Educational programs have always been part of the International Poultry Expo (IPE) and the International Feed Expo (IFE), but the programs in 2009 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga., are the most extensive to date. From the start of the presentations at the International Poultry Scientific Forum (IPSF) on Monday, January 26, through the Poultry Market Intelligence Forum on Friday, January 30, each day of the week will feature many learning opportunities.
Focus on alternative feed ingredients
Even though corn and soybean meal prices have backed off from last summer's record high levels, the cost of feeding birds is still up substantially from prior years. Alternative feed ingredients can provide an opportunity to lower feed costs. WATT will present Impact of Alternative Ingredients on Poultry Feed Cost and Quality January 29 in Room C109.
Presentations will be made from 8:45 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Leading off will be Dr. Nick Dale, professor, University of Georgia, who will present "Survey of Alternative Poultry Feed Ingredients." Dan Rollins, director of feed production, Aviagen, will discuss the "Effect of Alternative Ingredients on Feed Milling and Pellet Quality." Rounding off the program will be Dr. Tom Frost, nutrition director, Wayne Farms, who will explore the "Impact of Alternative Ingredients on Flock Performance and Profitability." Make sure to add this important seminar to your schedule.
Green summit for poultry
The Summit for Environmental Sustainability in Animal Agriculture will take a look at how animal agriculture is addressing the growing concern for the environment. Leading experts in the field will present ideas and programs on how and where the industry is, and where it is going. Additionally, several large industry customers will present their programs and mandates. The summit will be held Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 27, and Wednesday morning, Jan. 28.
Economic forecasts for 2009
On Friday, Jan. 30, the IPE and the National Poultry Food Distributors Association will present the 2009 Poultry Market Intelligence Forum. The program will feature Mike Donohue, Agri-Stats Inc.; Tom Elam, FarmEcon LLC; and Paul Aho, Poultry Perspective. Speakers will look back at 2008, one of the toughest years ever for the poultry industry and look forward to what the future brings. They will provide insights on how the domestic and international poultry industries are adapting to the high cost of feed and the pressure on prices.
Pet food conference
The American Feed Industry Association and the Poultry Protein & Fat Council will sponsor the Pet Food Regulatory and Technical Conference, Tuesday, Jan. 27 and Wednesday, Jan. 28. The program will focus on "Understanding Emerging Trends in the Pet Food Industry" and how these issues can be addressed through regulatory and technical approaches. Much has changed in the past 18 months in the pet food industry from the impact of melamine to ingredient costs. By all accounts in the industry, this rate of change will not slow but instead continue to proceed at a rapid pace.
Solutions for the future
Research is the key to finding solutions to the industry's problems, and the IPSF is the place to get caught up on the latest research results. IPSF will be held on Monday, Jan. 26, and Tuesday, Jan. 27, and is sponsored by the Southern Poultry Science Society, the Southern Conference on Avian Diseases, and the USPOULTRY.
The meeting brings together over 700 poultry scientists from academia and industry to network and present the latest in poultry research. New this year is a modified registration fee. The preregistration this year for the IPSF is $55 and $65 on-site, and this includes admission to IPE/IFE.
Over 800 exhibitors
At time of press, over 800 exhibitors were registered for IPE/IFE. Around 20,000 people are expected to attend the show which runs Wednesday, Jan. 28, to Friday, Jan. 30. The IPE/IFE hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Friday.
Members of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, who produce poultry products, and members of AFIA who manufacture feed can take advantage of the Buyer Connection facilities, an office complex on the floor of the show where buyers can meet suppliers in a neutral, distraction-free environment.
The 2009 Expo features pavilions highlighting the poultry and feed industries from Latin America and Asia on the connector concourse between the two exhibit halls. Each area will showcase pictures of top operations in the region as well as provide information of the potential for these two regions. The Latin American pavilion will provide translators in Spanish and Portuguese. The Asian pavilion will feature a translator for Chinese.
