The award recognises exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production. Those eligible for the award include any family-owned poultry grower or egg producer supplying product to a USPOULTRY member or an independent producer who is a USPOULTRY member. Nominations are due 1 October 2018.

This year, the award was presented to exemplary family farmers in six regions of the country: Northeast, Southeast, South Central, North Central, Southwest and West. Nominations for the 2019 competition must be made by a USPOULTRY member or an affiliated state poultry association by completing the application provided by USPOULTRY. Each integrator or egg processor may nominate one grower or producer for each processing facility in each state supporting their operations.

Six families received the Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award in 2018. The winners were:

Terry Baker Jr., Baker’s Acres, Millsboro, Del., nominated by Mountaire Farms; Greg Herbruck, Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, Saranac, Michigan, nominated by Eggland’s Best, LLC; Bill and Lana Dicus, 4 T Turkey Farm, California, Missouri, nominated by Cargill; Tim and Deena Morrison, Morrison Poultry, Wingo, Kentucky, nominated by the Kentucky Poultry Federation and Tyson Foods; Ken and Dana Smotherman, Woape Farm, West, Texas, nominated by the Texas Poultry Federation and Cargill; and Rod and Glenda Hergert, Pickin’ N Pluckin,’ Ridgefield, Wash., nominated by Foster Farms.
Three finalists were also recognised in 2018. The finalists were Randy Hiday, Hiday Poultry Farms LLC, Brownsville, Oregon, nominated by Foster Farms; Kevin and Lora Foltz and sons, Foltz Farm K, Mathias, West Virginia., nominated by Tyson Foods; and Bud and Darla O’Neal, Featherhill Farm, Elkins, Arkansas, nominated by Cargill.

"Poultry growers use best management practices to enhance environmental stewardship on their farms. The commitment and resourcefulness that our award winners and finalists display each year through their environmental management practices is praiseworthy," said Tom Hensley, president, Fieldale Farms, Baldwin, Georgia, and USPOULTRY chairman.

All semi-finalists will receive a trip that covers travel expenses and hotel accommodations for two nights to attend a special awards ceremony that will take place during the 2019 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia. Each semi-finalist will also receive a Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award sign to display near the entrance of their farm.

The overall winner of each region will be named at the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit, held in conjunction with IPPE, on Feb. 12, 2019. Each regional winner will also receive a $1,000 cash award. In addition, the farm for each regional winner will be spotlighted on USPOULTRY’s website, and the Association will provide assistance in publicising the farm’s award in local, regional and national media.

Competition details are available on the USPOULTRY website at www.uspoultry.org/environment

For more information on the 2019 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award competition, contact: Paul Bredwell, US Poultry & Egg Association, 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, GA, 30084-7303; phone: +1 (678) 514-1973; fax: +1 (770) 493-9257

As reported by USPOULTRY