins,” says Kathy Hayden, foodservice analyst at Mintel. “Steakhouses have been struggling in this rough economy and have tried to compensate by offering smaller cuts or more

“surf and turf” options, but ultimately, chicken menu innovation is giving restaurant-goers a fresh and less expensive option while dining out.”

New data from Mintel Menu Insights shows the number of U.S. menu items with poultry as an ingredient has climbed an average of 12 percent in the past three years and is expected to continue to increase in the next one to two years. The greatest growth has come from the casual dining segment followed by fast casual eateries.

Chicken fingers are the top poultry dish and have shown a 10 percent increase on menus from Quarter 1 2009 to Quarter 1 2012, dominating QSR (quick serve

restaurants) and family/midscale settings, due in large part to children’s menus and appetizer lists. Buffalo wings continue to fly high in menu mentions, with a 19 percent increase in the same time frame. Where chicken sandwiches show a steep decline (-36 percent), chicken wraps are picking up the slack by increasing their menu mentions by 35 percent. Pizza is also jumping on the chicken bandwagon, with a 26 percent increase of chicken as

a pizza topping.

The new trend of chicken snacks is also taking menus by storm. From McDonald’s Chicken McBites to Whataburger’s new Whatachick’n Bites and White Castle’s Chicken Rings; snack-sized, dip-friendly chicken is a new part of the QSR roster.

With so much competition, better quality (full-pieced, white-meat) chicken and distinct sauces are emerging as the ways to set one brand apart from the next.

“Chicken is a versatile ingredient,” concludes Hayden.

“In the future, you can expect to see it used in more ways, from pulled chicken sandwiches and bowls to more homestyled meals, like pot pies and stews.”

Mintel’s Menu Insights database tracks flavor, ingredient, marketing and nutritional claims from the 350 largest U.S. chain restaurants and 150 independent restaurants.

Study: Chicken prices will rise in Mexico with import duties WASHINGTON — Retail chicken prices in Mexico will rise by 22.4 percent, the meat Consumer Price Index (CPI) will jump 7.2 percent and the food CPI by 1.9 percent, should the Mexican government implement duties on U.S. chicken leg quarter imports, according to a study released May 14 that assessed the likely impact of the duties on prices and inflation levels in Mexico, conducted by Dr. Dermot Hayes, professor of economics and finance at Iowa State University.

Early in 2011, three Mexican poultry companies petitioned the Mexican government to begin an antidumping investigation of imports of chicken leg quarters from the U.S., “frivolously” claiming that U.S. companies were exporting leg quarters to Mexico at below-market prices. The Mexican ministry announced its preliminary results with proposed duties on U.S. poultry ranging from 64 percent to 129 percent, according to a press release by the National Chicken Council.

The loss of this enormous leg market would damage the U.S.

chicken industry and competing meats, NCC stated. Mexico is the largest customer of U.S. poultry exports. If these tariff rates are indeed imposed in Mexico’s final determination, U.S. exports of chicken leg quarters to Mexico would decrease from about 250,000 metric tons per year to zero and would result in the loss of hundreds of U.S. jobs and a loss of $275 million annually for the U.S. poultry industry.

The Iowa State study examined what implementation of the duties would mean for Mexican consumers.

The availability of affordable U.S. leg quarters has allowed a significant portion of consumers in northern Mexico to include meat in their diets on a regular basis. This region is currently suffering from the aftermath of a severe drought and the widespread availability of affordable chicken legs has helped alleviate a severe shortage of food.

Results from the study indicate that in the short run, on an annualized basis, the duties will eliminate 250,000 metric tons of chicken leg quarters from the

market and replace them with 79,000 tons of imported whole chicken. Domestic consumption will fall by 163,000 tons, in part because chicken prices will rise by 22.4 percent. A 22.4 percent increase in chicken prices will increase the meat CPI by 7.2 percent, the food CPI by 1.9 percent and the overall CPI by 0.4 percent.

See Study, Page 8

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USDA launches streamlined label process WASHINGTON — USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection Service has launched a new web-based label approval system that will streamline the agency’s review process for meat, poultry and egg product labels.

The Label Submission Approval System (LSAS) will make it possible for food manufacturers to

submit label applications electronically, will flag application submission errors that could delay the approval process and will allow users to track the progress of their submission.

“This new system will expedite and simplify the review process for meat, poultry and egg product labels,” Undersecretary for Food

UEP establishes web site in support of egg legislation ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The United Egg Producers have launched http://www.EggBill.com, an informational web site promoting the passage of H.R. 3798, federal legislation supported by egg farmers and the egg industry to address cage specifications for layer hens.

The web site provides information and updates to help legislators, consumers, foodservice executives and retailers learn more about the proposed legislation currently before Congress. The site features expanded sections that educate visitors on enriched colony housing, as well as congressional, agricultural, editorial and scientific support for H.R. 3798, formally known as the “Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012.”

The bill will create a uniform national standard for animal housing in the egg industry. The legislation already has more than 60 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and has been introduced in the Senate.

“This user-friendly web site presents the merits of the bill clearly and concisely,” said Gene Gregory, president of the United Egg Producers. “When visitors get the facts, they will see that it just makes sense to support the legislation. That’s why the Humane Society of the United States, the National Consumers League, Consumer Federation of America, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Avian Pathologists, American Humane Association and the overwhelming majority of American voters support the bill.”

Federal legislation is a better alternative to the growing patchwork of state standards, Gregory added, and allows for continued interstate commerce of eggs that is critical to retailers, foodservice companies and consumers.

The web site features the following sections: l What is an Enriched Cage? (http://www.eggbill. com/what-is-an-enriched-cage.html): This section explains the benefits of the enriched cage system, and

features a slideshow of images of an enriched cage facility. l Videos (http://www.eggbill.com/videos.html): Egg farmers explain why they support the legislation and show real enriched cages in action. l Scientific Opinions (http://www.eggbill.com/scientific-opinions.html): This part of the web site features scientific opinions in favor of the egg bill and enriched colony cages. l FAQs (http://www.eggbill.com/faqs.html): From animal welfare changes to the impact on the cost of eggs, visitors can research frequently asked questions about the egg bill. l Supporting Organizations (http://www.eggbill. com/supporting-organizations.html): Visitors can see which agricultural groups, veterinary groups, consumer groups, animal protection groups and local humane societies support the legislation. l Editorial Support (http://www.eggbill.com/editorial-support.html): Major national newspapers and small town papers alike have endorsed the egg bill.

People visiting the page can see a list of editorial support for H.R. 3798. l The Legislation (http://www.eggbill.com/the-legislation.html): This section provides visitors with the text of the egg bill. l Congressional Co-Sponsors (http://www.eggbill. com/congressional-co-sponsors.html): This section lists the co-sponsors of the bipartisan legislation by state and party.

United Egg Producers is a Capper-Volstead cooperative for U.S. egg farmers, representing the ownership of approximately 88 percent of the nation’s egg-laying hens. UEP members produce eggs using various systems including modern cage production, enriched cages, cage-free, free range, organic and other specialty eggs.

Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said.

“Reducing the review times for labels will enhance the agency’s ability to ensure that accurate information is applied to product labels and reaches consumers quickly.”

FSIS reviews labels on the products it regulates to ensure they are truthful and not misleading. LSAS will reduce the time and costs incurred by both the industry and the agency. Until the launch of LSAS, companies mailed or hand delivered paper applications to FSIS, and FSIS reviewed and corrected them before returning them in hard copy. The agency receives 150 to 200 label submissions daily, and it can take more than three weeks for a label to be reviewed. The webbased system will make approved or corrected labels immediately available to companies, saving time and mailing costs. The system also will allow companies to store labels and make changes electronically, removing the need to print and re-submit modified labels for review to FSIS each time a change is made.

Label submissions are reviewed on a first come, first served basis, and the agency will continue to review labels in the same manner

using LSAS. If a company chooses to use LSAS to submit a label for approval, during the submission process, the system will notify the company if an application is incomplete through an error message. The system assigns each label a tracking number so the progress of its review can be tracked online.

The system also includes an option to first see if the label qualifies for a generic approval before proceeding with a submission (generic approval means the label does not have to be submitted to FSIS for review prior to use).

More information about LSAS, including instructions on accessing the system using Level 2 USDA e-authentication, a user’s guide, agency contact information and frequently asked questions is available on the FSIS web site at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Regulations_&_Policies/label_Submission_Approval_System/ FSIS strongly encourages companies to consult the LSAS User’s Guide before attempting to submit their first label(s) through the new system. Webinars about LSAS will be scheduled and announced in coming weeks.

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Viewpoint Compiled by Barbara Olejnik, Associate Editor 770-718-3440 bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

Update our ports or miss the boat

By Bob Stallman Special to Poultry Times

WASHINGTON — Someone once said that it’s not leaving port, but coming in, that determines the success of a voyage. While this has some truth to it, the port that one departs from is just as important to a successful endeavor.

It may surprise many that if the Stallman planned exBob Stallman is president of the American Farm Bureau Federation with offices in Washington, D.C.

pansion of the Panama Canal was completed tomorrow, the United States, one of the world’s largest trading powers, would only have six ports deep enough to handle the new larger ships that will pass. Yet, we are competing with all other parts of the world that are updating their ports. Since agriculture goods play a significant role in U.S. trade, modernizing our ports is extremely important for farmers and ranchers to be able to continue to thrive in the world market.

If you build it, they will come Even more surprising than the U.S. only having six large ports is the fact that all these ports are isolated on the East and West Coasts. That’s right, Gulf Coast

“

Modernizing our ports is extremely important for farmers and ranchers to be able to continue to thrive in the world market.

”

ports, including New Orleans, do not currently have the capacity to handle larger ships. If upgrades to U.S. ports are not completed in time, for major trade leaving the U.S. Gulf, smaller boats will need to be utilized to trans-ship our goods to ports like those in the Bahamas and Dominican Republic, where they would offload to larger vessels traveling to Latin America, Asia and other parts of the world. Similarly, goods coming from other countries would potentially have to go through the same routine in the Caribbean, offloading to smaller vessels to enter ports in the U.S. Gulf.

If you are scratching your head, you aren’t the only one. This process of loading and offload-

ing ships costs a lot of money.

Inadequate port size also leads to higher transportation costs because vessels may be loaded to less than capacity and more vessels may be required to ship the same amount of commodities.

In the meantime, our competitors around the world fare much better. Because their ports are deep enough, it is easier and less expensive to move products in and out. Further, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are all undergoing major new port projects or expansion

of existing facilities.

Latin America, for example, is rapidly continuing with some of the world’s most sizable port development projects. The region is catching up with other regions through larger port investments, which stand at almost $12 billion. This means China will have access to sell its farm products to Latin America, where Asia never had access before.

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By Dr. Mitch Kanter Special to Poultry Times

ST. PAUL, Minn. — For over a 40-year period beginning in roughly the late 1950s, conventional Dr. Mitch Kanter is executive director of the Egg Nutrition Center in Park Ridge, Ill. This article is drawn from an address given at the 2012 Midwest Poultry Federation annual convention.

nutrition wisdom indicated that eating fat was bad for us, that we all generally ate too much protein, and that carbohydrates should be the primary staple of a healthy diet.

However, in recent years a number of nutritional tenets that have stood for a generation or more have been called into question by data from emerging scientific studies. When one considers the relationship between our dietary patterns and the rising

See Kanter, Page 13

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Eggs unscrambled: Challenging existing nutritional dogma

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POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

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Will your standby generator stand up when needed?

By Jess Campbell, Dennis Brothers, Gene Simpson & Jim Donald Special to Poultry Times

AUBURN, Ala. — Most growers are confident in their generator’s ability to run for 30 minutes to an hour without problems because they are typically cycled once a week. But what if they needed to run for a week or more?

The tornado devastation that occurred in April 2011 in Alabama caused power outages for a large number of poultry farms, lasting from two to 10 days or more. For growers who had chickens, this meant running on generator power until utility power was restored. Many growers were able to keep their generators working flawlessly to maintain power throughout the Jess Campbell is program manager, National Poultry Technology Center; Dennis Brothers is poultry housing specialist, National Poultry Technology Center; Gene Simpson is a professor and Extension economist; and Jim Donald is a professor and Extension engineer, all with Auburn University, Auburn, Ala. More information can be obtained at http://www.poultryhouse.com.

outage; but others were not so fortunate.

Our investigation of the standby power failures that occurred in Alabama in April 2011 has shown that most of the failures were caused by fuel shortages, inadequate maintenance, inadequate equipment, or improper installation of the equipment.

Since most of these failures occurred on farms where growers were dutifully test-running their generators once a week, the major lesson learned here is that maintenance and preparations required to make sure generators will run a weekly half-hour WILL NOT ensure that they will do what they are intended to do and what the grower paid for, which is to supply power throughout an extended utility outage. The weekly test run is important and must be maintained, but growers must be aware of and take the additional steps needed to make sure their generators will stand up to the challenge of a prolonged utility outage.

The devastation experienced in Alabama was certainly out of the ordinary; but severe weather and power outages can occur anywhere. For growers everywhere, now is the time to learn from the Alabama experience and get ready to survive the challenge when it comes your way. This article explains the steps we recommend, based on the standby

HOUSING & EQUIPMENT power failures we have seen in Alabama. l Keep adequate diesel fuel on hand.

The typical 100 kw generator can burn 3 to 5 gallons of diesel fuel per hour, depending on the load. It’s a good idea to have at least enough fuel to run your generator through the first 24 hours of an outage. That would typically require having 72 to 120 gallons on hand. It’s probably an even better idea to be able to run the generator through the first 48 hours, which would require 144 to 250 gallons on hand. You should, of course, consult your generator manual or the manufacturer to get a closer idea of how much fuel your particular model burns per hour.

The reason for having a fairly large fuel cushion is that during a utility outage the local fueling stations are also likely to be without power and unable to pump fuel, which means you may have to drive some distance to find available fuel. Planning for an extended outage should include mapping the known fueling stations at different distances from your farm, say at 5 miles,

10 miles, 20 miles or more. Keep in mind also that even if fairly nearby stations get power back before it is restored at your farm, long lines are likely to be forming, so actually getting the fuel may take hours instead of minutes. Having a 100 gallon tank on a trailer is handy when you need to transport fuel on short notice. Don’t forget that you will want to keep an adequate supply of fuel for your truck as well. l Keep extra fuel filters and other replacement parts on hand.

In the Alabama experience, fuel filters especially were found to clog up and needed to be replaced. Many growers found that their generators worked flawlessly until about an hour after refueling the storage tank. Refilling a near empty or empty tank stirs any sediment in the bottom of the tank into the new fuel. This can eventually clog the fuel filter and starve the engine of fuel. It is not possible to adequately clean and clear a clogged fuel filter.

Those growers who had extra fuel filters on hand could simply replace the fuel filter and restart the generator.

