USPOULTRY has made available four presentations from the Environmental Bootcamp education program held during the 2015 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, GA. The video presentations provide an overview of the environmental regulations that commonly affect the poultry and egg industries and discuss the importance of environmental audits and inspections.
The first video presentation is from John Pierson, P.E., research engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute, discussing “Stormwater NPDES Permitting and SPCC Compliance.” The second video presentation is from James Faison, regulatory compliance manager, Mar-Jac Poultry, examining “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Feed Mills.” The third presentation offers an overview of Tier I, Tier II and TRI reporting requirements by Sam Hardin, P.E., consulting engineer, Clear Water Consultants. The fourth video presentation is from Warren Howe, P.E., vice president, Woodruff & Howe Environmental Engineering, reviewing “Environmental Audits and Inspections.”
“These presentations are one example of how funds generated by the International Poultry Expo, part of the IPPE, are directed back into the industry. We value the support of our members and exhibitors that has allowed USPOULTRY to create and distribute this information,” said Sherman Miller, Cal-Maine Foods, Jackson, MS, and USPOULTRY chairman.
The presentations can be viewed on the USPOULTRY YouTube page by clicking here or on the USPOULTRY Environmental “Regulatory Programs Support & Assistance” webpage by clicking here.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Congress briefed on humane farming practices
Officials with the American Humane Association, Schoettmer Prime Pork and the happy egg co. were among agriculture industry stakeholders who went to Capitol Hill to take part in a congressional briefing on "The Humane Heartland."
The briefing was hosted by the Congressional Humane Bond Caucus, and outlined advances in agriculture, while calling on the American public to support humane farming practices and celebrating the farmers who make animal welfare a high priority.
"More people are concerned about how their food is raised than ever before and want to make choices that are in line with their values," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane Association. "This Thanksgiving, we urge all Americans to set a humane table and give thanks to American farmers and ranchers who not only put food on our families' tables, but who work to put the 'heart' in heartland by providing food that is safe, abundant, affordable and humanely raised under ethical, commonsense, and scientifically demonstrated standards."
At the briefing a famed Michelin-starred chef, top figures in farm animal welfare, farmers, and leaders of major organizations in food production involving hundreds of millions of animals outlined advances in humane agriculture in line with national studies showing overwhelming support for humanely raised food.
"The happy egg co. is passionately committed to improving the living conditions of all farm animals," said David Wagstaff, chief operating officer of the happy egg co. "We have established a profitable farming model that benefits laying hens, family farmers and U.S. consumers. Working with American Humane Association has allowed us to bring more awareness to Congress about the importance of providing Americans with affordable, high humane food, raised under the most ethical standards. We're confident that The Humane Heartland Congressional Briefing will further advance the movement toward humane agriculture in the U.S."
"I believe that that pig farmers are animal welfare professionals who provide the best care to pigs," said Keith Schoettmer of Indiana's Schoettmer Prime Pork, who was recently named "America's Pig Farmer of the Year" for his use of humane and sustainable practices. "The America's Pig Farmer of the Year program is a great avenue to share producers' commitment to doing things right every day on their farms."
The Congressional Humane Bond Caucus was founded by Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Florida, and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.
The briefing was hosted by the Congressional Humane Bond Caucus, and outlined advances in agriculture, while calling on the American public to support humane farming practices and celebrating the farmers who make animal welfare a high priority.
"More people are concerned about how their food is raised than ever before and want to make choices that are in line with their values," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane Association. "This Thanksgiving, we urge all Americans to set a humane table and give thanks to American farmers and ranchers who not only put food on our families' tables, but who work to put the 'heart' in heartland by providing food that is safe, abundant, affordable and humanely raised under ethical, commonsense, and scientifically demonstrated standards."
At the briefing a famed Michelin-starred chef, top figures in farm animal welfare, farmers, and leaders of major organizations in food production involving hundreds of millions of animals outlined advances in humane agriculture in line with national studies showing overwhelming support for humanely raised food.
"The happy egg co. is passionately committed to improving the living conditions of all farm animals," said David Wagstaff, chief operating officer of the happy egg co. "We have established a profitable farming model that benefits laying hens, family farmers and U.S. consumers. Working with American Humane Association has allowed us to bring more awareness to Congress about the importance of providing Americans with affordable, high humane food, raised under the most ethical standards. We're confident that The Humane Heartland Congressional Briefing will further advance the movement toward humane agriculture in the U.S."
"I believe that that pig farmers are animal welfare professionals who provide the best care to pigs," said Keith Schoettmer of Indiana's Schoettmer Prime Pork, who was recently named "America's Pig Farmer of the Year" for his use of humane and sustainable practices. "The America's Pig Farmer of the Year program is a great avenue to share producers' commitment to doing things right every day on their farms."
