World’s top 250 poultry producers of 2014

The editors of Poultry International, WATTPoultry USA, Egg Industry and Industria Avicola continue to expand our World's Top Poultry Companies database to include company data on the leading poultry producers worldwide. We define poultry producers as companies producing chicken, turkey, geese, ducks, table eggs, egg products, hatching eggs and day-old chicks. We present information on 200 of these companies in this issues of Poultry International. The full database – which includes more than 1,000 companies -- can be found at www.WATTAgNet.com/worldtoppoultry.html.
This is the sixth year of this listing, and have been steadily adding companies to our database. We continue to add more companies and refine the data on companies within the database. If your company is missing, or you wish to add or correct to the data we are showing, simply contact us at topco@wattnet.net.
We start the survey by collecting data from every available resource, combing our circulation lists and sending direct inquiries to readers of the magazine. We also use other research tools – advice from suppliers to the industry, association and governmental statistics, annual reports and business reports, websites, and other sources – to piece together a profile of each company in the database.

Our methodology  

Because we cover the world’s industry, there is no standard measurement for size or success across all countries. For major producing countries such as the United States or Brazil, we pick the top few companies – determined by number of head slaughtered per week – to include in the magazine but have much deeper data on those countries’ producers in the online database.
It is difficult to make size comparisons across different countries and markets. A large producer in Poland would be a small one in Brazil. So we go through the database country by country and pick the leading producers – whether it’s chicken, turkey, ducks, eggs or egg products – from each country and present them in this issue.
We classify companies as producers of chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, table eggs, hatching eggs and egg products. We collect relevant data depending on the company’s production. Integrated poultry producers are listed with head slaughtered annually or weekly in high-volume countries. For egg producers, we list number of laying hens. We list numbers of employees, revenue and facilities when available.
This issue of Poultry International contains 250 companies – an increase from 200 companies listed in 2011. In order to get details on 250 companies in the issue, we changed to a table format for the listings, rather than the text listings we ran in 2011.
Each listing in this issue contains the name of the company, its headquarters location and a brief summary of the company. There is a link within each company’s listing that will take you directly to the company’s listing on WATTAgNet.com. There is more complete summary and additional data, such as production and sales volumes, specific types of production, and other facts listed in the interactive online database.
You will be asked register at WATTAgNet.com to view this data. Registration is free and only takes a few minutes.
In addition to further data on the 250 companies listed in this issue, the database contains data on more than 500 additional companies that did not make the cut into the magazine. Once you have registered on WATTAgNet.com, you can search the entire database and create your own lists of top companies in various regions and countries.
We’ve created several lists from the database, such as the Top 40 poultry producers, that appear in this issue. These lists and special downloadable files will also be available in the expanded Market Data section of WATTAgNet.com.
 This database is compiled by the entire WATT group of poultry publications – Poultry International, WATT PoultryUSA, Industria Avícola, and Egg Industry.

Georgia poultry producer launches mobile site

Springer Mountain Farms, a Georgia poultry producer known for its flavorful chicken without antibiotics, has released its new mobile site that features a variety of recipes, cooking tips for the at-home chef and event information. Live-streamed cooking demonstrations give users behind-the-scene looks into local kitchens of some of the Southeast’s best restaurants.

Every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (EST), a chef from a top restaurant in the Southeast, who serves Springer Mountain Farms chicken on their menu, will broadcast a live cooking demonstration, offering an exclusive look at the daily preparation behind the restaurant’s menu. In the coming months, a Q&A component will be added via Twitter, where guests will have an opportunity to win a free dinner that night if the chef answers their question on-air.

The site boasts recipes with tips and tricks for each one. Recipes include cooking instructions, preparation time, cooking time, number of servings and level of difficulty. Some recipes even include how-to videos with local chefs that showcase the step-by-step process of each dish, as well as a shopping list at the end of the segment. Every week, local chefs also share videos of new suggestions, such as “DIY Sanitize Solution,” “BBQ Sauce Technique” and “Homemade Salsa Tip.” The website also offers information regarding Springer Mountain Farms-sponsored events, from initial announcements to detailed recaps.
“As Georgia’s leading poultry producer, we are enthused to announce we will be the first to host live broadcasts on our mobile site,” said Dale Faunce, marketing manager at Springer Mountain Farms. “We have some truly talented chefs here in the Southeast who are eager to share their knowledge with our viewers.”
Springer Mountain Farms’ mobile site is designed with the user in mind: it can auto-detect location to help consumers find the product at a store near them. The news section offers “Meet the Chef” stories, restaurant mentions, event recaps and more. To receive updates on news, exclusive interviews, tips and more, sign up for the Springer Mountain Farms e-newsletter directly on the mobile site at m.springermountainfarms.com.

