As part of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s efforts to support recruitment and training of the brightest students and to promote careers in the poultry and egg industry, the top 12 teams of the National FFA Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event and the Food Science and Technology CDE were invited to the 2020 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta.
“USPOULTRY has been a long-time supporter of the FFA Poultry Evaluation CDE, and now other CDEs and Poultry Efficiency contests. We believe IPPE is a great opportunity for these teams to see the range of career opportunities available to them in the poultry and egg industry and to experience the world’s largest annual trade show for the poultry, meat and feed industries,” remarked John Prestage, Prestage Farms, and USPOULTRY Foundation chairman.
Poultry industry leaders, Summer Lanier, public relations director for Prestage Farms; Carrie Blain, director of talent with Pilgrim’s; and John Niemann, president, Protein Ingredients & International, with Cargill Protein – North America, participated in a program that informed the students about the multitude of career opportunities in the industry. The students were also able to explore the vast trade show floor to see the exciting technology used by today’s modern, sustainable poultry industry.
The following Poultry Evaluation CDE teams were invited to attend the 2020 IPPE and are listed in their order of finish: Katy FFA, Texas; Har-Ber FFA, Arkansas; Oconee County FFA, Georgia; Thorsby FFA, Alabama; Margaretta FFA, Ohio; Paris FFA, Missouri; Paxton-Buckley-Loda FFA, Illinois; Santa Maria FFA, California; Spring Hill FFA, Kansas; North Clackamas FFA, Oregon; Wirt County FFA, West Virginia; and Graves County FFA, Kentucky.
The following Food Science and Technology CDE teams were invited to attend the 2020 IPPE and are listed in their order of finish: Big Walnut-DACC FFA, Ohio; Durant FFA, Florida; Kindred FFA, North Dakota; Bergen County Academies FFA, New Jersey; Florence FFA, Texas; Oley Valley FFA, Pennsylvania; Hermiston FFA, Oregon; Louisburg FFA, Kansas; Kimberly FFA, Idaho; Pipestone Area FFA, Minnesota; Streator FFA, Illinois; and Liberty Ranch FFA – California.
The opportunity to participate was made possible in part by endowing Foundation gifts from Prestage Farms and Sanderson Farms for the Poultry Evaluation CDE teams and Pilgrim’s and Cargill for the Food Science and Technology CDE teams. More than 90 FFA student leaders and their advisors attended.
