U.S. Poultry & Egg Association is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award. The award recognizes 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 Oct. 31.
Nominations for the 2021 competition may be made by a USPOULTRY member, an affiliated state poultry association, or by a poultry or egg producer that grows poultry or produces eggs for a USPOULTRY member. Each integrator or egg processor may nominate two growers or producers for each processing facility in each state that they operate.
In January of this year, the award was presented to six outstanding family farmers in various regions of the country: Central, South Central, North, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest. In addition, a new State Poultry Association nomination was presented. The winners were Marvin and Colleen “Coke” Anderson, M&C Anderson Pullets, Sioux Rapids, Iowa, nominated by the Iowa Poultry Association; Michael and Heather Lewis, Michael and Heather Lewis Farm, Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, nominated by Tyson Foods; Wayne, Jason and Logan Lambertson, Lambertson Family Farms, Pocomoke, Maryland, nominated by Tyson Foods; John and Carla Mishler, Mishler Turkey Farm, Seymour, Missouri, nominated by Cargill; Chad Blake, Blake Farms of North Carolina, LLC, North Wilkesboro, N.C., nominated by Tyson Foods; and Jamie and Sherri Chmelar; Boelden and Leann Chmelar, and Natalie Chmelar Zgaba, C3 Farms & Poultry, LLC, Caldwell, Texas, nominated by Sanderson Farms.
Six finalists were also recognized in 2020. They were Matthew and Colby Gray, Gray Poultry Company, Union City, Tennessee, nominated by the Tennessee Poultry Association; Stephen Purlee, Stephen Purlee Farm, Salem, Indiana, nominated by Tyson Foods; David and Spring Tribbett, Twin Maples Farm, LLC, Ridgely, Maryland, nominated by Amick Farms; Dalen Bell, Dalen Bell Farm, Tuscumbia, Missouri, nominated by Cargill; Mike and Karen Hill, Hillcrest Farm, Hanceville, Alabama, nominated by Tyson Foods; and Terry and Robin Fisher, R&T Farm, Mulberry, Arkansas, nominated by Cargill.
“Best management practices are consistently utilized by poultry growers to enhance environmental stewardship on their farms. The commitment and resourcefulness that our award winners and finalists exhibit each year through their environmental management practices is admirable,” said Greg Hinton, vice president of sales, Rose Acre Farms, and USPOULTRY chairman.
Winners of next year’s awards will receive a trip that covers travel expenses and hotel accommodations for two nights to attend the 2021 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo, in Atlanta, Georgia. Each will also receive a Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award sign to display near the entrance of their farm.
The winner for each region will be named at a special award ceremony that will take place at the end of the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit, held in conjunction with IPPE, on January 26, 2021. 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 assist in publicizing the farm’s award in local, regional and national media.
The application and competition details are available on the USPOULTRY website.