The lesson here is to keep extra fuel filters in stock in the generator shed. When a major catastrophe hits and local automotive stores and poultry equipment shops might not be open for business, you don’t want to

be caught without spare fuel filters on hand.

Note — Some growers found even their second and third replacement fuel filters quickly became clogged. This problem typically occurred on farms with older fuel storage tanks, and is the subject our next recommendation. l Maintain quality of stored fuel and tanks.

When diesel fuel is allowed to stand in a tank for years without any conditioning or little mixing, sediment forms in the fuel and settles to the bottom of the tank.

This layer of sediment continues to build over the years and goes undisturbed because the tanks are kept full (or close to full) throughout the year. As explained above, when during a utility outage a tank is almost completely drained and the owner refills the tank, the addition of fuel to the near empty tank disturbs this sediment layer at the bottom of the tank and puts it into suspension in the rest of the tank.

When this occurs, the sediment is sucked into the fuel filter and stops the filter up. This typically happens to fuel tanks around 8 years and older. Tanks 8 years or older must be checked for sediment deposits in the bottom of the tank. If significant sediment deposits are found, the

See Generator, Page 9

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POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Business Compiled by David B. Strickland, Editor 770-718-3442 dstrickland@poultrytimes.net

Novus committed to solutions for protein demand ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The worldwide demand for protein has risen rapidly during the past decade and will only continue to grow as economies strengthen, Novus International said, adding that the company recognizes the opportunities and challenges this demand presents and is working to provide solutions that result in affordable, wholesome food.

“It is our mission at Novus to make a clear difference in sustainably meeting the growing global needs for nutrition and health. We foster this mission by helping produce a sustainable, wholesome food supply through localized animal nutrition solutions,” said Novus President and CEO Thad Simons. “Although we operate in a global marketplace, we know that our customers’ needs vary based on their location. By actually living and working in their specific geographies, we are able to contribute to an improved quality of life through food, nutrition and supplemental innovation.”

In order to meet this overarching company goal, Novus worked to evaluate what truly sets them apart as a company and determined that the best way to help their customers is to focus on a new brand platform — “The Triple-S Bottom Line” — Solutions, Service and Sustainability.

“When we stepped back and looked at what Novus was good at, where we succeeded and where we wanted to go, we learned a lot about ourselves as a company,” said Dan Meagher, president, Global Animal Nutrition Solutions at Novus. “We are re-launching our brand to better focus on the pillars that will really impact our customers and our global mission.” l Solutions Novus noted that it’s committed to providing innovative products, ideas and programs that deliver enhanced nutrition and solve customer challenges. These solutions, though used on a global scale, are typically developed locally.

“Working directly with our customers on a global basis is a critical differentiator for Novus within our industry; our customers benefit from our localized research and development, technical support, customer service and logistics. We recognized these as strengths and we’re working to present ourselves as a company that’s invested in the future of not only our customers, but the sustainability of food production world-wide,” said Francois Fraudeau, president, Specialty Business at Novus.

See Novus, Page 7

In other Business news:

Tyson & Elanco join hunger awareness

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A family to feed and only $100 for the week. That’s the challenge facing millions of Americans in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

More than one in seven Americans, or about 46 million people, receive SNAP benefits. The program currently provides low-income people an average of $25 per person per week. However, for some families, the money is often not enough, forcing them to turn to local food pantries and soup kitchens.

On May 24, Tyson Foods and Elanco held a SNAP Challenge, a hunger awareness event with teams from both companies being given just $100 each to shop for a week’s worth of food for a family of four.

The teams, which included Tyson President and CEO Donnie Smith and Elanco President Jeff Simmons, shopped at a local store.

After shopping, the teams returned to Tyson’s nearby headquarters, where they presented their food purchases to a panel that judged them on criteria such as effective use of funds, nutritional value and culinary creativity. The food was subsequently donated to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and the teams discussed the SNAP Challenge experience, including ways people can get more involved in hunger relief.

“The SNAP Challenge brought us face-to-face with the real-life difficulties too many Americans have feeding their families each week,” Smith said. “It’s just another reason why our company is so committed to fighting hunger and generating more public awareness of hunger in our country.”

“This exercise re-affirms our belief that no matter who you are, or where you are, you deserve access to safe, nutritious and affordable food every day,” said Simmons. “We believe it’s important

for more people to join the fight against hunger and continue utilizing existing technologies and new innovations to help feed a growing population.”

Because of the effectiveness of the SNAP Challenge, the two companies are considering repeating the exercise in some of their other plant communities.

Both Tyson Foods and Elanco are active in hunger relief. Since 2000, Tyson has donated 86 million pounds of much-needed protein to hundreds of food banks, food pantries and relief agencies in 48 states.

Tyson last year helped fund the largest and most comprehensive study ever conducted on attitudes and perceptions of hunger, which found that one in four Americans worried about having enough money to put food on the table in 2011.

In 2011, Elanco announced its commitment to end hunger for 100,000 families globally. Through a partnership with Heifer International, Elanco is providing small communities in emerging countries with gifts of livestock and husbandry training to help families improve their nutritional intake and generate income. The company is also dedicated to creating a hunger-free community for children around its central Indiana headquarters. This includes providing an Elanco staff member to help form the Childhood Hunger Initiative, creating greater awareness for a summer feeding program and expanding a weekend food program.

More information about the companies can be obtained at http://www.tysonfoods.com; and http://www.elanco.com.

Tyson CEO rings closing bell at NYSE The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Tyson Foods Inc. President and CEO Donnie Smith rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, May 15.

Smith rang the bell to mark the Springdale-based poultry compa-

ny’s 15th anniversary of trading on the well-known securities market.

Officials say Tyson Foods’ sales today are more than five times what they were in 1997, while the company’s overall employment has almost doubled. The company generated sales of $6.4 billion in fiscal year 1997 and employed 63,000 people.

In fiscal 2011, officials say the company’s sales were $32.3 billion and total employment was 115,000.

Some members of Tyson’s management staff joined Smith as he rang the closing bell.

Pilgrim’s Pride reports first quarter results

GREELEY, Colo. — Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. has reported its first quarter 2012 results with net sales of $1.9 billion and Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) of $101.5 million, which includes non-recurring restructuring charges of $2.9 million. Operating cash flows were a positive $29.4 million for the period.

The company recognized net income of $39.6 million during the first quarter of 2012, resulting in net income of 18 cents per diluted share. This compares to a loss of $119.9 million, or 54 cents per diluted share in the same quarter of the prior year.

“We are encouraged to see the benefits of our strategy and the improvement in our operations over the past year reflected in the best results we have had in the first calendar quarter since 2005,” said Bill Lovette, Pilgrim’s Pride CEO. Lovette added that while the trend is promising, there is no room for complacency. As a company and as an industry, the shift needs to continue towards valuing the whole bird and not relying on high breast meat prices to carry the margin. Volatility in the commodity markets is now the norm and must be considered — along with cost containment — as a standard part (Continued on next page)

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012 (Continued from previous page)

of production planning in order to maintain profitability long term, he noted.

“We’ve accomplished a lot over the past year and are clearly headed in the direction we want to be,” Lovette said. “This quarter confirms our belief — the industry can be profitable even at varying grain price points given the right focus on discipline.”

Pilgrim’s financial position reflects a reduction in net debt of $211.5 million, including cash flow and the successful completion of its rights offering during the quarter, the company said.

More information can be obtained at http://www.pilgrims.com.

Hubbard holds grandparent forum

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.

— Hubbard LLC recently held a Grandparent Forum for some of its Classic and H1 customers from the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.

This year the event, held in April, was conducted at the company’s production center, as well as Sheraton Read House Hotel, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Each morning, presentations were given on different aspects of the management of Hubbard Grandparent stock and technicians presented their individual experiences from around the world.

On the final day, presentations on nutrition, hatchery and hatch-day breakout were given. The afternoon sessions were conducted at Hubbard’s production facilities, which included visits to rearing and production Grandparent farms and to the Hubbard Grandparent hatchery in Pikeville, Tenn., with has a capacity of 12 million breeders per year.

Hubbard noted that the unique mixture of both theory and practice was well received by the customers, who were able to see first-hand in the afternoon what was being described in the morning sessions.

More information can be obtained at http://www.hubbardbreeders.com.

7

CJ BIO breaks ground on lysine factory

FORT DODGE, Iowa — CJ BIO America broke ground May 14 on its first U.S. construction project — a $320 million lysine production facility at the North Central Ag Industrial Park west of Fort Dodge, Iowa.

The ceremony highlighted the creation of more than 170 jobs in central Iowa by 2014, the company said. The factory will annually produce more than 100,000 metric tons of amino acids to supplement animal feeds.

Lysine is derived from corn byproducts to provide an essential amino acid for poultry and hog feed, the company noted.

“Combined with the capability of the state of Iowa, we believe that CJ will be able to produce our main product, lysine, with a soaring synergy,” said Tae Jin Jeong, chief operating officer, Bio Division of CJ CheilJedang. “In addition, we believe without a doubt that CJ Bio America will be growing in conjunction with the community by actively promoting the growth of the local economy as well as the state of Iowa’s.”

“The lieutenant governor and I both had the honor of meeting with CJ on our respective trade missions to the Republic of Korea,” said Iowa Gov. Terry E. Brandstad.

“We are extremely excited to welcome them here on Iowa soil for the groundbreaking. We appreciate the time, energy and investment CJ is making in our state and our people, and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Construction began immediately on the 65 acre site, and the factory is expected to open in early 2014.

More information can be obtained at http://english.cj.net.

Darling Int’l. notes first quarter results

IRVING, Texas — Darling International Inc. has reported net income of $28.6 million, or 24

cents per share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. Net sales and results of operations for the first quarter as compared to the same period of the prior year are as follows: For the first quarter of 2012, the company reported net sales of $387.1 million, as compared to $439.9 million for the first quarter of 2011. The $52.8 million decrease in sales is primarily attributable to lower finished product selling prices for proteins and fats and lower raw material volumes.

Export volumes dropped considerably compared to first quarter of 2011 adding further downward pressure to the finished product prices.

Net income for the first quarter of 2012 decreased to $28.6 million, or 24 cents per share, as compared to $46.6 million, or 43 cents per share, for the 2011 comparable period. The $18 million decrease in net income for the first quarter resulted primarily from lower raw material volumes and lower finished product prices. Comparing fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 results with first quarter of fiscal 2012, finished product prices continued to decline through most of the quarter with a rapid recovery beginning in March 2012, the company said, adding that the mild winter weather provided historically low rendering volumes from mortalities.

“First quarter results were solid but lower as compared to the record setting first quarter of fiscal 2011 due primarily to a substantial drop in finished product prices for fats and proteins,” said Randall Stuewe, Darling International chairman and CEO. “The company built significant inventories in fats and proteins with export volumes all but coming to a standstill, and the bakery business processed lower volumes as commercial bakeries took abnormally longer winter shutdowns with markets remaining flat. Lower natural gas costs continue to positively influence earnings.”

More information can be obtained at http://www.darlingii.com.

Business

•Novus (Continued from page 6)

l Service Service is central to “The Triple-S Bottom Line” pledge as it embodies the company’s interaction with customers, business partners and our communities, officials noted.

“We consider service to be multi-dimensional,” Meagher said. “Whether we are providing superior customer service in applying solutions to support our customers in dealing with challenges on their operations, working to promote our industry, or working one-on-one in communities we serve, Novus believes in a hands-on working relationship to serve.” l Sustainability “The guiding vision at Novus is to help feed the world affordable, wholesome food and achieve a higher quality of life. Sustainability is a critical cornerstone of this vision. Through innovation, education and collaboration, the company is able to enhance business performance and, more importantly -- improve the quality of life for people around the world,” said Jim Gerardot, executive director, Global Strategic Marketing at Novus.

More information can be obtained at http://www.novusint.com.

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8

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Factors contributing to structural failures

By Dr. Sid Thompson, Michael Czarick & Dr. John Worley Special to Poultry Times

ATHENS, Ga. — A poultry house can be considered a complex system in which all parts of the system work together to accomplish a task. Each element of the house structure (foundation, walls, knee braces, trusses, etc.) has a certain form and function that acts to support loads (e.g., wind, snow, ice) applied to the house. Poultry houses are often considered to be simple, even low-tech structures.

While not complex to construct they are no less complex in how they carry loads from each part of the structure to the ground. Each part of the structure interacts with other parts. For example, a poorly built foundation can create stresses in other parts of the building (e.g. trusses), which can eventually result in failure.

Foundations The loads in a structure are transmitted through the structure and eventually to the ground through the foundation. The size and type of foundation used to support a structure are based on the magnitude of the loads being transmitted to the ground as well as the properties of the soil beneath a structure. The maximum load that a foundation can carry is based on the bearing capacity of the soil. The soil beneath the structure should be well drained, have a uniform consistency and be free of organic material. Uniform, compacted soil Dr. Sidney A. Thompson is a professor, Michael Czarick is an Entension engineer and Dr. James E. Worley is an automotive mechanic II, all with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service in Athens, Ga.

underneath the foundation is just as important as the foundation itself.

A freestanding column of soil cannot stand on its own if loaded vertically. While soil can carry a load, a freestanding column of soil fails when loaded. As it fails the column will get shorter and wider.

Even though the column of soil is only loaded vertically, lateral (horizontal) forces occur within the soil that make it wider.

If this same column of soil is placed within a container, then the column can carry a larger vertical load. The container walls keep the soil confined within the container and help carry the lateral (horizontal) loads that occur within the soil.

A building transfers loads throughout the structure to the foundation, which then transfers the load to the soil directly beneath the foundation. The soil directly beneath the foundation can only carry these loads if it is properly confined. It is normally assumed

that a triangular block of soil helps confine the soil directly beneath the foundation.

The integrity of the foundation is critically important to the integrity of the structure. The foundation should not be neglected. Problems with foundations can cause problems throughout the entire structure. Though roof trusses are often the focus in the case of poultry house failures, more often than not the root cause of the failure can be tied in part or in whole to foundation issues.

Depth The minimum depth of a poultry house foundation below ground level is generally 12 inches or below the frost line, whichever is greater. The depth of the foundation is measured from the surface of the undisturbed ground to the bottom surface of the foundation. In the case of poultry houses with concrete “stem walls,” the stem wall is the foundation and therefore the

bottom of the wall should extend a minimum of 12 inches below the soil surface.

In post houses the posts themselves act as the foundation. It is generally recommended that posts be buried a minimum of 36 inches in firm soil. Posts carry loads to the soil differently than concrete foundations, hence the reason for the increased depth in the ground. Wood framing members below grade must be of approved naturally durable or preservative treated wood that is resistant to both decay and termites. It is preferred that the bottom end of the post be embedded in concrete.

Foundations that are near or above grade can be easily undermined by erosion, rodents or even birds. Once a foundation is undermined the structural integrity of the poultry house is compromised.