Poultry groups oppose OFCCP reporting proposal

The Joint Poultry Industry Human Resources Council on January 2 filed comments opposing the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) proposal to require federal contractors to submit yet another regulatory report, called the annual “Equal Pay Report.” The OFCCP was originally created to enforce, for the benefit of job seekers and wage earners, the contractual promise of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity required of those who do business with the Federal government and now seeks to impose far stricter equal employment rules than required of most employers.
As recently as 2006, OFCCP has sought methods to collect this type of information and has backtracked on implementing a program after it commissioned two studies, both of which found the compensation data would not be useful in predicating systemic discrimination. Further, in 2012, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) convened a panel to review methods of measuring pay data by gender, race and national origin. The NAS identified many concerns with proposals to collect and analyze this data and made numerous recommendations that it determined should be accomplished before implementing any wage reporting requirement, including preparing a comprehensive plan for the use of the earnings data and conducting a pilot study to test and measure the quality of the data collection. OFCCP chose to ignore the NAS recommendations and proceeded with the proposed rulemaking.
“Ignoring the recommendations of NAS defies common sense. This will just place an additional burden on employers while creating no useful data,” the council stated.
While the stated purpose of the Equal Pay Report is to identify pay discrimination, the comment letter explains the collection of aggregate wage data by EEO-1 job categories will not meet the stated goal to identify pay discrimination and will simply add to the employer’s administrative burden without providing any meaningful data, according to the council. Each EEO-1 job category includes a large number of very different jobs, and there are many legitimate non-discriminatory reasons why one employee may be paid more than another within the same EEO-1 job category, including level of responsibility and experience, overtime and shift differentials and geographic location. The aggregate compensation data simply cannot take these differences into consideration and will be of little use to OFCCP or contractors.
The Joint Poultry Industry Human Resources Council is made up of members from the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council and National Turkey Federation. Collectively, the three organizations represent 95 percent of the nation’s poultry products, and their members generate more than 1.3 million total U.S. jobs.

Zambeef warns sales below expectations

Zambeef Products, one of the largest chicken and egg producers in Zambia, has warned that its revenues for the year ended September 30 will be slightly lower than market expectations.
The company’s chicken and egg division processes 5.3 million chickens annually and produces 33.5 million eggs, accounting for 9 percent of total revenues and 8 percent of profits. However, like its beef division, the sector has experienced difficulties in 2014.
For the six months ended March 31, the company reported that sales in the division were 12 percent lower, standing at US$4 million. It noted both a reduction in stock levels and margins. Nevertheless, it entered into a joint venture with Rainbow Chicken which saw an expansion of value added products and in individually quick frozen portions. The company also noted that egg production would rise in the second half.
During the second half of Zambeef’s financial year, the company benefited from the exchange rate returning to relative stability, resulting in reduced foreign exchange losses compared with the first six months. Additionally, livestock movement restrictions introduced by the Zambian government due to African swine fever were lifted. The company also notes that good harvests are expected this year meaning that its cropping division is likely to perform above expectations for the year as a whole.
Final results are expected to be published at the end of November.

Mountaire Farms acquires Star Milling Company in North Carolina

Poultry producer Mountaire Farms on September 29 acquired the operating assets of Star Milling Company in Statesville, North Carolina.
“Mountaire is a producer of high-quality chicken products with market distribution channels in retail, wholesale, food service, and export. Star Milling is ideally located in the heart of our North Carolina Breeder Production area,” said Paul Downes, Mountaire CEO and president. “Mountaire has a deep rooted commitment to quality service and value, and we look forward to growing our business in North Carolina and strengthening the ties we have with the local communities where we operate.”
Bill Massey, Mountaire’s vice president of live operations, added: “Mountaire Farms and Star Milling have a long tradition of working together to produce the best quality poultry diets for our breeder chickens.  We are very pleased to continue Star Milling’s long tradition of high quality feed production.”
Mountaire is a major purchaser of commodity grains including corn, soybeans, wheat, and barley that the company uses in its feed mills. Mark Mulholland, Mountaire’s vice president of agri-business, said: “We are very pleased to enter this agreement with Star Milling. The new Statesville feed mill will continue to provide local breeder growers with exceptional customer service and extremely high quality feed.  Mountaire Farms has a tradition of working closely with our local farming community to source the best quality ingredients for our feed mill needs.”
The new business will be known as Mountaire Farms Inc. Statesville Breeder Feedmill.

