More than 400 to attend poultry health and production conference in MD

September 26, 2024 – A popular scientific conference for the U.S. poultry industry, the 59th National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing and Live Production, is drawing more than 430 attendees to Ocean City, Md. from Monday, Sept. 30 to Wednesday, Oct. 2.

More than 430 people have registered to attend the 59th National Meeting

of Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production in

Ocean City, Md. Photo Credit Delmarva Chicken Association

The National Meeting is presented by Delmarva Chicken Association, the trade group founded in 1948 to advocate for Delmarva’s chicken community. After a Monday reception, the conference kicks off Tuesday morning in the Roland E. Powell Convention Center with a full day of speakers and panel discussions focusing on poultry health and processing. Attendees will enjoy a bayfront reception and dinner that night. On Wednesday, the conference continues, adding a focus on live production. DCA will also present awards to outstanding flock advisors for the five Delmarva-based chicken companies on Wednesday afternoon. An offsite educational meeting for chicken growers, featuring some of the speakers from the National Meeting, is also on the agenda.

“We are thrilled to welcome researchers, poultry professionals, government officials, chicken company employees, and students to the 59th National Meeting,” said Dr. Claudia Osorio, chairperson of DCA’s National Meeting Planning Committee. “This conference offers an excellent opportunity for everyone in the poultry industry to stay informed about the latest research, as well as many other current topics affecting our industry. It's a great chance to connect with colleagues and be inspired to advance the science of poultry.”

In a keynote address, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Emilio Esteban will describe the department’s plans for improving food safety by reducing Salmonella presence in poultry products. Other topics being addressed at the conference include modern methods of preventing poultry diseases with no or minimal use of antibiotics; animal welfare standards throughout poultry processing; trends in stopping and detecting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in animals; generational differences across the chicken community’s workforce; and practical advice for chicken growers and flock advisors on topics like water line sanitation and biosecurity.

Major sponsors of the 59th National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production include Best Veterinary Services Inc., Elanco Animal Health, Farm Credit, York Ag Products, Zoetis, Poultry Labor Solutions, Clear View Enterprises, Hawkins, Marydel Ag Supply, VAL-CO, and Watt Global Media.

“The National Meeting is an important forum for veterinarians, processing facility managers, grow-out managers, live production managers, flock supervisors, allied businesses, government regulators and officials, research faculty and others involved in the poultry industry to meet and share what’s new in their fields,” said Holly Porter, DCA’s executive director. “We’re pleased that so many past attendees were eager to return to this meeting, and that others chose to experience it for the first time.”

The day before the National Meeting, DCA hosted its College Scholarship Golf Tournament at GlenRiddle Golf Club in Berlin, Md. The annual tournament devotes 100 percent of its proceeds to DCA’s College Scholarship Program, which earlier this year awarded scholarships totaling $25,000 to 12 students pursuing careers in the chicken community.