Drainage Saturated soil has little strength to support a poultry house founda-

•Study (Continued from page 2)

Imported chicken leg quarters are an economical animal protein for disadvantaged Mexican consumers, especially in Northern Mexico. These consumers will bear the brunt of this adjustment to higher food prices, Hayes said.

“The sudden disappearance of 250,000 tons of leg quarters will cause national poultry prices to increase,” Hayes continued. “In the immediate aftermath of the duties, it will not be possible for the Mexican poultry industry to increase production.

This means that the market will be brought back into balance by reduced consumption and by increased whole bird imports.”

The Mexican poultry industry will benefit most from these duties, according to the study. “This industry has grown at a far faster rate than the poultry industry in the United States because middle class Mexican households prefer domestically produced fresh poultry,” Hayes noted. “It is ironic that the expansion in the number of middle class Mexican

consumers is due in part to the free trade agreement that prompted this dispute.”

“Mexico is an important trading partner for the U.S. chicken industry and we hope that this frivolous antidumping case will be dropped as soon as possible,” said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown. “The negative ramifications of imposing these duties are clear, for the U.S. chicken industry and for Mexican consumers. U.S.-Mexican trade relations should be strengthened by encouraging trade to expand, not diminish.”

Under Mexican law, a final decision on the trade duties will have to be reached by August.

In April, 16 bipartisan U.S. senators wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk expressing concerns with the antidumping action Mexico has instituted against U.S. chicken leg quarters. “As we continue the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, we urge you to resolve this situation to ensure that Mexico honors its commitment under the North American Free Trade Agreement,” they wrote.

tion in either the vertical or horizontal directions, thus allowing movement. Under normal moisture conditions, clay soil is capable of supporting a load of roughly 1,800 pounds per square foot. But as clay soil moisture levels increase, the bearing capacity of the ground underneath the foundation decreases rapidly. If the soil in the immediate vicinity of a poultry house is chronically saturated with water, a foundation will be more prone to settling and rota-

See Factors, Page 14

•Energy (Continued from page 1)

for eight hours, it will cost about $4.40/house. Four sidewall fans left on for eight hours after flock movement will cost about $1.90/ house. l Not turning lights off in a house after a flock has moved wastes electricity and causes unnecessary expenses. If lights are left on in a 500-foot poultry house with 56 bulbs (60W) for eight hours it will cost about $3.20/house. l If a feed line is allowed to run empty for four hours six times a flock, it will cost approximately 86 cents/flock. Empty feed lines not only waste electricity, but may have a negative impact on flock performance, and can decrease the life of equipment. l If all of these energy misdeeds (excluding sidewall fans) occur during one flock on a four-house farm, it will add up to about $36/flock in electricity costs.

These “energy hogs” require energy and cost input without providing any production output!

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

9

•Generator (Continued from page 5)

tank either needs to be cleaned or replaced.

Another precaution is to install fuel pick-up tubes so they are at least 4 to 6 inches from the bottom of the tank so as not to pull sediment in the fuel pickup-tube from the bottom of the tank. A practice that can help minimize fuel filter clogging is to, whenever possible, refill the tank before it has reached the half-full level.

Another fuel storage issue is water contamination, usually caused by condensation. Bacteria, particulate matter and a variety of other fuel problems are caused by the presence of water in diesel fuel. It is recommended that fuel be checked twice a year for water using a water-finding paste called Kolor Kut (or equivalent). Storage tanks must be protected from the weather and especially the rain. The lesson here is to make sure diesel storage tanks are kept clean by checking for water and sediment in fuel.

Fuel conditioners may work on clean fuel but cannot be used to dissolve the sediment in a fouled tank. Consult your generator service technician for help. l Protect generator and transfer switch electronics.

Modern standby power systems use electronic controls to sense power or the loss of power, tell the generator to start and also to keep it running. To ensure smooth operation of the system, the circuit boards and control wires in the generator junction box and the power transfer switch must be kept clean and free from damage. It is common for wasps, yellow jackets, mud (dirt)

daubers and even rats to get into this equipment and build their homes on major electronic circuit boards and controls, causing major problems when wires are chewed or circuit boards are damaged.

Caution — While regular inspection of this equipment is a good practice, a service technician should be called in if any problems are found.

Generator electronic controls are fairly expensive and most growers don’t have the training to service the electronic controls themselves. Especially, if you do find a wasp nest please don’t spray wasp killer on any electronic controls or circuit boards. This can do serious damage to the electronic circuits. The lesson here is to have a trained professional inspect and test the transfer switch and electronic controls on the generator every year. As always, make sure all power is locked in the off position during work.

If your generator is 5 or more years old and the junction box has never been cleaned or inspected for loose wire connections, insect or rodent damage, then now is the time to do so.

A simple mud dauber nest on a circuit board could prevent your generator from running.

We recommend inspecting and cleaning junction boxes once each year. l Install a manual bypass key switch.

A manual bypass key switch allows you to manually start the generator if the electronic controls malfunction. If your generator does not have a manual bypass key switch then getting one installed by a licensed electrician or trained generator service professional should be

at the top of your list. These switches can be installed and used with almost any standby generator. The cost to do this is well under $1,000, depending on the generator make and model.

Most of these switches also come with water temperature and oil pressure gauges that can be wired into the existing equipment. Many growers have told us these switches saved their farm from catastrophe after the storm and other random power failure events.

The lesson here is if you don’t know what a bypass key switch does, you need to get one and learn how to use it. l Provide adequate ventilation for your generator.

Generators must be cooled during extended periods of running. If they are not, they will overheat and be shut down by the control system. A totally enclosed generator shed should be ventilated similar to tunnel ventilation. The exhaust air from the radiator of the generator must exit the building through an opening 1.5 to 2 times the size of the radiator of the generator and installed directly in front of the radiator. The air inlet for the generator should be twice the size of the exhaust outlet and in-line with the generator.

It is also important to make sure the generator exhaust is not directed toward or close to the generator air intake. If this is observed, ducting should be provided to direct hot exhaust away from the air intake and out of the building.

Exhaust louvers on generators are subject to failure to operate by being damaged or held shut by high winds. It is recommended that these louvers be removed and replaced

with 1-inch PVC coated bird wire or equivalent to ensure that when the generator runs for an extended period it will be sufficiently ventilated. l Provide proper and regular generator service.

Automatic transfer switches and generators are not intended to be installed and forgotten.

This equipment must be serviced, tested and inspected on a yearly basis by a technician trained in both mechanics and electronics. A standby generator service is much more than an oil change and fluid check.

It requires much more attention to detail, for example, than a routine automobile service.

Growers should check their service manuals and warranties for additional information on things that need to be done to keep the equipment in top shape. Generators should also be serviced immediately after any extended runtime period of 48 hours or longer. The lesson here is to make sure that your generator is getting fully ser-

viced by a trained professional who knows what to check for and fully inspects the system.

Bottom line The bottom line is that we need to have a thorough annual generator service program in place. Failure to plan is planning to fail. Get to know your generator service person.

We often talk to growers who don’t even know their generator service person’s name.

Have your generator service person’s name and number written down in the generator shed, as well as the number for a backup generator service person.

When storms hit, your generator technicians may be experiencing more calls than they can handle and might not be able to help you immediately.

The cost of an annual generator service is money well spent on what is hard to see as the most important piece of equipment on the farm — until the real test comes.

10

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Nuggets Compiled by Barbara Olejnik, Associate Editor 770-718-3440 bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

GEORGIA GEA annual meeting set for St. Simon’s Island

SUWANEE — The Georgia Egg Association will hold its 51st annual meeting at the King & Prince Golf & Beach Resort on St. Simon’s Island on June 20-22.

The theme for the event is “Starting a New Decade of EggCellence.”

The meeting will begin Wednesday with a Luau Reception with a prize given for the best dressed Luau outfit.

On Thursday there will be a golf tournament at the resort’s Hampton Club, a spouses’ breakfast and a reception and awards banquet that evening.

The EGGpac Breakfast and educational session will be held Friday morning. The breakfast will be hosted by Chad Gregory, president-elect of the United Egg Producers.

More information can be obtained by contacting the GEA, P.O. Box 2929, Suwanee, Ga. 30024-0978; 770-932-4622; goodeggs@bellsouth.net. mm m

Tyson CEO to speak at financial mgmnt.

TUCKER, Ga. — Economic conditions, rising fuel costs, tax changes and changing consumer trends all have a huge impact on the financial management of poultry and egg companies. The 2012 Financial Management Seminar will address these key issues, as well as analyze the industry’s current and future fi-

nancial challenges.

Sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the seminar for financial management professionals is scheduled for June 25 -27, 2012, at the Sonesta Resort (formerly Crowne Plaza) in Hilton Head Island, S.C. “The current economic environment has made financial management increasingly complex. Financial managers cannot react to today’s challenges with yesterday’s knowledge. It is important that management remains current on best practices and methods to stay abreast of the ever-changing financial management responsibility,” remarked Program Chairman Steve Jurek, GNP Co., St. Cloud, Minn.

“We are looking forward to hearing Donnie Smith, CEO and president of Tyson Foods Inc., provide his perspective on effective financial management in these volatile times for our industry,” commented John Starkey, president of USPOULTRY. Other topics on the program include Effective Time Management/Team Member Engagement; Global Poultry Trends; A Washington Update for the Poultry Industry; An Analyst’s Perspective of the Poultry Industry; Export Markets Update; Enterprise Risk Management; a Regulatory Update, an Economic Forecast; and a series of small group breakout sessions.

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Credit may vary from state to state, but typically up to 23 CPE credits will be awarded

to certified accountants who attend the seminar. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.

Register online for the 2012 Financial Management Seminar at http://www.uspoultry.org.

Members of the program committee are Greg Finch, Claxton Poultry Farms, Claxton, Ga.; Mark Glover, Pilgrim’s Corp., Greeley, Colo.; Alan Duncan, Mountaire Farms Corp., Little Rock, Ark.; Bob Nicholson, Aviagen Inc., Huntsville, Ala.; Michael Popowycz, Case Foods Inc., Troutman, N.C.; Susan Rushing, Fieldale Farms Corp., Baldwin, Ga.; Ron Faircloth, Peco Foods Inc., Laurel, Miss.; Lynn Schable, Sara Lee Foods, Storm Lake, Iowa; Bob Childress, Frost PLLC, Little Rock, Ark.; Michele Rogerson, American Proteins Inc., Cumming, Ga.; Mike Jones, Simmons Foods Inc. & Affiliates, Siloam Springs, Ark.; Mulham Shbeib, Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., Gainesville, Ga.; and Seals Burdell, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Tucker, Ga.

IOWA PAACO sets June dates for poultry training REDFIELD, Iowa — The 2012 edition of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization’s (PAACO) popular poultry welfare auditor training course is set for June 26-28, on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

“The facilities and staff at the university worked so well last year that we were delighted they wanted to have us back,” says Mike Simpson, PAACO executive director. “The timing is a little different — all our previous poultry trainings have been held in the late summer or fall — but

this works out best with the university’s schedule. We’re hoping it might better serve some potential attendees who would be on vacation later in the summer.”

During the three-day training, participants will have the opportunity to visit either a broiler, layer or turkey facility, depending upon their area of emphasis, where they will perform mock audits and welfare criteria demonstrated in the context of dayto-day operations. They will then take a written examination over course materials as part of the process of becoming a PAACOcertified poultry welfare auditor.

Industry instructors include Dr. James Barton, laboratory director of the Poultry Federation Laboratory; Dr. Sacit (Sarge) Bilgili, professor of graduate program offices in the poultry science department of Auburn University; Dr. Karen Christensen, director of technical services at O.K. Farms Inc.; Dr. Temple Grandin, president of Grandin Livestock Handling Systems; Dr. David Hermes, regional veterinarian for broiler chickens and turkeys, Perdue Farms; Michael Lopez, assistant national supervisor of audits for the USDA/AMS poultry programs; Dr. Ryn McDonald, director of technical services at Cal-Maine Foods; Dr. Bret Rings, senior veterinarian at Cobb-Vantress; Dr. Yvonne Thaxton, professor and director of food animal wellbeing in the department of poultry science, University of Arkansas; and Dr. Susan Watkins, professor and director of broiler research in the department of poultry science, University of Arkansas .

More information can be found on the PAACO web site at http:// www.animalauditor.org, or contact Mike Simpson, executive director, at 402-403-0104; e-mail: mike@animalauditor.org.

VIRGINIA FMI, GMA to co-locate executive conferences ARLINGTON — The Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association will co-locate their executive conferences beginning in January 2013, it was announced at the recent FMI Midwinter event.

GMA will co-locate its signature Chairman’s Lecture and Hall of Achievement Awards, which includes the Chairman’s Reception and Dinner, at FMI Midwinter. GMA will cease operating its late-summer, stand-alone executive event beginning in that year.

The move doesn’t impact this year’s GMA Executive Conference, which will be held in Colorado Springs in late August.The changes were planned to enable more targeted interactions and enhance the efficiency of the meetings.

Both GMA and FMI will continue the tradition of colocating board and committee meetings at Midwinter.

“We feel we can take the best of both (events) and make them better,” said Pam Bailey, GMA’s president and CEO. “The 2013 Midwinter format will benefit from the new program ideas and meeting possibilities emerging as this partnership continues to deepen and grow,” said Leslie Sarasin, FMI’s president and CEO. More information can be obtained by contacting FMI, 2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 800, Arlington, Va. 22202, 202452-8444, http://www.fmi.org; or GMA, 1350 I St., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20005, 202693-5900, http://www.gmaonline.org.

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

11

Calendar Compiled by Barbara Olejnik, Associate Editor 770-718-3440 bolejnik@poultrytimes.net

JUN 6-8 — POULTRY INDUSTRY NATIONAL SAFETY CONF., Sawgrass Marriott Resort, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Contact: Kristi Campbell, 404-407-8822 or kristi.campbell@ gtri.gatech.edu; http://www.poultrysafetyconference.gatech.edu.

JUN 8-9 — AP&EA GOLF TOURNEY & EVENING OF FUN, Birmingham, Ala. Contact: Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, P.O. Box 240, Montgomery, Ala. 36101. Ph: 334-2652732; http://www.alabamapoultry.org.

JUN 11-14 — AFIA FEED INDUSTRY INSTITUTE, Westin St. Louis, St. Louis, Mo. Contact: American Feed Industry Association, 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 916, Arlington, Va. 22201, 703-524-0810, afia@ afia.org, http://www.afia.org.

JUN 12-14 — USAPEEC ANNUAL MTNG., Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego, Calif.

Contact: USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, 2300 W. Park Place Blvd., Suite 100, Stone Mountain, Ga. 30087. Ph: 770-413-0006; usapeac@ usapeec.org; http://www.usapeec.org.

JUN 12-14 — ITF SUMMER MTNG., Adventureland Inn, Des Moines, Iowa.

