U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) is now accepting nominations for the 2023 Family Farm Environmental Excellence award. The award recognizes exemplary environmental stewardship by family farmers engaged in poultry and egg production. Those eligible for the award include any family-owned poultry grower or egg producer supplying product to a USPOULTRY member or an independent producer who is a USPOULTRY member. Nominations are due Oct. 28.
In January 2022, the award was presented to five outstanding family farmers in various regions of the country: Mid-Atlantic, South Central, Southeast and Southwest. In addition, an award was also presented to a State Poultry Association nominee. The winners were Arlyn Kauffman, Green Ridge Family Farm, Weldon, Iowa, nominated by the Iowa Poultry Association; Tim and Kathleen Wolfe, Wolfepack Farm, Harrisonburg, Va., nominated by Cargill; Dalen Bell, Dalen Bell Farm, Tuscumbia, Mo., nominated by Cargill; Theron Rowbotham, Infinity Ranch, Lamar, Ark., nominated by Butterball, LLC; and Donald and Danielle Urbanovsky, Urbanovsky Farms, Caldwell, Texas, nominated by Sanderson Farms.
Five additional farms were presented with an award for being selected as a finalist. They were Clint and Kelly Harris, Triple Cross Farms, Mayfield, Ky., nominated by the Kentucky Poultry Federation; Tyler and Janna Bass, Crane Creek Farms, Clinton, N.C., nominated by Sanderson Farms; Norbet and Susan Gabel, Gabel Farm, Galena, Mo., nominated by Cargill; Seth Simmons, A.B. Simmons Poultry, Purvis, Miss., nominated by Sanderson Farms; and Kevin and Kim Doyle, KD Farm, Stillwell, Okla., nominated by Cargill.
Nominations for the 2023 competition may be made by a USPOULTRY member, an affiliated state poultry association or by a poultry or egg producer that grows poultry or produces eggs for a USPOULTRY member. Each integrator or egg processor may nominate two growers or producers for each processing facility in each state that they operate.
"Poultry growers regularly utilize best management practices to heighten environmental stewardship on their farms. The dedication and ingenuity that our award winners and finalists exhibit each year through their environmental management practices is admirable," said Mike Levengood, Perdue Farms, and USPOULTRY chairman.
Winners of Family Farm Environmental Excellence awards will receive a trip that covers travel expenses and hotel accommodations for two nights to attend the 2023 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), in Atlanta, Georgia. Winners and finalists will receive a Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award sign to display near the entrance of their farm.
The winner for each region will be named at a special award ceremony that will take place at the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit, held in conjunction with IPPE, on Jan. 24, 2023. Each regional winner will also receive a $1,000 cash award. In addition, the farm for each regional winner will be spotlighted on USPOULTRY’s website, and the Association will assist in publicizing the farm’s award in local, regional and national media.
The application and competition details are available on the USPOULTRY website at https://www.uspoultry.org/programs/environment/ffee-award/.
For more information on the 2023 Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award competition, contact Abby Burns-Ashley at [email protected] or by telephone at 770-635-9055.
