Poultry processor Peco Foods has named industry veteran Bill Griffith its chief operating officer.

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers have released an updated economic impact study that highlights the positive impact the poultry industry has on jobs, wages, and federal and state revenue in the United States.

Egg industry magazine has been conducting a survey of U.S. egg producers for decades. Egg producers are ranked based on the number of hens housed on December 31 each year and this survey has become the benchmark for the size of table egg producers in the U.S., explained Terrence O’Keefe, editor of Egg Industry and content director at WATT Global Media. 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Adisseo, a France-based animal nutrition company, have entered into an agreement to expand collaborative research in poultry health and nutrition that began last fall.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —  Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed HB 1407 or the “truth in labeling” bill on March 18. The law, which will go into effect 90 days after the end of the 2019 session, makes it mandatory to label products that comes from livestock, poultry or cervid carcass as “meat.”

Elanco Animal Health Inc. is now a fully independent company. The completion of Eli Lilly and Co.’s exchange offer completes the journey Elanco began in 2017 when its former parent company first announced the exploration of potential strategic alternatives for the 64-year-old animal health company. The exchange offer was 7.6x oversubscribed.

Eric Gingerich, DVM, technical services specialist, Diamond V, presented emerging disease issues in the organic layer industry at the Organic Egg Farmers of America’s Organic Egg Symposium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 12, during the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention.

Overall turkey production fell slightly in 2018 due to challenging market conditions, according to WATT PoultryUSA’s 2018 Top Poultry Company rankings. As a whole, the top U.S. turkey companies produced 60 million fewer pounds of live turkeys in 2018 after increasing production in 2016 and 2017.

The top broiler companies in the U.S. continued to invest in growth in 2018, but concerns for the state of the market may create a different picture in 2019. According to WATT Global Media's Top Broiler Companies survey, 27 of the top 29 producers either increased their production or maintained the same level of production as in 2017.

With the help of new technology developed by Chinese company ZhongAn Technology, consumers will be able to more easily obtain information about the chicken they buy at restaurants or supermarkets.