Contact: Iowa Turkey Federation, 535 E. Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010.

Ph: 515-232-7492; info@iowaturkey.org; http://www.iowaturkey.org.

JUN 15-16 — DELMARVA CHICKEN Salisbury, Md. FESTIVAL, Contact: Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., 16681 County Seat Hwy., Georgetown, Del. 19947-4881. Ph: 302-856-9037; dpi@dpichicken. com; http://www.dpichicken.org.

JUN 15-16 — PF ANNUAL POULTRY FESTIVAL, Rogers, Ark. Contact: Poultry Federation, P.O. Box 1446, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Ph: 501-375-8131; http://www.thepoultryfederation.com.

JUN 20-22 — GEA ANNUAL MTNG., King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, St. Simons Island, Ga. Contact: Jewell Hutto, Georgia Egg Association, P.O. Box 2929, Suwanee, Ga. 30024. Ph: 770-932-4622; goodeggs@bellsouth. net; http://www.georgiaeggs.org.

JUN 20 — MTGA SUMMER CONF., Bemidji, Minn. Contact: Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, 108 Marty Drive, Buffalo, Minn. 55313. Ph: 763-682-5546l steve@midwestpoultry. com; http://www.midwestpoultry.com.

JUN 21-23 — NCC SUMMER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MTNG., Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe, Calif. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1015 15th St., N.W., Suite 930, Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; http://www.nationalchickencouncil. cm; http://www.eatchicken.com.

JUN 25-26 — CPF SUMMER BOARD MTNG., The Cliffs Resort, Shell Beach, Calif. Contact: California

Poultry Federation, 4640 Spyres Way, Suite 4, Modesto, Calif.

95356. Ph: 209-576-6355; califpoultry@cs.com; http://www.cpif.org.

JUN 25-27 — FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SMNR., Crowne Plaza Resort, Hilton Head, S.C. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401; info@uspoultry.org; http://www.uspoultry.org, JUN 26-28—PAACOTRAINING,University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark. Contact: Mike Simpson, Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, P.O. Box 31, Redfield, Iowa 50233.

Ph: 402-403-0104; mike@animalauditor.org; http://www.animalauditor.org.

JUL 7-9 — NTF LEADERSHIP CONF., Washington, D.C. Contact: Jen Dansereau, National Turkey Federation, 1225 New York Ave., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202898-0100; jdansereau@turkeyfed.org.

JUL 9-12 — PSA ANNUAL CONV., Georgia Center, Athens, Ga. Contact: Poultry Science Association, 2441 Village Green Place, Champaign, Ill. 61822.

Ph: 217-356-5285; pas@assochq. org; http://www.poultryscience.org.

JUL 12-15 — SCPF, NCEA & FPF/FEF ANNUAL CONF., Crowne Plaza Resort, Hilton Head, S.C. Contact: South Carolina Poultry Federation, 1921-A Pickens St., Columbia, S.C. 29201, Ph: 803-779-4700, martyg@ scpoultry.com, http://www.scpoultry. org; North Carolina Egg Association, 1939 High House Road, No. 102, Cary, N.C. 27519, Ph: 919-319-1195, egglady@ncegg.org, http://www.ncegg. org; Florida Poultry/Egg Association, 1625 Summit Lake Drive, Suite 300, Tallahassee, Fla. 32317, Ph: 850402-2954, nancy@nstephens.com.

JUL 10-12 — AEB MTNG., Chicago, Ill. Contact: American Egg Board, 1460 Renaissance Drive, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068. Ph: 847-296-7043; aeb@aeb.org; http://www.aeb.org.

JUL 15-17 — NCC & NPFDA CHICKEN MARKETINGSMNR.,Stowe Mountain Lodge, Stowe, Vt. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1015 15th St., N.W., Suite 930, Washington, D.C. 20005, 202-296-2622, http://www.nationalchickencouncil.com, http://www. eatchicken.com; or National Poultry & Food Distributors Association, 2014 Osborne Road, St. Marys, Ga. 31558, 770-535-9901, kkm@ npfda.org, http://www.npfda.org.

JUL 16-17 — INFORMATION SYSTEMS SMNR., Doubletree Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401; info@uspoul-

try.org; http://www.uspoultry.org, JUL 23-24 — AP&EA ANNUAL MTNG., Hilton Sandestin Beach, Fla. Contact: Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, P.O. Box 240, Montgomery, Ala. 36101. Ph: 334-265-2732; http://www.alabamapoultry.org.

AUG 5-9 — WORLD’S POULTRY CONGRESS, Bahia Convention Center, Salvador, Brazil. Contact: World Poultry Science Association, Brazilian Branch. Ph: +55 19 3243-6555; Fax: +55 19 3243-8542; wpsa.br@facta. org.br; http://www.wpsa2012.com.

AUG 8-9 — NCPF ANNUAL MTNG., Grandover Resort, Greensboro, N.C. Contact: North Carolina Poultry Federation, 4020 Barrett Drive, Suite 102, Raleigh, N.C. 27609.

Ph: 919-783-8218; rlford@ncpoultry.org; http://www.nncpoultry.org.

AUG 16-17 — WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONF., Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa, Destin, Fla. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 300847303, Ph: 770-493-9401; info@uspoultry.org; http://www.uspoultry.org, AUG 20 — UEP AREA MTNG., Atlanta, Ga. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

AUG 22 — UEP AREA MTNG., Philadelphia, Pa. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

AUG 23 — UEP AREA MTNG., Columbus, Ohio. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

AUG 28 — UEP AREA MTNG., Des Moines, Iowa. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

AUG 29 — UEP AREA MTNG., Ontario, Calif. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

AUG 30 — UEP AREA MTNG., Seattle, Wash. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

SEP 4-6 — ARKANSAS NUTRITION CONF. Contact: Poultry Federation, P.O. Box 1446, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Ph: 501-375-8131; http:// w w w. t h e p o u l t r y f e d e r a t i o n . c o m .

SEP 9-13 — IEC MARKETING & PRODUCTION CONF., London, England. Contact: International Egg Commission, Second Floor, 89 Charterhouse St., London EC1M 6HR, England. Ph: 44-020-74903493; info@internationalegg.com; http://www.internationalegg.com.

SEP 12-14 — AFIA LIQUID FEED SYMPM., Grand Hyatt, Denver, Colo. Contact: American Feed Industry Association, 2101 Wilson

Blvd., Suite 916. Arlington, Va. 22201. Ph: 703-524-0810; afia@ afia.org; http://www.afia.org.

SEP 13-14 — CPF ANNUAL MTNG. & CONF., Monterey Plaza Hotel, Monterey, Calif. Contact: California Poultry Federation, 4640 Spyres Way, Suite 4, Modesto, Calif.

95356. Ph: 209-576-6355; califpoultry@cs.com; http://www.cpif.org.

SEP 13-16 — MPA ANNUAL CONV., Hilton Sandestin Beach Hotel, Destin, Fla. Contact: Mississippi Poultry Association, 110 Airport Road, Suite C, Pearl, Miss. 39208. Ph: 601-932-7560; beard!mspoultry.org.

SEP 17-19 — NAT’L. MTNG. POULTRY HEALTH & PROCESSING, Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel, Ocean City, Md. Contact: Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., 16686 County Seat Hwy., Georgetown, Del. 19947-4881.

Ph: 302-856-9037; dpi@dpichicken. com; http://www.dpichicken.org.

SEP 21-22 — PF TURKEY COMMITTEE MTNG. Contact: Poultry Federation, P.O. Box 1446, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Ph: 501-375-8131; http:// w w w. t h e p o u l t r y f e d e r a t i o n . c o m .

SEP 15-16 — POULTRY PRODUCTION & HEALTH SMNR., The Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham, Ala. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 300847303, Ph: 770-493-9401; info@uspoultry.org; http://www.uspoultry.org, OCT 3-4 — PF PROCESSORS WKSHP. Contact: Poultry Federation, P.O. Box 1446, Little Rock, Ark. 72203. Ph: 501-375-8131; http:// w w w. t h e p o u l t r y f e d e r a t i o n . c o m .

OCT 4-5 — POULTRY PROTEIN & FAT SMNR., Doubletree Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303, Ph: 770-493-9401; info@uspoultry.org; http://www.uspoultry.org, OCT 4-7 — NPFDA FALL MTNG., San Diego, Calif. National Poultry & Food Distributors Association,

2014 Osborne Road, St. Marys, Ga. 31558, 770-535-9901, kkm@ npfda.org, http://www.npfda.org.

OCT 9-12 — UEP ANNUAL BOARD MTNG. & EXECUTIVE CONF., Loews Coronado Bay, San Diego, Calif. Contact: United Egg Producers, 1720 Windward Concourse, Suite 230, Alpharetta, Ga. 30005. Ph: 770-360-9220; gene@unitedegg. com; http://www.unitedegg.com.

OCT 10-11 — NCC FALL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MTNG., & ANNUAL CONF., The Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. Contact: National Chicken Council, 1015 15th St., N.W., Suite 930, Washington, D.C. 20005. Ph: 202-296-2622; http:// w w w. n a t i o n a l c h i c k e n c o u n c i l . cm; http://www.eatchicken.com.

OCT 16-18 — SUNBELT AG EXPO., Moultrie, Ga. Contact: Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition, 290G Harper Blvd., Moultrie, Ga. 31788. Ph: 229-985-1968, ext.

28; http://www.sunbeltexpo.com.

OCT 17-24 — USAHA ANNUAL MTNG., Greensboro, N.C. Contact: U.S. Animal Health Association, 4221 Mitchell Ave., St. Joseph, Mo. 64507. Ph: 816-671-1144; usaha@ usaha.org; http://www.usaha.org.

NOV 7 — GRAIN FORECAST & ECONOMIC OUTLOOK, Airport Hilton Hotel, Atlanta, Ga. Contact: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 300847303, Ph: 770-493-9401; info@uspoultry.org; http://www.uspoultry.org, NOV 7-9 — AEB MTNG., Austin, Texas.

Contact: American Egg Board, 1460 Renaissance Drive, Park Ridge, Ill. 60068. Ph: 847-296-7043; aeb@ aeb.org; http://www.aeb.org.

NOV 26-28 — 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; http://www.iowaturkey.org.

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POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

•Talk (Continued from page 1)

There is industry concern about the welfare of the animals they raise; anything that helps growers reap a maximum return on every flock — while maintaining an environment conducive to their wellbeing — can translate to important dividends for the state’s economy.

“Many poultry professionals swear they can walk into a growout house and tell whether a flock is happy or stressed just by listening to the birds vocalize,” said Wayne Daley, a Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) principal research scientist who is leading the research. “The trouble is, it has proved hard for these pros to pinpoint for us exactly what it is that they’re hearing.”

Nevertheless, scientists are convinced that poultry farmers are detecting something real. Recent research at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Animal Science indicates that it is indeed possible to differentiate how the birds react to various conditions based on their vocalizations.

“The behavior of chickens is one of the best and most immediate indicators of their well-being,” said Bruce Webster, a University of Georgia poultry science professor who is working on the project. “Chickens are vocal creatures and produce different types of vocalizations at different rates and loudness depending on their circumstances.”

So the Georgia Tech/University of Georgia team is working to identify and extract specific vocalization features that will bear out both the anecdotal observations and the previous scientific work.

The researchers are performing stress-related experiments on small flocks, recording the birds’ reactions on audio and video and analyzing the results.

GTRI is providing expertise in control-systems development and

image processing, while Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is contributing audio signal-processing technology and the University of Georgia is providing research facilities as well as guidance in experimental design as they relate to animal behavior and welfare issues.

“If what experienced farmers hear and sense can be defined and quantified, sensors to detect cues from the birds themselves could really make a difference in providing real-time information on house environment, bird health and comfort,” said Michael Lacy, head of the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia.

The work is funded by the Agricultural Technology Research Program, a state-supported effort to benefit the poultry and foodprocessing industries.

Naturally, said Daley, the poultry industry already has well-established guidelines covering optimal temperature, air quality and stocking density. Nevertheless, costly problems can still crop up — control systems can malfunction, or presumably ideal levels can turn out to be problematic.

“That’s where being able to judge the flock’s behavior can be so important,” Daley said. “Your temperature sensors might say that things are fine, but the birds could be telling you that they think it’s a bit too warm or other changes have occurred to make the conditions less than ideal.”

From a poultry professional’s viewpoint, the flock’s opinion is probably the definitive one. Chickens take only six weeks to go from hatching to finished weight; stressful conditions can retard their growth, reducing their value when they go to market.

“Contract poultry producers are paid by the pound of birds sent to market. Improving the overall

Photo by Gary Meek

Analysis: Researcher David Anderson in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering analyzes chicken vocalizations digitally for clues that may help engineers and poultry scientists better control environmental conditions for the birds.

health and productivity of the birds will help to improve the bottom line for individual producers,” said Casey Ritz, a University of Georgia associate professor of poultry science who is involved in the research.

The research team has conducted several experiments in which they have exposed flocks to mildly stressful environmental changes. For example, temperature or ammonia levels might be increased from their initial settings for a few hours, then returned to the original level.

The researchers have recorded the flocks’ vocal reactions to the experiments, with video also collected in many instances. To date, more than four terabytes of bird-vocalization audio has been gathered.

Almost at once, the researchers encountered a knotty problem as they recorded bird sounds. They discovered that the large fans necessary for air circulation in a growout house can be considerably louder than the chickens,

making it difficult to capture bird vocalizations effectively.

David Anderson, a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been working on the best methods for harvesting useable bird sounds from the noisy environment. It’s a classic audio signal-processing problem, he said, in which the signal of interest must separated from the noise that surrounds it.

“We have several approaches for extracting poultry voicing from the others noises, and we’ve been pretty successful in achieving that,” he said. “What makes this different from most other bird-song research is that we’re not listening to individuals, we’re listening to sounds in the aggregate. It’s like trying to understand what people are saying in a restaurant, when all you hear are the murmurings of a hundred diners.”

To decode mass poultry vocalizing, Anderson is extracting particular features of the sound, such

as speed, volume, pitch and other qualities. Then he’s utilizing machine learning — in which computers recognize complex patterns in data and make decisions based on those patterns — to analyze the extracted features and determine which characteristics may convey specific meanings.

“These are initial experiments, and we’re going to have to test under a variety of conditions, but we’ve had considerable success already,” Anderson said. “By listening to the flock we can accurately tell when the birds are experiencing particular kinds of stress, such as significant temperature changes.”

In addition to ensuring high yield flocks, bird-vocalization analysis could save poultry growers money in equipment costs as well, Anderson suggested.

For instance, he said, currently available ammonia sensors are both expensive and short-lived.

If a system consisting of a few microphones and the right computer algorithms could take over ammonia-detection tasks, it would help reduce costs for the entire industry.