The Congressional Humane Bond Caucus was founded by Reps. Gus Bilirakis, R-Florida, and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.
Chile puts fair trade poultry to the test
An agreement has been reached to set up a new partnership in egg production in Chile. The agreement has been recognized internationally because it promotes the welfare of hens and respect for the environment, as well as prioritizing the fair trade system for farmers. The new initiative comes from Ecoterra in cooperation with the Chilean government’s Agricultural Development Institute, INDAP. Agriculture Minister Carlos Furche, and the executive director of the Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (FIA), Hector Echeverria, attended the official launch.
“This initiative brings together several remarkable features,” said Furche. “First, this is the first example of fair trade certification for egg production in Chile or worldwide. Secondly, the initiative has the dimension of environmental sustainability that is very relevant and, thirdly, it is significant in involving small farmers and allowing them to improve their income.”
The model,developed by Ecoterra,aims to secure economic rights for those who are unable to access large markets using a system that respects all aspects of sustainability. It will be the first organization in Chile to produce chicken eggs certified by the Institute for Market Ecology (IMO) with ‘Fair for Life’certification.
“We have supported and developed this innovative model to bring agriculture closer to the city,” said Echeverria. “There are plenty of people in cities who know nothing about farming but we can all respond to future challenges by bringing together these products and organizations through joint work.”
Free-range systems for chickens have been implemented with success in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, where they aim to produce high-quality food using resources sustainably and with respect for the environment. The hens live naturally, without controlled light, temperature or humidity, on organic pasture foraging for feed grains, grass, insects and worms. Birds have 5m2 in outdoor space and the range is managed naturally without application of herbicides or pesticides. The low stocking density means that antibiotics or growth promoters are unnecessary in the feed.
“From the beginning, our project sought to produce free-range eggs on a fair trade basis, so the production chain involved small producers working cooperatively,” said Pablo Albarran, manager of Ecoterra. “The project has delivered excellent results, allowing these farmers to earn up to 5 times the minimum income each month. This far exceeds the average income for farm workers – an achievement that was unthinkable before as small farmers are often marginalized and unable to benefits from added value in the food supply chain.”
“This initiative brings together several remarkable features,” said Furche. “First, this is the first example of fair trade certification for egg production in Chile or worldwide. Secondly, the initiative has the dimension of environmental sustainability that is very relevant and, thirdly, it is significant in involving small farmers and allowing them to improve their income.”
The model,developed by Ecoterra,aims to secure economic rights for those who are unable to access large markets using a system that respects all aspects of sustainability. It will be the first organization in Chile to produce chicken eggs certified by the Institute for Market Ecology (IMO) with ‘Fair for Life’certification.
“We have supported and developed this innovative model to bring agriculture closer to the city,” said Echeverria. “There are plenty of people in cities who know nothing about farming but we can all respond to future challenges by bringing together these products and organizations through joint work.”
Free-range systems for chickens have been implemented with success in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, where they aim to produce high-quality food using resources sustainably and with respect for the environment. The hens live naturally, without controlled light, temperature or humidity, on organic pasture foraging for feed grains, grass, insects and worms. Birds have 5m2 in outdoor space and the range is managed naturally without application of herbicides or pesticides. The low stocking density means that antibiotics or growth promoters are unnecessary in the feed.
“From the beginning, our project sought to produce free-range eggs on a fair trade basis, so the production chain involved small producers working cooperatively,” said Pablo Albarran, manager of Ecoterra. “The project has delivered excellent results, allowing these farmers to earn up to 5 times the minimum income each month. This far exceeds the average income for farm workers – an achievement that was unthinkable before as small farmers are often marginalized and unable to benefits from added value in the food supply chain.”
Hormel Foods earnings up despite avian influenza losses
Hormel Foods reported a record fourth quarter performance with net earnings of $187.2 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015, up from the $171.3 million reported during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014. The company made this financial progress in spite of the losses its Jennie-O Turkey Store segment faced in the wake of the 2015 avian influenza outbreak.
The operating profit for Jennie-O Turkey Store for the quarter was down 23 percent, while volume was down 21 percent and dollar sales were down 18 percent.
More than offsetting those losses were strong performances in the Grocery Products division, Refrigerated Foods division and Specialty Foods division, with operating profits up 57, 27 and 63 percent, respectively.
“I am proud of the excellent fourth quarter delivered by our team, achieving record earnings for the tenth straight quarter. We reported record bottom line results for the full year, with fiscal 2015 adjusted net earnings up 19 percent over last year and all five segments registering earnings growth,” said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, Hormel Foods’ chairman of the board and CEO. “We did face some headwinds during the year, including lower revenues impacted by declining pork markets and the loss of sales and operational efficiency related to highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Jennie-O Turkey Store segment. Our experienced team navigated these challenges to post this impressive bottom line performance.”