George family donates $1 million to The Jones Center

The George family has pledged $1 million to The Jones Center, a unique recreation and education center in downtown Springdale, Arkansas. Carl George and Charles George, co-CEOs of poultry company George’s Inc., presented a check to the Jones Trust during a special ceremony on May 1.
Opened in 1995 as a gift to the Northwestern Arkansas region from philanthropist Bernice Jones, The Jones Center is known for its high-quality, low-cost recreation services, innovative youth programming and affordable community meeting/conference space. The facility includes two indoor swimming pools, an indoor ice rink, gymnasium, fitness center, conference center, auditorium/chapel and numerous classrooms.
“The George family has been an important part of Springdale’s history and the Northwest Arkansas landscape for many years, and we are so pleased with this show of great support by the family. The Jones Trust board and staff have worked very hard to expand our regional quality of life programs and services, and we are delighted to receive this important endorsement from the George family. Their very generous gift to our endowment campaign considerably moves us towards our goal of financial sustainability,” said Ed Clifford, president and CEO of The Jones Center.
On behalf of the George family, Carl George remarked: “Springdale has been blessed by the vision of Harvey and Bernice Jones. Our family shares their vision, and is privileged to live and work in this community.  The Jones Center is dedicated to strengthening this community, and helping nurture the individuals and families that call Northwest Arkansas home.”
Charles George added: “It is with great joy that our family will help sustain Harvey and Bernice’s dream of making The Jones Center a place of education, recreation and togetherness for all of George’s team members and the Northwest Arkansas community.” 
The Jones Trust board is working to reach the full endowment campaign goal amount of $30 million that will benefit the short- and long-term goals to sustain the Jones Trust and The Jones Center.

Poultry producers worried about propane’s short supply, high price

Low propane supplies and high propane prices have caused concerns among U.S. poultry farmers who rely on the fuel to keep their poultry houses warm amid the cold winter months.
Poultry producer Jeremy Brown, Ramer, Ala., told the Montgomery Advertiser he uses heaters fueled by propane to keep temperatures around 90 degrees in his six poultry houses, which each house about 28,500 chicks. Should that source of heat not be available, Brown said, the chicks would not survive.
The tight supplies have pushed prices to about $4.50 per gallon from the $.80 range they were at during the summer of 2013. "It's the highest I've seen them, possibly ever," Mason Hamilton, an analyst with the Energy Information Administration said of propane prices during a January 24 USDA radio report.
One of the reasons cited for the shortage of propane in the U.S. is that a larger-than-normal amount of propane was used in 2013 in an effort to dry grain during a late harvest.

Joyce Foods changes company name, simplifies brands

Joyce Foods Inc., a provider of poultry, game and beef to chefs and restaurants across the United States, is changing the company name to Joyce Farms Inc. and simplifying its brand names under the new Joyce Farms label. The transition is underway as new labeling, packaging and boxes featuring the new name are produced. As part of the transition, the company recently launched a new website and online store.
The company's ownership, headquarters location in Winston-Salem, N.C., management, and family farms remain unchanged.
With the change, the company's well-known Ashley Farms and Tanglewood Farms poultry brands will now be called Joyce Farms' "Naked Chicken" -- referencing the company's commitment to raising poultry following a strict philosophy of never adding hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, preservatives, artificial ingredients or anything else to the poultry. Joyce Farms' "Heritage" brand will include the company's slow-growing heritage poultry breeds -- Poulet Rouge, Poussin, Capon, Pintade, Pheasant and Black Turkey -- raised using older, more traditional European farming methods, and air-chilled.
"When we see an opportunity for change that directly benefits our customers, we act on it," explains Ron Joyce, Joyce Farms' president and CEO. "For years, many customers have called us Joyce Farms, and we decided that Farms is a much better way to describe what our company truly represents. We grow our poultry on small farms using Old-World methods that produce delicious, healthy and humanely-raised poultry. The name change also makes it easier for chefs and distributors to describe, specify and order the poultry and game products they desire."

