Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

That always seems to be the question – why did the chicken cross the road? Our answer…to get to the Delmarva Chicken Festival, of course!  The festival is being held June 15 & 16, 2012 at The Center at Salisbury in Maryland.

If you are looking for some family fun, the festival is definitely the place to be!  With free parking and admission, you and your family can enjoy the carnival, arts and crafts, home and trade show, musical entertainment, and educational poultry displays.  Especially for your kids, there are baby chicks and a “Children’s Corner” with fun-filled activities and competitions.

Once your stomach begins to growl, check out the giant fry pan that is cooking up fresh and delicious Delmarva chicken.  And of course, you won’t want to miss Saturday evening’s Mountaire Chickin’ Pickin’ National Championship.

So if you are looking for family fun on the shore honoring the poultry industry, head to the 63^rd Delmarva Chicken Festival!  Even, the chicken is crossing the road to get there…

Delaware state vet advises strategies to preserve chicken safety

Vigilance is key for poultry farmers interested in staving off flock infections, particularly as the weather gets colder, according to a press release issued by the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Heather Hirst, veterinarian for the department, advises raising biosecurity practices, which will help with the prevention of poultry diseases. Avian Influenza, Newcastle Disease and Larynotracheitis are three of the more prominent diseases and are easily passed by aerosols, dead birds, feed that becomes contaminated and visitors, among other methods.

She recommends allowing authorized visitors to farms and mandating all visitors sign in while noting the reason for their visit. Once on farm grounds, they should adhere to biosecurity requirements.

People caring for chickens should use shoes and clothes that have been approved for use on farms. The method of discarding dead birds should adhere to state and company approved procedure.

Cleaning and disinfection procedures should be properly executed for all equipment before gaining entry to a poultry house occupied by birds.

Hirst also suggests not keeping other birds and animals near the commercial broiler area.

Poultry farmer named to Virginia Farm Bureau board

The board of the Virginia Farm Bureau voted to tap the owner and operator of a poultry farm as a member, according to a published report.

Robert Mills Jr. of Briar View Farms Poultry was elected to a three-year term on Thursday, during the bureau's 2011 annual convention in Norfolk, GoDanRiver.com reports. The co-owner of M.C. Cattle replaces a board member who opted against re-election and he said he very much looks forward to facilitating the entry of young people into the industry.

The 38-year-old Mills, who was once the president of the Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau, said that he was excited for the opportunity that this position will present.

His poultry farm raised roughly 34,000 birds for Perdue Farms and he has two sons who help him cultivate burley and dark-fired tobacco.

The Virginia Farm Bureau works with farmers and policymakers to encourage the prosperity of agriculture and the industry in Virginia.

Virginia, Maryland governors aim to open Indian market to state farmers

Farmers in the Commonwealth of Virginia are poised to benefit from spade work performed by Governor Bob McDonnell in India, according to WHSV.

While on a two-week tour of India and Israel, the Republican leader secured additional shipments of Virginia exports to the subcontinent. Virginia poultry farmers view with optimism increased business opportunities to additional countries as well given that roughly one of every five chickens cultivated in the U.S. ends up being shipped overseas.

"You've got countries that are developing their middle classes that have more purchasing power, which will provide a positive opportunity for Virginia-raised poultry products to go into their markets," President Hobey Bauhan of the Virginia Poultry Federation told the news source. "It brings money back into the Commonwealth and to the farm."

India checks in at the 15th largest exporter for Virginia, an increase from the 24th spot the state held in 2008, according to the Washington Business Journal.

McDonnell is not the only mid-Atlantic governor with his eyes set on enhancing trade with India. Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is scheduled to visit later this month through early December. The Democrat will be accompanied by roughly 100 business, education and elected leaders.