The operating profit for Jennie-O Turkey Store for the quarter was down 23 percent, while volume was down 21 percent and dollar sales were down 18 percent.
More than offsetting those losses were strong performances in the Grocery Products division, Refrigerated Foods division and Specialty Foods division, with operating profits up 57, 27 and 63 percent, respectively.
“I am proud of the excellent fourth quarter delivered by our team, achieving record earnings for the tenth straight quarter. We reported record bottom line results for the full year, with fiscal 2015 adjusted net earnings up 19 percent over last year and all five segments registering earnings growth,” said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, Hormel Foods’ chairman of the board and CEO. “We did face some headwinds during the year, including lower revenues impacted by declining pork markets and the loss of sales and operational efficiency related to highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Jennie-O Turkey Store segment. Our experienced team navigated these challenges to post this impressive bottom line performance.”
Avian influenza’s impact on Tyson Foods: $139 million
The avian influenza outbreak of 2015 had a negative impact on Tyson Foods that amounted to about $139 million, said Donnie Smith, president and CEO of Tyson Foods.
Speaking to shareholders during the company’s quarterly earnings call on November 23, Smith said the outbreak hurt the company in two ways: the outbreak lead to the closing of several export markets for Tyson’s chicken business, and the avian influenza-related losses Tyson faced with its turkey flocks.
When Tyson completed the acquisition of Hillshire Brands in 2014, the company became a major player in the U.S. turkey industry. The company slaughtered 318 million pounds of live turkeys in 2014.
Despite those losses, Tyson Foods still completed a successful fiscal year, reporting that its net income for FY 2015 rose to $1.22 billion from the $864 million net income it reported during fiscal year 2014.
However, he also adds that other pending congressional actions on trade-related matters, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) will also play a factor.
Meanwhile, the company is rebuilding its turkey inventory, which will help the sales of Tyson’s deli meat and improve the profits of its Prepared Foods division.
“Our shortage of raw material in turkey has hurt our volume in that business,” Smith said. “Overall, the absence of turkey has hurt our volume. We’re now in a position for after the first of the year, say late January … we’ll be back to full production in our turkey operation after the [avian influenza] problems, and we’ll have the raw material around as we need.”
Speaking to shareholders during the company’s quarterly earnings call on November 23, Smith said the outbreak hurt the company in two ways: the outbreak lead to the closing of several export markets for Tyson’s chicken business, and the avian influenza-related losses Tyson faced with its turkey flocks.
When Tyson completed the acquisition of Hillshire Brands in 2014, the company became a major player in the U.S. turkey industry. The company slaughtered 318 million pounds of live turkeys in 2014.
Despite those losses, Tyson Foods still completed a successful fiscal year, reporting that its net income for FY 2015 rose to $1.22 billion from the $864 million net income it reported during fiscal year 2014.
Moving forward after avian influenza
When asked how long he thought the various trade bans on U.S. poultry would remain in place, Smith said it was difficult to tell. Typically, he said, those bans will be lifted 6-9 months after the last positive detection of avian influenza, which in some regions, has already passed. “We haven’t seen many doors open, yet,” said Smith.However, he also adds that other pending congressional actions on trade-related matters, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) will also play a factor.
Meanwhile, the company is rebuilding its turkey inventory, which will help the sales of Tyson’s deli meat and improve the profits of its Prepared Foods division.
“Our shortage of raw material in turkey has hurt our volume in that business,” Smith said. “Overall, the absence of turkey has hurt our volume. We’re now in a position for after the first of the year, say late January … we’ll be back to full production in our turkey operation after the [avian influenza] problems, and we’ll have the raw material around as we need.”
Informed Silica+ to replace part of fish meal in shrimp diet
Ceresco Nutrition, a research company that is behind the new technology based on the transfer of vibratory information through an aqueous medium, says their product Silica+ will change the diet formulation in aquaculture feed industry.
The study, conducted at the Prince of Songkla University (Thailand) and published in AQUA CULTURE Asia Pacific, revealed that the Silica+ feed supplement allows the reduction of fish meal from 15 percent to 7.5 percent in shrimp diet.
“The elevation of the protein utilization ratio and the protease activity in the gut of the shrimp receiving diets supplemented with Silica+ suggest that this product enhances protein digestion,” explained Dr. Wutiporn Phromkunthong who supervised this study. “Thus, adding Silica+ to feed will contribute to better growth performance and feed utilization.” As a result, a significant difference was observed between the experiment and control groups in terms of average body weight, final weight gain and feed conversion ratio.
“No ordinary silicon dioxide is capable of delivering this effect,” says Dr. Raj Kasula, Veterinarian and Business Development Director. “We use a high purity grade natural silicon dioxide from the quartz family, and inform it with a specific electromagnetic signal. This information is capable of exciting the water molecules in the intestine thus providing free electrons necessary to enhance the rate of all kinds of biochemical reactions.”