Three poultry businesses unite for Vencomatic Group

Vencomatic Group is the new name that synergizes three brands in the poultry sector: Vencomatic, Prinzen and Agro Supply. Together these brands offer a range of systems for equipping modern poultry farms all over the world.
The new identity of the Vencomatic Group combines the colors of the three brands. 'Think ahead with poultry people' is the new slogan that underlines the innovative character of the group and expresses how it values its customers and partners.
 "We strongly believe in working together to ensure optimum results now and in the future," said Vencomatic Group Chief Operating Officer Peter Vingerling.
The group presents its new identity on its website, which shows a breakdown of the activities of the group and will soon present its full profile and products.
The Vencomatic Group is owned by the Van de Ven family from Eersel, Netherlands. It started more than 30 years ago with a breakthrough innovation in breeder housing; the first automatic nest. The group has grown to a company that looks for alternative solutions, developing sustainable and poultry friendly systems. With more than 350 committed employees, Vencomatic Group serves thousands of customers worldwide.

USPOULTRY develops Environmental Enhancement and Protection Program

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has announced The Poultry and Egg Producers Environmental Enhancement and Protection Program (E2P2) to assist poultry and egg producers in evaluating environmental strategies associated with the management of manure and other byproducts generated on the farm.
"Module 1- Initial Facility Assessment"    addresses elements and mechanisms that can cause negative environmental impacts and discusses the preventative measures poultry and egg producers can take to remove impacts. Future modules will present tools to determine liability, tools to address deficiencies and methods to remove discharges, and consideration for the establishment of acceptable benchmarks. Future editions will also present the requirements of the Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System to assist producers with making a decision on whether to obtain an NPDES permit.
This program is available to USPOULTRY members, free of charge.  For information on this program, contact Paul Bredwell at pbredwell@uspoultry.org or Marjorie Maul at mmaul@uspoultry.org.

Poultry producer named to Federal Reserve board of directors

Robert Martinez, a poultry producer and diversified farmer from DeQueen, Ark., has been appointed to serve on the Little Rock, Ark., Federal Reserve board of directors. The appointment will be for a maximum of two three-year terms.
Martinez will share with the board an overview of information about agriculture, poultry, cattle, forestry and industry in the region. Branch activities include conducting regional economic research and gathering monetary policy input from business leaders across Arkansas, sponsoring and hosting community development seminars, and providing economic education.
"It's an opportunity to represent southwest Arkansas. It's also a challenge and a duty. I will talk to farmers and ranchers and visit with industry leaders from Pilgrim's, Domtar and Husquarvana," Martinez told the Texarkana Gazette. 

Poultry conference held for Turkey, Middle East and Africa

Nutrition, health and overall bird management were top of the agenda at the Eighth Annual Ross Turkey, Middle East and Africa Distributor Customer Focus Team Meeting, held from May 8-10. Ross is a broiler chicken brand owned by poultry producer Aviagen.
Over 25 delegates attended the meeting in Antalya, Turkey, and were welcomed by Regional Technical Manager, Puzant Dakessian. The opening day included discussions on chick quality. Services and support were also discussed during the three day event. Attendees had the chance to join in hands-on workshops. One workshop showed how to check fertility in 12 day old incubated eggs, while the second looked at fresh eggs. Real egg break outs were done to underline the methods being discussed.
Dakessian said, "Our objective at these meetings is to bring together global and regional knowledge and best practice. It helps us discuss various issues and find solutions based on experience, to pass on to our distributors and their customers as well as assess and compare our overall Ross product performances. Ensuring best practise is always a great way to guarantee strong flock performance, hence the need to look at the support we give to our distributors and customers as well as the latest advice.
"The poultry industry in Turkey, the Middle East and Africa continues to grow and expand despite all the regional political turmoil and increased production costs. We are lucky to be in an industry which produces affordable protein for human consumption and also to be in a region of significant growth in the population and hence in demand, which keeps attracting international breeding companies and independent entrepreneurs to invest in the region for the future."
Individual national round-ups from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq and Sudan were available. Other meetings covered topics including the Aviagen SPIDES technology and an overview of the Aviagen Schools in the United States and Europe. Presentations and discussions on controlling major diseases were available as well.

