News Poultry Farmers Prepare For Summer Season

Poultry Farmers Prepare For Summer Season

Poultry Farmers Prepare For Summer Season
June 13, 2018 |

Alabama poultry farmers could see a surge in savings during the summer season thanks to recent training hosted by the Alabama Farmers Federation. 

Around 40 farmers attended the seminar for poultry growers at Auburn University’s National Poultry Technology Center (NPTC) May 15. The Federation’s Guy Hall said he hopes to coordinate similar events in the future.

“The NPTC is a great resource for Alabama poultry growers to learn how to more efficiently run their operations,” said Hall, the Federation’s Poultry Division director. “The hands-on demonstration will help growers save money on operating expenses, which will increase revenue on their bottom line.”

State Poultry Committee Chairman Joe Murphy said both beginning and longtime poultry farmers benefited from the training, which emphasized productivity.

“If you’re as efficient as you can be with your inputs, you can ride out difficult situations, such as weather or fluctuating fuel costs,” said Murphy, who has raised broiler chickens in Pike County’s Linwood community for over 20 years. “When you implement small savings, they become large savings over the life of the product.”

He also thanked the NPTC for working to improve poultry production for all facets of the industry, from integrators to growers to insurers.

“These guys address, troubleshoot and solve problems to remove the element of trial and error on poultry farms,” said Murphy, 42. “We should always be receptive to new technologies and study results.”

Equipment maintenance was a hot topic at the seminar. Demonstrations focused on regulating heat in poultry houses through evaporative cooling, hot weather ventilation and LED lighting.

The NPTC’s Jim Donald said he was excited to bring farmers to the state-of-the-art center, which was partially funded by the Federation. 

“The goal of the seminar was to introduce the Federation’s grower base to the type facility we have and to explain how attending meetings here will help them,” said Donald, the NPTC director. “Our goal is to get their equipment ready for hot weather. These growers need to feel comfortable that they know what to do if they lose power. This hands-on teaching and applied research poultry house helps them do that.”

Visit PoultryHouse.com for tips and NPTC newsletters. 

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