To date, video of the flocks hasn’t produced results as useful as the sound recordings, said GTRI’s Daley. But image processing of flock-reaction video continues, and could yield significant data down the road.

“This multi-disciplinary, multi-institution project highlights the different skills necessary to tackle current problems,” Daley said. “This approach will be valuable in years to come as we tackle a variety of problems to help the industry continue to be profitable and sustainable.”

This article provided by the Georgia Institute of Technology, Research News and Publications Office, written by Rick Robinson.

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13

Feeding hens in alternative housing systems

By Dr. Paul Patterson Special to Poultry Times

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Alternative production systems for hens compared with caged housing do Dr. Paul Patterson is a professor and poultry Extension specialist with Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Poultry Science. This article is drawn from a presentation given at the 2012 Midwest Poultry Federation Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

•Kanter (Continued from page 4)

rates of obesity and diabetes in the U.S. that have occurred in the recent past, it is easy to see why the high carbohydrate, low fat, moderate protein diet paradigm has increasingly been called into question.

Recent epidemiological studies involving thousands of subjects indicate, for example, that dietary cholesterol intake is not related to serum cholesterol levels or CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk in the majority of the population, and a recent meta analysis questioned the impact of saturated fat intake on disease risk. And more and more studies are indicating the positive impact of a higher protein diet for modulating serum glucose and insulin levels, both of which can ultimately impact obesity rates and CVD risk as well.

As a result of these findings, new nutritional hypotheses are emerging. A number of researchers now believe that high carbohydrate diets and the increases in blood insulin levels that result from high carbohydrate eating might actually be promoting inflammation, and increasing the risk of obesity and CVD in much

present egg marketing opportunities (Patterson et al., 2001) and challenges to management.

And while many studies have addressed the equipment, behavior, welfare and stressors on birds in alternative production settings versus cages, little has been reported about the impact of these systems on the nutritional requirements of the hen.

Aviary Although there were no nutritional treatments applied in their studies, Taylor and Hurnik

of the population.

In the present environment, eggs are experiencing a “rebirth” of sorts among many health and nutrition experts. Long considered the poster child of unhealthy, high cholesterol eating, eggs are now being extolled for their high nutrient density, high quality protein and relatively low cost in comparison to other protein sources. Much of this rebirth is being driven by data indicating that egg intake does not promote CVD in the majority of the population. In the highly respected NHANES (the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) data set, for example, subjects who consumed six eggs or more per week did not exhibit any greater risk of heart disease than subjects who consumed less than one egg per week.

Further driving this resurgence are studies suggesting that breakfast might be the most important meal of the day for consuming protein, as well as studies indicating that protein need might be much greater than previously indicated via the Dietary Guidelines. Coupled with date dem-

(1994, 1996) did make several observations when comparing aviary versus battery cage housing that indicated alternative nutritional parameters might be warranted. Aviary hens were significantly lighter than those in cages (2021 versus 2241g) despite having consumed more feed (121, versus 116g/bird/day) and having a higher feed conversion ratio (FCR).

Caged hens also had poorer feather cover (39 percent of caged hens had denuded areas — 5 square centimeters) versus

onstrating that higher protein intakes can increase satiety, enhance muscle tissue growth and resynthesis, and minimize muscle loss in the elderly, the future for egg consumption in the U.S. appears bright.

This is not to say however, that the story is completely written.

While health experts in many Western countries have reviewed these data and, as a consequence, done away with a recommended daily limit on cholesterol intake, the U.S. remains one of the few developed countries that retains a recommendation of 300 mg of cholesterol/day. And as long as this limit remains in force, doctors and other health experts who make diet recommendations will be hesitant to suggest increasing egg consumption to their patients.

At the Egg Nutrition Center we continue to fund studies on various topics related to egg nutrition, and we work with experts in the areas of protein intake, cardiovascular health and disease and other related topics to further add to the body of science, and to remain abreast of new developments in egg nutrition research.

32 percent among aviary hens.

No difference in tibia breaking strength was measured between the two housing systems in their studies.

Production and egg parameters were also evaluated among aviary hens fed either mash or crumbled diets with the same nutrient composition (Wahlstrom and Tauson, 1999). Birds fed the mash diet had a higher FCR and energy consumption than those fed crumbs. Hens fed the crumbs had greater body weight, egg weight and egg mass than those fed mash. These parameters indicated better performance on the

higher density crumble diet compared to mash. The same dietary strategies with greater nutrient density may be advantageous for commercial birds housed in aviary settings.

Floor Because of the greater initial investment required for aviaries and furnished cage systems, most non-cage eggs are produced in floor systems in the United States (Sumner et al. 2011). In a field study comparing three types of layer housing including

See Hens, Page 18

•Stallman (Continued from page 4)

For Right of Way, gross tonnage rules The expansion of the Panama Canal will allow significantly larger ships to move through the waterway. The project, expected to be completed in 2014, should increase cargo volume by an average of 3 percent per year, doubling the 2005 tonnage by 2025.

Currently, the largest ship able to pass through the canal can hold up to 3,500 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit, a measure used for capacity in container transportation). To maximize the canal’s new dimensions, shipbuilders are making larger vessels that are able to hold up to 12,000 TEUs and require 50-51 feet of draft.

These larger ships require deeper and wider shipping channels, greater overhead clearance, and larger cranes and shore infrastructure — all of which make the U.S. Gulf a non-trading player. Some U.S ports can accommodate the larger vessels. However, most cannot, including many ports that are very important to U.S. agricultural exports.

The U.S. exports approximately one-quarter of the grain it produces. In 2011, more than 58 percent of our grain exports departed from the U.S. Gulf. This may significantly change as larger ships carrying grain from our competitors are able to access our trading partners. The Panama Canal could potentially shift world trade as U.S. exporters will be unable to pass on higher transportation costs when customers can purchase similar products from other countries.

As the saying goes, “For Right of Way, Gross Tonnage Rules.”

This law, known as the rule of common sense on the water, is also common sense for international trade. In other words, those with the biggest ships and ports to accommodate them will win every time.

To maintain our competitiveness in the world market, it is essential that the U.S. update and modernize its ports to accommodate larger ships. Without this investment in infrastructure, we will literally miss the boat.

14

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

tional issues that can lead to a structural failure. As a result, it is important that the soil around a foundation be well drained.

Foundation drainage can be aided through the use of foundation drains, permeable soils or rock.

Exterior grading/erosion The bottom portion of a poultry house foundation must remain covered with soil.

The ground around a poultry house should slope gradually (i.e., 1/12) away from the sidewall to help direct water from the roof away from the foundation. It is generally recommended that the horizontal distance from the edge of the foundation to the face of any steep slope (3/12+) be a minimum of 5 feet. For steep slopes, rock may be required to prevent erosion.

The ground in the vicinity of the foundation should be protected from scouring due to rainwater flowing off the roof of the poultry house through the use of vegetative ground cover, rocks or gutters. Over time, scouring can lead to the erosion of soil near the house foundation, thereby effectively reducing foundation depth or possibly undermining the foundation.

When scouring has occurred it is important that proper grade is reestablished as soon as possible to prevent foundation movement.

Interior grading An interior foundation depth of 8 to 12 inches must be maintained in order to maintain proper vertical and lateral support. Differences between interior and exterior grades can result in uneven loads being applied to the foundation, which can lead to foundation rotation. When cleaning out, the foundation must be protected from damage and undermining due to excessive soil removal.

Cracking Cracking in a foundation wall is normally a sign of uneven settlement or wall rotation. Settlement is not an adverse characteristic of a structure, provided it is uniform or equal all around the structure and is not excessive. Unequal or differen-

15

Land, government regs concern young farmers

•Factors (Continued from page 8)

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

tial settlement of a foundation can cause problems in the structure above and can cause it to lean, become unstable or produce large stresses and forces in the members throughout the structure.

sidewalls from the foundation. The lifting force on a poultry house is exponentially related to wind speed. That is, a doubling in wind speed can increase the lifting force four fold. For most areas of Georgia, poultry houses are supposed to be built to Rotation withstand a 90 to 100 mph wind without Rotation of the foundation wall is nor- failure. For coastal areas the design wind mally caused by poor soil conditions speed is approximately 120 mph.

— either poor (sandy) underlying soil or In order to maintain the structural integpoor grading around the structure. The rity of a poultry house in high winds it is following criterion is suggested: important that the foundation and sidewall Remember that for a concrete stem wall act as a single structural unit. Post houses are a prime example of a single Suggestion Rotation of the structural foundation (degrees) unit because the post is continuous Not a major concern Less than 5 degrees from the foundaConcern - Keep wall under 5 to 10 degrees tion to the watch. Consider adding soil eave of the house and around foundation and/or acts both bracing the wall as the sidewall and the Structure should be examGreater than foundation. ined by a professional and In the case 10 degrees of houses problems must be corrected with concrete blocks, the foundasome slope exists in the side of the walls tion must be positively connected to the even with no rotation. To determine how blocks, which in turn must be positively much that built-in slope is, measure the connected to the remainder of the sideslope near the end wall of the house or at wall. In houses with concrete stem walls a point where no rotation has taken place, the concrete stem wall must be firmly atthen compare it to the slope at the rotated tached to the wooden portion of the wall. section.

For block walls the above-recommend- In concrete block wall houses the sill ed rotation should be reduced if vertical plate should be periodically connected to steel was not placed in the wall between the foundation through the use of anchor courses. Without vertical steel the rotation bolts or straps. The anchor bolts or straps of the structure is carried only by the mor- must be placed not less than 4 inches and not more than 12 inches from the end of tar joint between block courses. each member making up the sill plate. In concrete stem wall houses, the stem wall Connections to foundation is essentially the foundation and as a reHigh winds moving over a poultry house sult the sill plate should be connected to roof can create powerful lifting forces that the stem wall through the use of “J bolts” can pull the roof from the sidewalls or the positioned every 8 to 10 feet.

Where wall framing is not continuous from the foundation sill to the roof, members should be tied together to ensure a continuous load path. The vertical members (i.e., sill plate, wall studs, truss plate) in the wall must be positively connected together through the use of lumber, straps or clips. It is important to realize that nails loaded in withdrawal (driven into the end of the studs through the bottom plate) are not sufficient to provide this positive connection in high wind conditions.

In a sidewall where there is a continuous load path, the sill, block wall and foundation are tied together through the use of a J-bolt and a filled concrete block core. The studs are connected to the sill by the exterior sheet metal and the interior plywood. The truss and the truss plate are tied to the sidewall through the use of a “hurricane strap,” thus forming a continuous load path from the truss to the foundation. In a curtain-sided house, the bottom curtain board/exterior sidewall metal is nailed to both the sill plate and the sidewall members, thus tying together the lower portion of the sidewall.

Exposure of concrete Concrete block walls can be degraded by the ammonia in litter. Litter has a higher pH than concrete and also contains salts and moisture. Continuous exposure to manure can reduce the strength of concrete.

A precipitate layer forms on the block surface because of the manure, reducing the strength of the blocks and decreasing the cracking strength of the blocks.

In some cases the blocks can be eroded by the presence of the litter against the block wall. Block wall foundations must be inspected for erosion of the block. If sufficient damage to the block wall occurs, then the block wall must be replaced or repaired.

Knee braces In addition to lifting forces, winds can also generate lateral forces that can push a house over. The lateral wind loads, like the lifting loads, increase exponentially with wind speed. A 40 mph gust can generate

See Braces, Page 16

WASHINGTON — The latest survey of participants in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program shows an even split when it comes to concerns about top challenges they face today. A total of 21 percent of young farmers surveyed ranked burdensome government regulations and “red tape” as a top concern; an addi-

tional 21 percent cited securing adequate land to grow crops and raise livestock as their top challenge today.

“Most young farmers and ranchers would like to stay on the farm or ranch their entire lives,” said Glen Cope, AFBF’s national YF&R committee chairman and a beef cattle producer from Missouri. “One of the big-

gest challenges many of us have faced is getting enough capital to start farming. And then, once we are established, regulatory costs can be the wild card that determines whether we can be successful enough to stay on the land,” he said.

Other issues ranked as top concerns included economic challenges, particularly profit-

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Bake in 350 degree F oven until puffed,

golden and knife inserted near center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

More egg recipes can be obtained from the American Egg Board at http://www.incredibleegg.org.

ability, 11 percent; availability of farm labor and related regulations, 8 percent; and willingness of parents to turn over the reins of the farm or ranch, 7 percent.

When asked to name the top three steps the federal government should take to help young farmers and ranchers, cutting government spending was the No. 1 response, with 20 percent listing this as most important. Sixteen percent of those surveyed said the government should provide financial help to beginning farmers, while 12 percent indicated reforming environmental regulations should be first on the list.

“Cutting government spending will help reduce the nation’s

mammoth government debt,” said Cope. “However, providing assistance to help beginning farmers get started in food production would be money well spent. And reforming burdensome environmental regulations will be good for all of agriculture and America.”

The 20th annual YF&R survey revealed that 94 percent of those surveyed are more optimistic about farming and ranching than they were five years ago. Last year, 87 percent of those surveyed said they were more optimistic about farming than they were five years ago.

The 2012 survey also shows

See Farmers, Page 17

16

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Rubber chicken survives trip through solar storm BISHOP, Calif. — A NASA video chronicles the flight of a rubber chicken during a sun storm in March, a student experiment to observe the radiation from the strongest solar tempest in nearly a decade.

Members of the Earth to Sky student group at Bishop Union High School in Bishop, Calif., sent the rubber chicken named Camilla to an altitude of 120,000 feet (about 36,500 meters) aboard a helium balloon, exposing the rubber fowl to high-energy solar protons from the unusually powerful sun storm.

“We equipped Camilla with sensors to measure the radiation,” Sam Johnson, a 16-year-old Bishop Union student, said in a statement.

“At the apex of our flight, the payload was above 99 percent of Earth’s atmosphere.”

The experiment was part of a bigger astrobiology project that the students are planning.

“Later this year we plan to launch a species of microbes to find out if they can live at the edge of space,” 17-yearold Rachel Molina said. “This was a reconnaissance flight.”

Camilla was something of a celebrity even before the flight. As the mascot for NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, Camilla is the face of the mission’s educational outreach program. The rubber chicken and its handler, Romeo Durscher of Stanford University, help keep the public up to date on NASA’s heliophysics missions.

“Camilla’s trip to the stratosphere gave us a chance to talk to thousands of people about the radiation storm,” Durscher said in a statement.

For her high-flying trip, Camilla was outfitted with a pair of radiation badges — same as the ones used by medical technicians and nuclear workers to assess radiation dosages — on the exterior of her custom-knitted space suit. SPACE.com set a NASA video of the rubber chicken’s balloon flight to the music of rock band Chickenfoot to chronicle the flight.

The rubber chicken flew first on March 3, before the radiation storm occurred, and then again on March 10, as the storm was raging. The two flights gave the students two sets of observations to compare.