Poultry, pig producers must educate consumers on food production and welfare

Consumer perception is everything and expecting them to have a detailed understanding of animal welfare or expecting them to pay a premium for it when they don't really know where food comes from is too much. This was the message given to pig and poultry producers by supermarket chain Morrisons' head of agriculture David Evans at conference held in the UK recently.
"Changing consumer attitudes is challenging, and if you want to get them to understand, it can only be done with a simple message," he continued.
Attendees at the Pig and Poultry Fair, held in Warwickshire, UK, were further told that pig and poultry producers need to be braver in talking about what happens on their farms if consumers are to be driven to more high-welfare, home-grown food.
National Farmers Union president, Peter Kendall, added: "Animal welfare is all about perception and that's why we need to engage with our customers. Without that discussion, the danger is that UK producers are forced to have higher standards through regulation, but retailers import cheaper foods from elsewhere.
"Animal welfare is a difficult, emotive debate and we need to have an honest discussion if we are going to give consumers a reason to pick British food," he said.

Chilean poultry producers builds new hatchery

Agrícola Ariztía, a Chilean poultry producers, commissioned Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies for the supply and installation of a grand parent hatchery in Lagunillas. Pas Reform will supply setters and hatchers as well as the complete heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the new hatchery, which is due to be operational in June 2013.
Manuel Ariztía, president of Agrícola Ariztía said, "Agrícola Ariztía has worked for several years now with Pas Reform's Smart incubator series, in both our broiler and turkey operations in Chile. During this time, we have seen benefits in terms of dependability and performance, with a substantial drop in maintenance budgets where we have installed the Smart Incubators into our system.
"With this first-hand experience and the results delivered in the other hatcheries, it was a relatively easy decision to continue to work with Pas Reform as our incubation supplier for the new Grand Parent project."
Agrícola Ariztía has, says the company's hatchery manager, Clemente Cerda, found Pas Reform do Brasil's engineers and technicians to be very well-informed in their use and understanding of the latest technologies, and well positioned to provide incubation support from their base in Brazil. This combined with real depth of local knowledge was extremely valuable for the hatchery.
According to Bouke Hamminga, director of international sales and business development for Pas Reform, the new project is an indication of customer satisfaction from an important customer in Latin America, both with the incubators and with the support by Pas Reform locally.
"Agrícola Ariztía is well known in this part of the world," he concludes. "Building another project for this ambitious company is a strong reference for Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies in this important region.
"Over the past 10 years, Pas Reform do Brasil has expanded its customer-base to almost every Latin American country - and we look forward to strengthening that presence still further in the future."

Energy efficiency workshop planned for Hmong poultry farmers in Missouri

Hmong poultry producers in southwestern Missouri have an opportunity to learn about improving their farms' energy efficiency at a workshop in Fairview, Mo, on April 25. In partnership with the USDA and Missouri Department of Agriculture, EnSave, Inc. is hosting an energy efficiency workshop at the Fairview Hall.
The workshop is focused on assisting the Hmong poultry farming community in southwestern Missouri and will kick off at 1  p.m. Topics for the energy efficiency workshop include understanding farm energy use, increasing energy efficiency in poultry operations and accessing financial assistance for energy efficiency improvements. Mitchell Graves, EnSave's training coordinator, will be leading the energy efficiency portion of the workshop. "The Hmong have a strong tradition of poultry farming and they have worked hard to buy their own farms and settle in Missouri," Graves said. "There are a lot of projects to be done on the farm to save fuel costs, and this event will be a great resource for producers interested in those opportunities."
During the workshop, producers will have the opportunity to discuss funding opportunities with representatives from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Rural Development and the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority.  "USDA is making a concerted effort to engage historically underserved groups, such as Hmong, "said Rebecca MacLeod, national energy efficiency liaison for USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service.  "This event will provide some good information for this community to improve their operations and learn more about the resources available through the federal government."
Attendees will also be able to receive personalized guidance during one-on-one conversations with experts during the four hour event.
This workshop is made possible by the Missouri Agricultural Energy Savings Team - a Revolutionary Opportunity program, an energy efficiency program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and administered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the University of Missouri and EnSave, Inc.
The Missouri Agricultural Energy Savings Team - a Revolutionary Opportunity program was created to strengthen the financial viability of Missouri's livestock producers through energy efficiency.  Since its launch in January 2011, the program has helped hundreds of Missouri livestock producers receive energy audits and implement energy efficiency improvements on their farms and in their farm homes.  The workshop helps to sustain the mission of the program by empowering the Hmong community to make their farms as energy efficient as possible.