Silica+ works on the concept that all matter (physical, chemical, biological/organic) vibrates at a specific frequency and this vibration can be affected by external factors (bacteria, virus, toxins). When added to feed, the supplement acts like a catalyst by imparting its electromagnetic information on all forms of matter to normalize their vibrations, restoring faster homeostasis of the digestive system. The animal becomes more efficient to digest, absorb and assimilate the nutrients, thus offering better growth and performance. In addition, Silica+ increases dissolved oxygen in water and helps reduce ammonia in litter and manure.
The study, conducted at the Prince of Songkla University (Thailand) and published in AQUA CULTURE Asia Pacific, revealed that the Silica+ feed supplement allows the reduction of fish meal from 15 percent to 7.5 percent in shrimp diet.
“The elevation of the protein utilization ratio and the protease activity in the gut of the shrimp receiving diets supplemented with Silica+ suggest that this product enhances protein digestion,” explained Dr. Wutiporn Phromkunthong who supervised this study. “Thus, adding Silica+ to feed will contribute to better growth performance and feed utilization.” As a result, a significant difference was observed between the experiment and control groups in terms of average body weight, final weight gain and feed conversion ratio.
“No ordinary silicon dioxide is capable of delivering this effect,” says Dr. Raj Kasula, Veterinarian and Business Development Director. “We use a high purity grade natural silicon dioxide from the quartz family, and inform it with a specific electromagnetic signal. This information is capable of exciting the water molecules in the intestine thus providing free electrons necessary to enhance the rate of all kinds of biochemical reactions.”
Silica+ works on the concept that all matter (physical, chemical, biological/organic) vibrates at a specific frequency and this vibration can be affected by external factors (bacteria, virus, toxins). When added to feed, the supplement acts like a catalyst by imparting its electromagnetic information on all forms of matter to normalize their vibrations, restoring faster homeostasis of the digestive system. The animal becomes more efficient to digest, absorb and assimilate the nutrients, thus offering better growth and performance. In addition, Silica+ increases dissolved oxygen in water and helps reduce ammonia in litter and manure.
Informed Silica+ as a natural feed supplement to improve animal performance
Ceresco Nutrition, a research company that is behind the new technology based on the transfer of vibratory information through an aqueous solution, says their product Silica+ is the future of the feed industry. New study, published in Poultry Science journal, showed that adding Silica+ to feed significantly improves animal growth performance and litter quality.
It has been concluded by a team at the University of Guelph that the inclusion of 200 ppm of Silica+ supplement in feed significantly improves weight gain and FCR in turkey production, offering potential economic benefits to turkey producers. Moreover, a reduction of pH was observed in the litter of the Silica+ group, thus contributing to better quality of litter and a reduction of nitrogen loss.
“No other silicon dioxide will have this effect,” says Dr. Raj Kasula, Veterinarian and Business Development Director. “We use a high purity grade natural silicon dioxide from the quartz family, and inform it with a specific low frequency electromagnetic energy. This energy or information is capable of exciting the water molecules in the intestine thus enhancing the rate of all kinds of biochemical reactions.”
Silica+ works on the concept that all matter (physical, chemical, biological/organic) vibrate at a specific frequency. When added to feed, the supplement acts like a catalyst by imparting its electromagnetic information on all forms of matter to normalize the vibrations, restoring homeostasis (digestion, absorption, assimilation, metabolism) to their optimum, thus offering better growth and performance. In addition, Silica+ increases dissolved oxygen in water and therefore helps reduce ammonia in litter and manure.
It has been concluded by a team at the University of Guelph that the inclusion of 200 ppm of Silica+ supplement in feed significantly improves weight gain and FCR in turkey production, offering potential economic benefits to turkey producers. Moreover, a reduction of pH was observed in the litter of the Silica+ group, thus contributing to better quality of litter and a reduction of nitrogen loss.
“No other silicon dioxide will have this effect,” says Dr. Raj Kasula, Veterinarian and Business Development Director. “We use a high purity grade natural silicon dioxide from the quartz family, and inform it with a specific low frequency electromagnetic energy. This energy or information is capable of exciting the water molecules in the intestine thus enhancing the rate of all kinds of biochemical reactions.”
Silica+ works on the concept that all matter (physical, chemical, biological/organic) vibrate at a specific frequency. When added to feed, the supplement acts like a catalyst by imparting its electromagnetic information on all forms of matter to normalize the vibrations, restoring homeostasis (digestion, absorption, assimilation, metabolism) to their optimum, thus offering better growth and performance. In addition, Silica+ increases dissolved oxygen in water and therefore helps reduce ammonia in litter and manure.
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