On her first flight, Camilla spent roughly 90 minutes in the stratosphere, where temperatures and air pressures are similar to those on Mars, according to NASA scientists.

“It was a beautiful liftoff,” said 15-year-old Amelia Koske-Phillips, who was the team’s payload manager.

The entire flight lasted 2.5 hours, and Camilla parachuted safely back to Earth after the helium balloon popped, as expected, at an altitude of about 25 miles (40 kilometers). The payload, which included four cameras, a cryogenic thermometer and two GPS trackers as well as the rubber chicken, landed in the Inyo Mountains.

•Braces

(Continued from page 14)

10,000 pounds of force trying to push a poultry house over. In a poultry house, lateral forces are transmitted down through the truss to the walls and then the foundation through the use of knee braces. The knee braces eliminate rotation at the truss to wall connection points and increase the ability of the wall section to carry vertical loads. The knee braces are needed to prevent excessive lateral movement. While knee braces may not be required on each truss, knee braces must extend over much of the house to carry these loads.

The truss wall system of a poultry house is an unstable mechanism without such bracing. Without this type of bracing, the walls of a poultry house are not built to withstand the lateral forces caused by winds.

Knee braces must be of sufficient size to carry the loads from the truss to the wall. Normally this might be 2x4 members or 1 1/2 inch x 1 1/2 inch angle iron. The connection between the knee brace and wall must be sufficient to transfer this load. It is recommended that lag bolts be used to make this connection.

Truss to wall connection The truss must be positively connected to the wall to prevent problems during up-lift caused by wind loads. Where wall framing is not continuous from the foundation to the roof, the members must be secured to ensure a continuous load path. The truss must be positively connected to the wall by straps, clips or connectors made of corrosion-resistant material not less than 0.040 inch in thickness (18 to 20 gage). Nails loaded in withdrawal are not sufficient to provide this positive connection in high wind conditions.

Trusses Most trusses are manufactured using steel connector plates. Many of these trusses are pre-engineered.

However, most pre-engineered trusses are designed as individual member components and do not take into account the interaction between members within the structure. While these trusses are designed to carry certain loads they may not be suitably engineered to meet all of the design needs of a structure. Often, these trusses are not designed to interact with the walls of the structure that are used to carry the lateral loads caused by wind down to the foundation.

Proper trusses should have the following: l The connector plates should be located on both faces of the truss. l The nails should be fully embedded in the member. l The members should be cut for tight-fitting woodto-wood bearing at the joints. l The trusses must be braced such that they remain in a straight and plumb position l Trusses must be handled with care during

banding, bundling, delivery and installation to avoid damage.

Roof line The roof line should be straight and horizontal inside and outside. From visual inspection of the house, if the roof line is not horizontal then a detailed inspection of the trusses and house must occur in the region of the house where this settlement has occurred. In that region the trusses must be inspected for straightness as well as any problems associated with truss plates, twisting of members, etc. The region to be inspected must extend a sufficient distance in both directions from the point where settlement has occurred to make sure no additional problems exist. Knee braces must be added in that region of the house if they are not already provided. If, during truss inspection, truss plates are found to be pulling out of the wood, trusses should be repaired using plywood gusset plates on both sides of the truss at the joint having problems. The roof should be inspected to make sure all the roof metal is adequately attached to the purlins and that no leaks occur in the roof. No sagging should be observed in the roof between trusses.

“Tri-ply” ceiling From visual inspection of the house ceiling, all holes in the tri-ply must be repaired. Leaks in the try-ply ceiling allow moist, ammonia-laden air into the attic space, which can lead to deterioration of the trusses and other support structures.

Conclusion Ben Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This timeless truth is nowhere more evident than in a structure such as a poultry house. The more a foundation rotates or settles, or the more out-of-square a roof truss system becomes, the more difficult and costly it is to correct the problem. Putting a little extra effort into proper construction and maintenance can pay large dividends in preventing large losses later.

The foundation, walls and trusses and the connections between them are all critical parts of the frame, and each one affects the others. A weakness in one member can cause a failure in another. By the same token, strength in one can help overcome a weakness in another. Most failures are due to a combination of weaknesses in the structural members. Improvements in any of the factors described in this publication will help the strength of the building.

The best course of action is to pay close attention to all of the critical components of the structure. When that effort has failed and problems with a building have become evident, some of the suggestions in this publication may be useful. When in doubt, contact a structural engineer to provide the expertise needed to address the problem.

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

17

Broiler production expected to rise in 2013 WASHINGTON — Broiler production is expected to increase 2.5 percent in 2013, after a forecast decrease of 1.6 percent in 2012. Turkey production in 2013 is also expected to be higher, up 1 percent. This would be the third consecutive year of production increases after declines in 2009 and 2010. Egg production is expected to be mixed in 2013, with table egg production declining slightly and hatching egg production higher.

Broilers USDA’s Economic Research Service’s latest Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook says U.S. broiler meat production is expected to total 37.5 billion pounds in 2013, with the growth spread over the year as processors expand production in response to generally better conditions. The increase in broiler meat production is expected to come from

both a greater number of birds slaughtered and a small increase in average bird weights.

Two primary factors that will likely influence expanded broiler meat production in 2013 are (1) the degree to which processors feel demand will reflect expansion in the general economy and (2) what integrators expect for changes to corn and soybean prices. At the present time corn prices for the marketing year are forecast to average $4.20-$5.00 per bushel in 2012/13, down from $5.95-$6.25 per bushel a year earlier. This decline will be mitigated by relatively high prices for soybean meal. Prices for 48 percent protein soybean meal are forecast at $350-$365 per ton in 2012/13, compared to $360 per ton the previous year.

Broiler meat production in first-quarter 2012 totaled 9.1 billion pounds, a 2.2 percent decline from the same period in 2011.

The number of broilers slaughtered fell by 2.6 percent to 2.1 billion birds. Partially offsetting this decline in birds slaughtered was a small (0.6 percent) gain in the average weight of birds at slaughter to 5.83 pounds. With the number of chicks placed for growout down about 4 percent from the previous year, the number of broilers slaughtered would normally be expected to be down more, but due to the Leap Year first-quarter 2012 had an additional processing day compared

•Farmers (Continued from page 15)

94 percent of the nation’s young farmers and ranchers say they are better off than they were five years ago. Last year, 90 percent reported being better off.

More than 96 percent considered themselves lifetime farmers, while 98 percent would like to see their children follow in their footsteps. The informal survey reveals that 92 percent believe their children will be able to follow in their footsteps.

The survey shows that America’s young farmers and ranchers are committed environmental stewards, with 61 percent using conservation tillage to protect soil and reduce erosion on their farms.

In addition, computers and the Internet are vital tools for the nation’s young farmers and ranchers, with 93 percent surveyed reporting using a computer in their farming operation. Nearly all of those surveyed, 99 percent, have access to the Internet.

High-speed Internet is used by 79 percent of those surveyed, with 20 percent relying on a satellite connection and just over 1 percent turning to dial-up.

The popular social media site, Facebook, is used by 79 percent of those surveyed who use the Internet. The most popular use of the Internet in the survey is to gather news and agricultural information, with 82 percent turning to it for that use.

Finally, the survey points out that 71 percent of YF&R members consider communicating with consumers a formal part of their jobs.

“Young farmers and ranchers are becoming more comfortable when it comes to reaching out to consumers to participate in conversations they are having about food,” Cope said. “It’s important that we as farmers continue to explore and use all available tools to connect with consumers, whether that means social media platforms, personal outreach through farm tours, agri-tourism, farmers’ markets, or some combination,” he said.

The informal survey of young farmers and ranchers, ages 18-35, was conducted at AFBF’s 2012 YF&R Leadership Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., in February.

with first-quarter 2011.

The broiler meat production forecast for second-quarter 2012 is 9.1 billion pounds, down 4.3 percent from a year earlier.

Broiler production is expected to be below the previous year until fourth-quarter 2012 when processors are expected to respond to a gradually strengthening economy and lower grain prices.

In the weeks of April 7 through May 5, the number of chicks being placed for growout has averaged 3.9 percent lower than in the same period in 2011. In addition, the number of eggs placed in incubators has been down 4.4 percent. These estimates point toward continued declines in broiler meat production in second-quarter 2012 and into the third-quarter.

Broiler cold storage stocks totaled 549 million pounds at the end of first-quarter 2012,

17 percent below first-quarter 2011. The decline in cold storage holdings extended to most of the categories in the report. Most of the decrease is attributable to the lower broiler meat production in the first quarter. With broiler meat production forecast lower than the previous year through the first three quarters of 2012, cold storage of broiler products is also expected to be below the previous year through the same period. Cold storage is expected to rise in fourth-quarter 2012 as production rises. Much of the decline at the end of the first quarter is attributable to lower holdings of leg quarters and wings, down 27 percent and 52 percent from a year earlier. Some of the decline, especially for leg quarters, is the result of strong exports during first-quarter 2012.

The 12-city wholesale price

See Broiler, Page 19

18

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

•Hens (Continued from page 13)

high-rise (HR), manure-belt (MB), and cage-free floor-raised (FR), Green et al.

(2009) monitored for air temperature, RH, CO2, and atmospheric NH3 under winter and summer conditions in Iowa.

Under winter conditions, the HR and MB houses had more comfortable temperatures (mean 24.6 & 20.6 degrees C, or 76.3 & 69.1 degrees F) and NH3 levels (9 to 24 ppm of NH3, respectively) than the FR houses (mean 15.5 degrees C, or 59.9 degrees F and maximum 85 to 89 ppm of NH3, respectively). The FR house temperature varied more with outside winter conditions. In summer the FR house showed the least increase above ambient conditions (mean 0.3 degrees C) compared to a 4.7 and 1.2 degrees C increase for the MB and HR houses, respectively. Ammonia levels were similar for all housing types during summer conditions (mean 3 to 9 ppm).

Birds housed in alternative floor systems and birds with access to pasture demonstrate significantly great activity including running and flying. Most often these birds are placed at lower densities per cubic foot or meter than birds in cage systems that are stacked in multiple decks. This results in lower heat production (HP) per unit area and presents the potential for lower house temperatures in cooler climates.

To maintain hen body temperature this will require either greater feed consumption or fuel to heat the building so the hen can maintain thermal balance. Taken independently or together both activity and lower housing density can require greater calories per hen per day than hens houses in battery cages.

Colder environmental temperatures are a reality in floor systems without supplemental heat in the winter and when bird density does not maintain house temperatures. In studies evaluating dietary wheat middling for floor layers (Patterson et al.

1988), the low energy levels of some diets could not maintain production despite great feed consumption in December and January when temperatures averaged only 11 and 15 degrees F. Hens fed diets with 89 percent middlings, had an average feed

intake of 136g/hen/day and feed conversion of 4.03 kg/doz. eggs over twelve 28day periods.

Today, many floor layers are housed in heated barns, but often additional dietary measures are required to optimize hen performance (Smeltz, 2012). Elliot (2012) indicated higher density diets including protein, amino acids and energy are necessary for brown layers to get equivalent performance as hens housed in cages.

Energy density is typically increased by 20kcal/lb in winter for floor layers, and can increase to 30, 40 or even 50kcal/lb if house temperatures cannot be maintained (Keen, 2012).

Layers on litter floors fed wheat based diets with access to course wood shavings showed up to 60 percent greater weight of the gizzard and its contents than caged layers fed the same diets without access to wood shavings (Hetland et al., 2005). No such affect was observed when feeding oat based diets. This indicated the appetite for wood shavings may be dependent on fiber level in the diet. In a second experiment the hens’ appetite for wood shavings and paper was examined for birds fed wheat or oat based diets.

Neither the paper or wood affected hen performance. However, the intake of wood shavings or paper by birds fed the wheat-based diet was twice as high as birds fed oat-based diets, and neutral detergent fiber in the gizzard was also elevated compared to birds fed only wheat.

Furthermore, birds fed the wheat diet consumed almost twice the amount of wood shavings than those fed the oat diet. In their final study, birds fed a high-fiber diet and a diet containing coarsely ground oat hulls had a negligible amount of feathers in their gizzards compared to hens fed a low-fiber diet and one with finely ground oat hulls. The authors indicated that feather-pecking behavior may be partly related to the feed structure and consistency.

Pasture In the U.S. pastured hens eggs often sell at a premium price with the claim of enhanced nutritional and health benefits from the eggs. Karsten et al. (2010) examined the effect of alfalfa, clover and grass

pastures on egg production and compo- muda grass, fescue and clover. Supplesition compared to sister hens housed in mental feeds for all hens were provided cages. In a cross over design three groups ad libitum in a phase program from 17 to of 75 (Hy-Line brown) hens rotated to one 82 weeks of age. Eggs from the cage enof three pastures treatments for 2-week vironment had significantly more total fat, periods and were provided 70g/hen/day monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated commercial hen mash (16.9 percent CP, fat than eggs produced by caged hens.

2863 kcal/kg) and were expected to for- Levels of omega-3 fatty acids were also age for the remainder of their nutritional significantly higher (0.17 percent versus requirements. Fifty sister hens housed in 0.14 percent) in range eggs versus cage cages (60-square-inches/bird) were of- eggs.

There was no difference in egg cholesfered the same mash ad libitum (averaging 113g/hen/day intake). At the end of terol, vitamin A or E levels between eggs the study body weight was not signifi- from the different management systems. cantly different between the pasture treat- Hen body weight was similar at the conments, but significantly less than hens in clusion of the study (1970g range versus 2000g caged), egg weight, mass and prothe cages (1571 versus 1821g).

Similarly egg production was not main- duction were all lower for the range birds tained by hens on the pasture averaging 72 and while feed consumption was greater in cages (103 versus 101g) this indicated percent versus 85 percent for hens housed little reliance on pasture for the hens’ nuin the cages. We estimated the pastured tritional requirements (Anderson, 2007). hens derived approximately 13.2 percent Finally egg income minus feed costs was of their energy requirement (36 kcal ME) lower for the range treatment ($18.07 and 21.5 percent of their CP needs (3.9g) versus 23.70/hen) and labor to care for from pasture foraging. However, pastured them was more than 15x greater than hens were still lacking dietary protein and hens housed in cages. The author conenergy (2.3g and 35 kcal) on a daily basis cluded that no significant nutritional adto match the caged hens. We believe an vantage of eggs produced by range hens additional 13g of mash per hen per day over hens maintained in cages could be would be required to sustain egg producestablished. tion and body weight equal to that of the caged hens. Despite greater linolenic acid Enriched cage in the pasture clover and alfalfa compared In a study to examine the effects of dito the grass, there were no significant difetary energy on egg production and qualferences in egg linolenic acid levels. ity of hens kept in conventional (3/cage) When compared to the eggs from caged or furnished cages (8/cage) Valkonen et hens, eggs from pastured hens had greatal. (2008) determined that higher energy er egg yolk omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin levels improved egg production, reduced A and E. However, these nutrients can feed consumption and improved feed conreadily be supplemented in the hens diet version, but there were no interactions to derive the same egg levels as pasture with housing type. Housing type had no treatments for less money (Naber et al. impact on production parameters, and the 1993, Cherian et al, 1996; Sheideler and authors concluded that like previous studFroning, 1996 and Pekel et al. 2009). The ies cage type had no impact on egg proauthors concluded that if additional mash duction or feed conversion ratios. was provided to pastured hens to mainSeveral studies have shown a greater intain hen welfare, body weight and egg cidence of cracked eggs in furnished than production, this would undoubtedly mute in conventional cages. Because hens kept the changes in egg composition observed in furnished cages often have greater bone herein. strength, they may lay eggs with weaker Anderson (2011) similarly compared shells because the calcium is utilized for the nutritional composition of eggs from bone mineralization. In a similar trial Valhens housed in cages versus sister hens in range paddocks established with Ber- See Cage, Page 24

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

New technique used to discover new viruses

By Sandra Avant Special to Poultry Times

BELTSVILLE, Md. — In a search to find better ways to control viral enteric diseases in birds, USDA scientists have unearthed a treasure trove of previously known and unknown viruses in poultry by using a powerful new molecular tool called metagenomics.