Good animal welfare practices don’t always look that way

Public perceptions about animal welfare remains one of the major challenges of the poultry industry. Yvonne Thaxton of the University of Arkansas Center for Food Animal Well Being did her part to clear up misconceptions, sharing a message with reporters about how what people think of poor animal care is often quite the opposite.
"A lot of times, procedures that look bad are good. Other procedures that look bad, are in reality, good," Thaxton said April 19 at the Chicken Media Summit.
She cited one example of how people with no knowledge of the industry sometimes complain about the crowded conditions chickens live in based off of what they saw in a picture. What they don't realize, Thaxton said, is that chickens huddle together because they are flock animals, and in most cases, there is still a lot of open space in the barns that the chickens are choosing not to use.
In contrast, pictures of rangeland poultry create an image that the birds look happy, healthy and comfortable. But in reality, she said, they are not protected from predators and pathogens.
Thaxton took a question from the media group that reiterated her point. When asked about why chickens are raised in areas with so little light, she said that just because the light might be dim and not suitable for humans, it is for chickens.
"It has been determined that they actually get plenty of light," said Thaxton. "It's dim for you, but it keeps them calmer to be in a somewhat low light situation. And that is better for their behavior and their welfare in general." 
The Chicken Media Summit was sponsored by the National Chicken Council and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.  

Chicken Media Summit attendees learn poultry meat benefits

Bill Weldon, vice president of global outreach and development and Western Europe commercial business for Elanco Animal Health, and Susan Finn, president and CEO of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition, delivered a keynote address to attendees of the 2013 Chicken Media Summit on April 17. Together, they shared how animal source foods are the key to enriching people's lives and feeding the world for the next 50 years.
The three key elements of this new research focuses on broadening the understanding, empowering collaboration and advancing innovation. Statistics show that by 2050 we are expected to have about 9 billion mouths to feed. That means 70 percent more food will be needed and 70 percent of this will need to come from efficiency-improving technology.
"Food security has far-reaching ramifications for health productivity and quality of life at the individual, community and global levels," attendees were told. "Historically, as societies emerge from poverty, they begin to consume animal source foods. Meat, milk and eggs provide a nutrient-rich diet, which is critical for brain and muscle development, and disease prevention, along with weight management. All of these combine to improve health and productivity, ultimately enriching people's lives."
The summit, held in New Bern, N.C., runs April 17–19. The event is being hosted by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

Suit against poultry grower spurs legal issues study

In response to a lawsuit that was filed against a Maryland poultry producer for alleged Clean Water Act Violations, a group of academics is working to find out what legal resources Maryland farmers may want. Over the next several months, the group will be conducting surveys and holding public meetings in hopes to form a plan to give farmers more legal options.
The need for the study to help farmers with legal matters, which has received $250,000 in funding for a one-year period, was prompted by the 2010 lawsuit filed by the Waterkeeper Alliance against Maryland poultry farmers Alan and Kristen Hudson, who raised birds for Perdue Farms. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed in December 2012.
The study will be a collaborative effort among the Francis King Carey School of Law, the University of Maryland agriculture school, the Maryland Easter Shore agriculture school, and the university's extension service.
The study's outcome is still in question, but several options such as an agricultural law clinic, attorneys offering lower fees for farmers, or more legal training for university extension agents are in consideration.
The study has the moral support of the Maryland Farm Bureau, as well as Maryland Sen. Richard Colburn, the Daily Times of Salisbury reported.
"In the case of the Hudsons, had there been an ag law clinic, they would've been able to get in touch with them and perhaps that would have met their needs," Maryland Farm Bureau President Pat Langenfelder told the Times. 

