Terrence O'KeefeTerrence O'Keefe is content director at WATT Global Media. www.wattglobalmedia.com/contact-usFrom the Author - Page 30Processing & SlaughterEquipment safety should begin before installationPrevention Through Design is a program initiated by Tyson Foods to address the goals of making sure processing equipment is safe for employees to operate, maintain and clean before it is purchased and installed in the plant, reported Karen Thompson, area safety manager, corporate EHS services, Tyson Foods Inc. She told the audience at USPOULTRY’s Processor Workshop in Atlanta that the ultimate project objective is “to design and build equipment that is cleanable and safe for team members.”Egg ProductionMoark’s Midwest egg production assets acquired by Opal FoodsAGR Partners, with help from Rose Acre Farms and Weaver Brothers, has created a new egg company, Opal Foods, through acquisition of some of Moark’s assets.Opal Foods’ operations initially will consist of 5.6 million laying hens at farms in Missouri and Colorado, as well as a new farm in Neosho.Egg Production‘Fed Up’ film takes aim at sugar in processed foods“Soda is the cigarettes of the 21st century,” according to the documentary film, "Fed Up," and “big sugar” and the soft drink companies are presented as the cause of the “obesity epidemic” that plagues the U.S. and many other parts of the world. I saw this film in its debut weekend and found it a compelling, if one-sided, discussion of the role that the film’s creators believe that added sugar in processed foods is playing in the fattening of America, particularly among children.Egg ProductionIs there a better use for male layer chicks?Euthanizing day-old male layer chicks isn’t an animal welfare problem, according to Dr. Ferry Leenstra, program manager, livestock research, Wageningen UR. She told the audience at the International Egg Commission meeting in Vienna that the question of whether to euthanize and dispose of layer breed cockerels is an ethical question that depends on the individual’s point of view.Egg ProductionShould you remodel your high-rise layer house?The heyday of the high-rise or deep-pit layer house in the U.S. is over. Manure belt systems that remove the layers' droppings from the house, rather than storing them in the pit under the cages, makes controlling flies, rodents and ammonia in the house much easier to do.Broilers & TurkeysHatchery-applied probiotics can improve broiler performance“Normal intestinal villus development is entirely dependent upon colonization by pioneer colonizers,” said Dr. William Hargis, sustainable poultry health chair, Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas. Providing broiler chicks with a large enough quantity of beneficial bacteria to colonize the birds' guts shortly after hatch also allows for normal intestinal acquired and innate immune function to develop as well.Egg ProductionDisposition of male layer chicks a concern for all egg producersThe egg industry is facing several global challenges, according to former ALDI board member Johann Morwald. He told the audience at the International Egg Commission meeting in Vienna that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) "raise questions about the conditions under which hens are kept, whether or not the eggs are properly labeled (for instance cage-raised eggs labeled as organic eggs), the systematic killing of male chicks and other practices.”Egg Production7 active disease concerns for egg producersThe overall state of health of layers and pullets in the U.S.is good at the present time. But Dr. Bernie Beckman, director of technical services,Hy-Line North America LLC, identified seven active diseases or syndromes in layersand pullets in the U.S.: focal duodenal necrosis (FDN), bone diseases, Mycoplasmagallisepticum (MG), infectious bronchitis (IB), fowlpox, infectious laryngotracheitis(ILT) and E. coli peritonitis.Egg ProductionCoccidiosis, a re-emerging issue for egg producersThereare nine Eimeria species that affect chickens, and five of these are associatedwith coccidiosis: necatrix, tenella, brunetti, maxima, acervulina. Coccidiosis vaccinesprovide layer pullets with a controlled dose of drug-susceptible strains of thefive important Eimeria species, which allow the birds to develop immunity to thecoccidia with minimal negative impact on the birds.Egg Production'Farmland' film shows the human face of agricultureI recently attended the only scheduled North Carolina showing of the documentary film, "Farmland." The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, who provided the financial backing to make the film, certainly got what they wanted: a 75-minute film that puts a human face on several types of farming operations spread out across all regions of the country.Broilers & TurkeysQuick-service restaurants are bright spot for foodservice egg salesThe latest US quick service restaurant (QSR) chain to make a big splash by adding breakfast service is Taco Bell. Eggs are a big part of the Taco Bell’s breakfast menu, as they have been at other chains that added new breakfast offerings in the past few years like Subway and Dunkin' Donuts.HomeAre false health, food safety claims behind sales growth of organic foods?The Organic Marketing Report recently released by Academics Review contains an analysis of more than 200 published academic, industry and government research reports into why consumers adopt organic product purchasing behaviors. The review concludes that:“Research studies clearly show that food safety and health concerns are the primary drivers of consumer organic purchasing. Further, research reveals that other factors, such as sustainability, environmental claims and even organic certification, do not motivate general consumers to purchase organic products in the absence of health risk claims. Research by USDA, the organic industry and independent academic organizations also confirms that the use of the USDA Organic Seal is critical to conveying confidence in organic labeling claims, which the majority of consumers mistakenly believe to mean healthier and safer food products.”Previous PagePage 30 of 59Next Page