Each year, disorders like poult enteritis mortality syndrome, poult enteritis complex and runting-stunting syndrome cause diarrhea in turkeys and chickens, resulting in decreased weight, mortality and increased production costs. Several viruses have been associated with enteric or intestinal diseases, but no single causative agent has been found.

Unlike traditional sequencing that characterizes genes in a single organism, metagenomics detects the nucleic acid of thousands of organisms in an entire community. Using this technique, Laszlo Zsak, researcher leader of the Endemic Poultry Viral Diseases Research Unit at the Agricultural Research Service Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Ga., discovered a new virus that might have future antimicrobial applications.

ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. Zsak and ARS microbiologist Michael Day, also at Athens, found a short DNA sequence of the newly discovered virus and designed a technique to sequence its entire genome. The virus, called “phiCA82,” is the type of virus that naturally kills bacteria and belongs to a group known as “microphages” or phages, which can potentially be used as alternatives to antibiotics and as tools to fight multidrug-resistant pathogens.

In the study, the scientists extracted and analyzed nucleic acid from poultry intestine samples gathered from U.S. commercial poultry flocks infected with enteric diseases. In addition to the novel phage, common avian viruses like astrovirus, reovirus and rotavirus, and RNA viruses belonging to the Picornaviridae family were detected. However, the scientists were surprised to discover previously unknown turkey viruses like picobirnavirus, a virus implicated in enteric disease in other agricultural animals, and a calicivirus, a type of virus often associated with human enteric diseases.

In earlier studies, Zsak and Day used metagenomics to identify and analyze for the first time the complete genome of a novel chicken parvovirus. They also developed a PCR-polymerase chain reaction-assay that is highly sensitive and specific in detecting viruses in birds.

Sandra Avant is a public affairs specialist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Md.

19

Bird flu, swine flu...now bat flu?

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — For the first time, scientists have found evidence of influenza in bats, reporting a never-before-seen virus whose risk to humans is unclear.

The surprising discovery of genetic fragments of a flu virus is the first well-documented report of it in the winged mammals. So far, scientists haven’t been able to grow it, and it’s not clear if — or how well — it spreads.

Flu bugs are common in humans, birds and pigs and have even been seen in dogs, horses, seals and whales, among others. About five years ago, Russian virologists claimed finding flu in bats, but they never offered evidence.

“Most people are fairly convinced we had already discovered flu in all the possible” animals, said Ruben Donis, a Centers for Disease Control

•Broilers (Continued from page 17)

for whole broilers is expected to average 86 to 89 cents per pound in 2012, up from 79 cents per pound the previous year as lower production through the first three quarters of 2012 is expected to place upward pressure on prices.

Prices in 2013 are expected to fall slightly and are forecast at 82 to 89 cents per pound, as expected higher production in 2013 gradually placing downward pressure on prices.

Turkeys Turkey meat production is expected to increase in 2013 to 6 billion pounds, up almost 1 percent from the previous year and the third consecutive year with a production increase. The production increase is expected to come from both an increase in the number of birds slaughtered and slightly higher average live weights at slaughter. With higher prices throughout 2011 and expected in 2012, turkey producers should have an incentive to increase production in 2013, as

& Prevention scientist who co-authored the new study.

Scientists suspect that some bats caught flu centuries ago and that the virus mutated within the bat population into this new variety. Scientists haven’t even been able to grow the new virus in chicken eggs or in human cell culture, as they do with more conventional flu strains.

But it still could pose a threat to humans. For example, if it mingled with more common forms of influenza, it could swap genes and mutate into something more dangerous, a scenario at the heart of the global flu epidemic movie “Contagion.”

The research was posted in February in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The CDC has an international outpost in Guate-

See Bat Page 23

long as the general economic indicators remain positive.

In first-quarter 2012, turkey meat production was 1.4 billion pounds, up 3.1 percent from the first quarter of 2011. After rising only slightly in third-quarter 2011 compared to a year earlier and falling in the fourth quarter, turkey processors have responded to the strong prices for whole birds that were present throughout 2011. The increase in turkey meat production was the result of a moderate increase in the number of birds slaughtered (up 1.7 percent) and higher average weights for the turkeys at slaughter (up 1.3 percent). With turkey prices higher throughout 2011, turkey producers have had an incentive to increase production, with total production for 2012 estimated at 6.1 billion pounds, 3.3 percent higher than the previous year.

With higher production expected throughout 2012, cold storage holdings of turkey products throughout the year are also expected to be higher than in 2011. At the end of first-quar-

ter 2012, turkey stocks were 376 million pounds, 15 percent higher than in first-quarter 2011.

The increase was from a combination of higher stocks of whole birds, up 6 percent, and increases in stocks of turkey parts and products (up 23 percent). Stocks of whole birds had been lower than the previous year through the first 10 months of 2011, and even though stocks are now higher than the previous year, they are still well below historical levels. For example, at the end of March in 2009, stocks of whole birds totaled 253 million pounds, 96 million pounds or 61 percent higher than at the end of March 2012. Stock levels were also higher for all the other categories of turkey products. While most of the gain in quantity was due to higher cold storage holdings in the unclassified category, stocks of turkey legs were also much higher than the previous year (up 73 percent).

Wholesale prices for whole hen turkeys are expected to average $1.07 to $1.11 per pound

See Turkeys, Page 24

20

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

21

Probiotics may reduce lameness in broilers

Tyson Foods expands Missouri poultry complex

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Year in and year out, lameness is one of the leading causes of mortality in broilers, making the condition a significant economic concern for the poultry industry. But because the incidence rate of lameness is low in research flocks, the phenomenon has been difficult to study, which has hampered efforts to develop measures that may help producers. Fortunately, that may be about to change.

A team led by researchers at the University of Arkansas has developed a wire-flooring model that reliably induces lameness in broilers at levels sufficient to allow in-depth study of the condition. The team published the results of their study in the April issue of Poultry Science, a journal published by the Poultry Science Association.

The model has already yielded significant results, including the finding that lameness in broilers due to the most common cause of the condition, bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), may be reduced by administering probiotics prophylactically from the first day of rearing. Hence, probiot-

SEDALIA, Mo. — Tyson Foods Inc. recently began work on a multi-million dollar improvement and expansion project at its poultry complex in Sedalia, Mo. The expansion will create as many as 200 additional jobs in the next two years. The complex currently employs about 1,450 people.

Improvements will include state-of-the-art processes and technologies designed to benefit animal handling, food safety, environmental quality,

ics may lessen or even eliminate the need for antibiotic treatment of BCO-related disease conditions in growing broilers.

BCO transmission “One way the BCO bacterium spreads is by entering the bloodstream via translocation from the gastrointestinal tract,” said Dr. Bob Wideman, lead author and professor in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas. “Once in the bloodstream, some of the bacteria find their way to the growth plates of growing bones, where they are harbored in microfractures. The bird’s immune system can’t reach them there, and they grow rapidly and begin destroying bone minerals. This occurs primarily in the hip joint or proximal femur, and in the proximal tibia. It’s the damage caused by the festering of BCO bacteria that leads, first to subclinical lesions, and ultimately, if unchecked, to lameness.”

Wideman’s team speculates that probiotics help reduce BCO-induced lameness by lessening bacterial translocation from the gut,

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which helps prevent BCO transmission. Specifically, according to the article, “probiotics may interfere with the development of osteomyelitis by attenuating intestinal populations of pathogenic bacteria, improving gut health to reduce bacterial leakage (translocation) across the gut wall, or by priming the immune system to better eliminate translocated bacteria.”

During the course of five experiments conducted from December 2009 to April 2011, the researchers found that adding probiotics to the birds’ diets beginning at one day of age consistently reduced the incidence of lameness for broilers reared on wire flooring.

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leg joints, which, the authors suggest, results in microtrauma to bone growth plates, creating the microfractures conducive to BCO described above.

Animal procedures for the five experiments conducted by the research team were approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

“We feel confident that this new model will allow researchers, for the first time, to more deeply investigate the etiology, pathogenesis and treatment strategies for BCO,” said Wideman. “This should lead to more effective preventive strategies applicable to commercial flocks, which in turn will help decrease economic losses due to BCO.” Previously, pathogenic bacteria had to be injected intravenously into broilers and turkeys to induce lameness for study purposes.

The new experimental model instead provides, according to the article, a safer mechanism for studying the condition by “reliably triggering BCO in commercial broilers without purposefully exposing the flock to known pathogens.”

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workplace safety and production, such as: l The addition of up to five poultry deboning lines; l Upgrades to the plant’s wastewater treatment operations; and l Improvements in the poultry slaughter area.

The project also will upgrade parts of the plant that have been in operation since 1994.

“This additional investment in Sedalia and Pettis County

through new jobs and expansion is very good news, and continues the momentum we are seeing in moving Missouri’s economy forward,” Gov. Jay Nixon said.

The company plans to hire about 150 people between November 2012 and March 2013.

Another 50 people likely will be required by mid-2014, Tyson officials said.

“Tyson chose to make this investment in Sedalia because of the quality of the local

Labor Dept. withdraws rule on child farm labor WASHINGTON — The U.S. Labor Department has withdrawn a proposed rule that would have restricted child labor on farms.

The rule would have banned children younger than 16 from using most power-driven farm equipment, including tractors, if they had not taken a training course.

The proposal would also have prevented children younger than 18 from working in feed lots, grain bins and stockyards.

The department said “The decision to withdraw this rule — including provisions to define the ‘parental exemption’ — was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small family-owned farms. To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.

“Instead, the Departments of Labor and Agriculture will work with rural stakeholders — such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the Future Farmers of America, and 4-H — to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers and promote safer agricultural working practices.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation said

the Labor Department’s action “is the right decision for our nation’s family-based agriculture system.”

Bob Stallman, AFBF president, said “This victory for farm families is due to the thousands of farmers and ranchers who sent comments to the Labor Department opposing the rules and continued to voice their concerns with members of Congress. This announcement shows the strength of American agriculture and grassroots action.”

Stallman added that the Farm Bureau will continue working “to ensure that the parental exemptions that remain important to agriculture will be protected, and we will continue our work to help educate families about the importance of farm safety.”

The Labor Department noted that the Obama administration is “firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations. The Obama administration is also deeply committed to listening and responding to what Americans across the country have to say about proposed rules and regulations.”

workforce and the outstanding family farmers that grow for us in the area,” said Chris McMurrough, vice president of operations for Tyson. “The improvements will help optimize the plant’s product mix for our customers and make it even more cost competitive.”

Ergonomics, the science of making the workplace fit the worker, will be incorporated into the new debone and slaughter areas. This will involve equipment and processes designed to reduce physical demand on certain jobs.

In addition to upgraded equipment and infrastructure at the wastewater treatment operations, a third lagoon will be built to ensure there is enough capacity to handle higher volumes.

“The Sedalia complex recently received recognition for its

environmental work from the American Meat Institute,” said Alan Johnston, complex manager. “We’ve made being good stewards of the environment a priority with this project.”

The Sedalia poultry complex contracts with more than 125 poultry farmers in seven counties in central Missouri.

Complex operations include the poultry processing plant, hatchery, feed mill, live haul operations, wastewater treatment facility and a rendering operation. The plant produces fully cooked chicken for grocery customers, including fully cooked patties, nuggets, wings and breast strips. Annual payroll for the complex for fiscal year 2011 was more than $46.3 million; total family farmer pay to grow chickens for the complex was approximately $27.4 million.

22

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Markets Compiled by David B. Strickland, Editor 770-718-3442 dstrickland@poultrytimes.net

Nat’l. Broiler Market:

majority prices were unchanged in the Midwest and West when compared to the previous week’s majority prices. Offerings covered the full range but were noted as mostly moderate for current trade needs.

Retail and foodservice demand was

(May 29): Prices for whole broiler/ fryers were steady in the West, steady to weak in the East and weak to lower in the Midwest. Final

light to moderate as dealers assessed market conditions following the holiday weekend. Floor stocks were mixed. Market activity was slow to moderate. In the parts structure, movement was light to moderate for the early week trading. Prices were trending weak to lower for boneless/ skinless breasts and tenders, steady to firm for wings and whole breasts and steady for the balance of parts.

Offerings of tenders and boneless breasts were moderate to heavy, whole breasts and wings were light to moderate and moving well. Dark meat items were moderate. Market activity was slow to moderate. In production areas, live supplies were moderate at mixed, but mostly desirable weights.

Fowl:

May 25: Live spent heavy fowl Final prices at Farm Buyer Loading (per pound): range 8½-19½¢

P arts: Georgia:

The f.o.b. dock quoted prices on ice-pack parts based on truckload and pool truckload lots for the week of May 30: line run tenders $2.26½; skinless/boneless breasts $1.69½; whole breasts $1.09¢; boneless/skinless thigh meat $1.39½; thighs 75½¢; drumsticks 69¢; leg quarters 55¢; wings $1.84½.

N ational Slaughter: Broiler: Estimated slaughter

for week ending Jun. 2 is 145,394,000.

Actual slaughter for the week end-

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

USDA Shell Eggs

AMS weekly combined region shell egg prices Average prices on sales to volume buyers, Grade A or better, White eggs in cartons, delivered warehouse, cents per dozen.