Ethanol mandate reform bill introduced in House

Reps. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., Jim Costa, D-Calif., Steve Womack, R-Ark., and Peter Welch, D-Vt. introduced the Renewable Fuel Standard  Reform Act on April 10 to help ease concerns created by the ethanol mandate and protect consumers, energy producers, livestock and poultry producers, food manufacturers, retailers and the U.S. economy.
"I commend Congressmen Goodlatte, Costa, Womack and Welch for their leadership in introducing this legislation that will provide much needed relief to U.S. chicken producers and family farms that raise chickens," said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown.  "After the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal last fall to grant a waiver from the Renewable Fuel Standard in the face of the worst drought since the 1950s, it is abundantly clear the Renewable Fuel Standard is broken and needs to be reformed."
The legislation eliminates the conventional biofuels mandate, beginning in 2014, and rescinds the requirements of blending up to 15 percent ethanol into the fuel supply.
Brown noted that since the Renewable Fuel Standard was enacted, chicken producers alone have incurred $35 billion in cumulative additional feed costs.
"We have witnessed a dozen poultry companies file for bankruptcy, be sold or simply close their doors, due in large part to the extreme volatility and record high cost of corn associated with ethanol's insatiable demand," he said. 
"Chicken producers are certainly not anti-corn; and we're not even anti-ethanol. What we are against is a government mandate that artificially inflates the price of corn, picks winners and punishes losers among those who depend on it.  The Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act seeks to level this playing field by embracing free market principles," Brown concluded.
Other meat and poultry groups joined the National Chicken Council in supporting the new bill.
"The Renwable Fuel Standard cost the turkey industry $1.9 billion in increased feed expenses last year," said Joel Brandenberger, president of the National Turkey Federation. "For this reason, the National Turkey Federation believes the introduction of Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act by Reps. Goodlatte, Costa, Womack and Welch is a strong step in the right direction. We appreciate our champions for standing up against this misguided ethanol policy that has cuased severe economic harm to our industry and the country."
J. Patrick Boyle, president and CEO of the National Meat Institute also applauded the four Congressmen.
"It is clear that the Renewable Fuel Standard is a failed policy that has driven up the price of corn to record levels and put a strain on the entire meat and poultry production chain. For years, the American Meat Institute has called for a renewable fuels policy that doesn't pit energy against food production," Boyle said.
Other organizations sharing their support of the new legislation include the Poultry Federation, the American Frozen Food Institute, the National Restaurant Association, the North American Meat Association, the California Poultry Federation, the Chicken and Egg Association of Minnesota, the Indiana State Poultry Association, the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, the North Carolina Poultry Federation, the Texas Poultry Federation and the Virginia Poultry Federation.
Also on April 10, Rep.Womack and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., introduced a separate bill, the Renewable Fuel Standard Amendments Act, which would solely zero-out corn from the Renewable Fuel Standard.  The National Chicken Council also supports this legislation as another vehicle to help alleviate the economic harm caused by the federal government's misguided ethanol policy.

Poultry company George's Inc. names new co-CEOs

George's Inc., one of the nation's largest privately held poultry companies, announced Carl George and Charles George as co-CEOs/presidents, effective April 5. Previous CEO/President Gary George will continue as the company's Chairman. Executive responsibilities will continue to be shared, with Carl leading all areas of live production and processing and Charles leading sales, accounting, human resources, quality assurance and purchasing.
"Our family built this company with an uncompromising dedication to quality," said Gary George. "We have always been committed to treating our customers, employees, and independent contract growers with respect, honesty and loyalty. Those same values will continue to guide our company as the fourth generation leads George's."
With the company since 1997, Carl George and Charles George have devoted time to learning all areas of the business, from live production to sales.  In 2006, they joined the executive team, and in 2009, they were both named Senior Vice President with executive responsibilities for the areas they now lead.
"We have an amazing team of dedicated people and committed contract growers who work hard to offer our customers the best service and products," said Carl George.  "I look forward to continuing the work of growing our company and maintaining our commitment to providing these quality products."
"It is a privilege to work alongside my brother and the excellent team here at George's," said Charles George. "Providing our customers with the highest quality poultry products is a legacy that we will continue for years to come."
Charles George serves on the board of directors for both the Arkansas Poultry Federation and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, and he is a member of the National Chicken Council.  Carl George serves on the board of directors for the National Chicken Council and is a member of the U.S Poultry & Egg Association. He also serves on the Crystal Bridges Young Patrons Steering Committee and the Downtown Springdale Alliance, and he is vice chairman of the Springdale Athletic Foundation Board. Both Carl George and Charles George received their B.S. and B.A. from Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.