Annual High

Cal-Maine Campbell Soup ConAgra Hormel Pilgrim’s Pride Sanderson Farms Seaboard Tyson

42.40 35.10 27.34 30.50 8.68 55.87 2705.00 21.06

May 16

May 25

May 30

Extra Large Regions: Northeast 92.00 Southeast 87.50 Midwest 82.50 South Central 96.50 Combined 89.97

38.40 35.64 34.16 31.91 25.70 25.13 29.64 30.04 7.70 8.08 54.04 53.46 1932.74 1970.00 19.48 19.29

Large

Medium

87.00 69.00 85.50 69.00 80.50 64.50 88.50 70.50 85.50 68.34

Computed from simple weekly averages weighted by regional area populations

Grain Prices OHIO COUNTRY ELEV. May 15 May 22 May 29 No. 2 Yellow Corn/bu. $6.03 $6.54 $6.04 Soybeans/bu. $13.60 $13.83 $13.57 (Courtesy: Prospect Farmers Exchange, Prospect, Ohio)

(Courtesy: A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.)

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

Ala Ark

Ca,Tn,Wv

Del Fla Ga Ky La Md Miss Mo. N.C. Okla Pa S.C. Tex Va

19 States Total Prev. year % Prev. yr.

CHICKS PLACED (Thousands)

May 5

May 12

May 19

May 26

May 5

May 12

May 19

May 26

28,305 21,684 10,718 3,620 1,352 32,743 7,750 3,485 7,449 18,003 7,481 20,583 6,712 3,610 5,376 14,696 6,290

27,795 21,793 10,901 3,622 1,353 32,771 7,728 3,470 7,087 18,185 7,687 20,389 6,926 3,636 5,481 14,627 6,281

28,384 21,765 11,115 3,696 1,353 32,619 7,735 3,455 7,200 17,810 7,726 20,426 6,843 3,721 5,462 14,769 6,279

28,328 21,747 11,284 3,699 1,353 32,705 7,618 3,409 7,388 18,079 7,719 20,173 7,126 3,672 5,277 14,776 6,353

20,231 18,848 11,207 4,350 1,083 28,245 6,119 3,124 6,380 14,874 5,767 16,434 5,067 3,138 4,520 12,242 4,604

19,775 20,132 10,680 3,956 1,328 27,482 6,666 3,130 6,860 15,477 5,113 16,649 4,573 3,151 4,819 12,343 4,935

20,746 19,908 11,626 4,361 1,509 26,779 5,876 3,075 6,377 15,042 5,491 16,278 4,237 3,009 3,779 12,106 5,187

20,230 20,026 11,103 3,733 1,333 28,149 5,809 3,111 6,497 15,432 5,414 16,709 4,326 3,021 3,766 12,351 5,056

199,857 207,982

199,732 206,342

200,358 206,792

200,706 205,932

166,233 172,506

167,069 174,014

165,386 172,512

166,066 172,753

96

97

97

97

96

96

96

96

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

Estimates: The estimated number of broilerfryers available for slaughter the week ending Jun. 2 is 155.8 million head, notes USDA. For the week of Jun. 9 the estimated available is 156.8 million head.

Broiler/Fryer Markets

Industry Stock Report

Company

ing May 26 was 159,214,000.

Heavy-type hen: Estimated slaughter for the week ending Jun. 2 is 1,570,000.

Actual slaughter for the week ending May 26 was 1,600,000.

Light-type hen: Estimated slaughter for the week ending Jun. 2 is 1,158,000. Actual slaughter for the week ending May 26 was 1,946,000.

Total: Week of Jun. 2: 148,122,000.

Week of May 26: 162,760,000.

USDA Composite Weighted Average For week of: May 29

86.77¢ For week of: May 21

87.32¢ Chi.-Del.-Ga.-L.A.-Miss.-N.Y.--S.F.-South. States For delivery week of: May 21 May 29 Chicago majority 70--85¢ 72--76¢ Mississippi majority 80--85¢ 80--85¢ New York majority 86--89¢ 86--89¢ For delivery week of: May 23 May 30 Delmarva weighted average 69¢--$1.05 74¢--$1.06 Georgia f.o.b. dock offering 94.50¢ 94.50¢ Los Angeles majority price $1.03 $1.04 San Francisco majority price $1.03½ $1.04½ Southern States f.o.b. average 66.61¢ 65.47¢

Turkey Markets Weighted avg. prices for frozen whole young turkeys Weighted average (cents/lb.) F.O.B. shipper dock National

Week ending May 25 Last year Hens (8-16 lbs.)

105.90 97.40 Toms (16-24 lbs.)

107.37 100.60 Week ending May 18 Apr. avg.

Hens (8-16 lbs.)

108.50 106.89 Toms (16-24 lbs.)

108.33 107.69

Egg Markets USDA quotations New York cartoned del. store-door: May 23 May 30 Extra large, up 2¢ $1.03--$1.07 $1.05--$1.09 Large, up 2¢ $1.01--$1.05 $1.03--$1.07 Medium, no change 75--79¢ 75--79¢ Southeast Regional del. warehouse: May 23 May 30 Extra large, up 13¢ 79--96¢ 92¢--$1.05 Large, up 13¢ 75--90¢ 88¢--$1.03 Medium, no change 66½--74¢ 66½--74¢

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

23

AMERICAN EGG BOARD HOTLINE AEB Hotline appears regularly in Poultry Times and provides an update on programs 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: 847296-7043. l Dr. Ron Ward at the University of Florida recently completed a five-year, independent return-on-investment (ROI) study on AEB’s advertising. The ROI is an estimate of the increase in revenues for egg producers for each dollar spent on advertising.

The results showed a return of $8.11 for the last five years. This illustrates the power of effective generic egg advertising. l The Egg Nutrition Center’s partnership with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) included ongoing marketing efforts to promote the ENC education session at ACSM’s Health and Fitness Summit. The session was promoted through e-blasts and prominent placement on ACSMSsummit. org. ACSM’s membership totals more than 45,000 members and certified professional from more than 70 occupations. ENC’s education session “Stronger, Healthier Boomers: The Role of Resistance Training and High Quality Protein” was presented

by Dr. Wayne Campbell and Nicole Nichols, personal trainer. l AEB was one of eight cosponsors of the Multi-Cultural Cuisine Trade Editors Product Presentation Brunch that took place in Chicago during the

National Restaurant Association Hotel-Motel and Restaurant Show (NRA). This event draws editors from all the major foodservice publications and is a great networking opportunity.

Attendees received AEB printed materials, including the brandnew edition of the Eggcyclopedia and National Egg Month items and tasted egg dishes. l United Egg Association (UEA) Further Processor Division president Brian Hayward of Crystal Lake LLC presented the first-ever Gilbert Eckhoff Award to Dr. Glenn Froning, professor emeritus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, during the recent Urner Barry meeting.

After establishing himself as professor emeritus, Froning began a second career with the American Egg Board. He served on AEB’s first egg products advisory council, and since 2002 has been AEB’s food technology advisor contributing his vast knowledge of egg products to further processors and the end users of egg products. American Egg Board salutes Dr. Glenn Froning on his life-long career in egg products. l With limited quantities available, AEB is pleased to offer anyone interested Get Scramblin’ retail POS materials. The pieces include branded recipe tear pads, rail strips and danglers. There are approximately 3,800 recipe tear pads; 13,400 rail strips; and 9,000 danglers available. These items are available on a firstcome, first-serve basis. Please contact Maryanne Crandell, mcrandell@aeb.org or 847-2967043, to order your FREE POS materials today.

•Bat (Continued from page 19)

mala, and that’s where researchers collected more than 300 bats in 2009 and 2010. The research was mainly focused on rabies, but the scientists also checked specimens for other germs and stumbled upon the new virus. It was in the intestines of little yellow-shouldered bats, said Donis, a veterinarian by training.

These bats eat fruit and insects but don’t bite people. Yet it’s possible they could leave the virus on produce and a human could get infected by taking a bite.

It’s conceivable some people were infected with the virus in the past. Now that scientists know what it looks like, they are looking for it in other bats, as well as humans and other animals, said Donis, who heads the Molecular Virology and Vaccines Branch in the CDC’s flu division.

At least one expert said CDC researchers need to do more to establish they’ve actually found a flu virus.

Technically, what the CDC officials found was genetic material of a flu virus. They used a lab technique to find genes for the virus and amplify it.

All they found was a segment of genetic material, said Richard (Mick) Fulton, a bird disease researcher at Michigan State University.

What they should do is draw blood from more bats, try to infect other bats and take other steps to establish that the virus is spreading among the animals, he continued. “In my mind, if you can’t grow the virus, how do you know that the virus is there?”

Donis said work is going on to try to infect healthy bats, but noted there are other viruses that were discovered by genetic sequencing but are hard to grow in a lab, including hepatitis C.

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24

POULTRY TIMES, June 4, 2012

Randy Jones Insurance Agency, Inc.

•Turkeys (Continued from page 19)

in 2012, up about 7 percent from a year earlier. Even with larger beginning stocks and increases in production expected in 2012, whole bird prices are expected to remain above the previous year throughout 2012, although the price gap on a year-over-year basis is expected to narrow considerably as the year progresses.

In 2013, any upward pressure on prices from an improving domestic economy is expected to be offset by higher production.

Eggs Table egg production is expected to total 6.6 billion dozen in 2013, down fractionally from 2012. While 2013 is expected to have higher prices for many meat products and improving general economic conditions, egg producers are expected to face lower prices for the remainder of 2012.

While the rate of lay is expected to very gradually increase, the decrease in production is expected to come from a cut in the size of the laying flock.

Hatching egg production is expected to total almost 1.1 billion dozen in 2013, a marginal increase after a decline in 2011 and 2012. The expansion in hatching egg production is based on the forecast for higher broiler production starting at the end of 2012 and carrying through 2013.

Egg production totaled 1.91 billion dozen in first-quarter 2012, up slightly (1 percent) from the previous year. The increase was due to greater production of table eggs at 1.65 billion dozen, up 1.7 percent from the previous year. Production of hatching eggs totaled 258 million dozen, down 3 percent as the production of broiler-type eggs continue down significantly from a year earlier.

The average number of birds in

the table egg flock during firstquarter 2012 was slightly higher (up 0.7 percent) than in 2011 at 285 million birds. Table egg production for the rest of 2012 is expected to continue to be slightly higher than the previous year during the second and third quarters and about even with the previous year in the fourth quarter. Production of hatching eggs is expected to have the opposite pattern with lower production through the first three quarters of 2012 and higher production in the fourth quarter as broiler processors react to the incentives of a generally better economy, higher prices, and slightly lower grain prices.

Better overall economic conditions in 2013 are expected to generate greater domestic demand for shell eggs and egg products, especially from the foodservice sector.

However, higher production is expected to offset the demand and leave overall wholesale egg prices in 2013 at $1.00-$1.08 per dozen, only slightly higher than in 2012.

During first-quarter 2012, the wholesale price in the New York market averaged $1.09 per dozen for Grade A large eggs. This is up almost 3 percent from a year earlier, in part due to the high prices at the beginning of the year carried over from strong fourth-quarter 2011 prices of $1.31 per dozen. Shell egg prices have fallen seasonally since the Easter holiday and second quarter prices in the New York market are expected to be average $0.91$0.93 per dozen, down 14 percent from the previous year.

Exports For 2013, it is projected that the United States will ship 6.975 billion pounds of broiler meat to countries around the world. Next year’s projection is less than 1 percent below the 2012 projection for broiler shipments. Two reasons for this small drop include greater domestic demand and a continued decline in

shipments to Russia.

Turkey shipments in 2013 are projected to reach an all-time high. It is projected that turkey exports will total 730 million pounds, 1 percent higher than the projections for 2012, which will be a record if it holds. The primary reason for the increase in turkey exports is the continuing increase in shipments to Mexico,

the largest U.S. turkey market.

Exports of shell eggs and egg products are expected to expand to the equivalent of 266 million dozen in 2013, slightly higher than the forecast for 2012. Higher shipments in 2013 are expected to be generated primarily by stronger demand from a number of Asian countries, including Hong

•Cage (Continued from page 18)

donen et al. (2010) studied the effects of added dietary calcium for hens in 3/cage conventional and 8/cage enriched cages. Normal calcium was 3740g/kg diet, and 44-50g/kg diet in the supplemented diets.

Dietary calcium had similar effects in both cage systems. Greater limestone increased the laying rate, with no effects on egg quality, specific gravity, or tibia-breaking strength. Based on this study the weakening of eggshells in furnished cages is not caused by a possible calcium shortage resulting from high bone mineralization.

Neijat et al. (2011a and 2011b) in two studies looking at the influence of conventional (CC) and enriched cages on nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus balance recorded greater feed intake in the CC (95.0 versus 92.5g/hen/day). However, this did not result in any greater body weight, egg production, egg weight or mass. In the end manure and egg nitrogen output was not significantly different between hen housing treatments. With greater feed intake, CC hens did have both greater manure calcium and phosphorus excretion compared to hens from enriched cages. Deposition of egg shell calcium (g/hen/day) was also greater in CC versus enriched cages, but there was no impact on eggshell P deposition or absolute P balance (average -48.3mg/hen/day).

Bird health Bird Health Decreased egg production, egg drop syndrome and cannibalism in free-range flocks in the United Kingdom were reported as early as 1986 by Swarbrick. A more recent survey of birds raised in alternative systems reported the greatest mortality in the litter and free-range systems compared to conventional cages. Bacterial infections caused the greatest mortality in birds raised on litter and in-

Kong, Japan and Korea. Egg exports in 2012 are expected to contract, with smaller shipments to Mexico and Canada. One factor that could affect the impact the 2012 forecast is high demands for breaking eggs and egg products from European Union countries facing lower production.

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cluded erysipelas, colibacillosis and pasteurellosis (Fossum et al., 2009).

Greater mortality with viral diseases (lymphoid leukosis, Marek’s disease and Newcastle) coccidiosis and red mites was also associated with litter and free-range hens. Many of these diseases and ectoparasites are a result of contact with wild birds and animals that can bring them to domestic poultry with outdoor access.

Furthermore, these birds are at risk of predation. Other infections of layers result from direct contact with soil, litter and fomotes (rodents, beetles and equipment) known to carry disease (Lay et al. 2011).

Bennett et al. (2011) evaluated the effectiveness of diatomaceous earth (DE) as a feed additive to treat for parasites and to increase feed efficiency and egg production in brown organic free-range layers. Bovan brown hens fed the DE had significantly lower Capillaria, slightly lower Eimeria and fewer birds with Heterakis. Hens fed the DE were significantly heavier, laid more eggs and consumed more feed that the control hens.

Furthermore, dusting with DE reduced mite numbers. Appleby (1998) and Abrahamsson and Tauson (1998) both indicated hens in aviary, and enriched cage systems can be plagued by Red mites that might benefit from diatomaceous earth added to the feed. And finally according to Sossidou et al. (2011) a high incidence of bone breakage in free range flocks represents a serious issue which compromises welfare benefits one might anticipate.

Summary In summary, much work needs to be done comparing the nutritional requirements of hens in alternative production settings.

Greater diet nutrient density would appear to benefit bird performance and welfare when housed in alternative systems that can both increase bird activity and exposure to more variable environmental conditions.

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