Back in 2013, less than 5% of the chicken produced in the US was raised without antibiotics. Most of it came from small, regional commercial poultry companies. A few large integrators dabbled in antibiotic-free, or ABF, production, either to tap emerging markets or to gain some experience — just in case the day came when they’d have to stop using antibiotics.

HUNTSVILLE, AL. – Aviagen®, the global poultry genetics leader, has become the first poultry breeding company in the U.S. to be certified as an Avian Influenza Clean Compartment.

ALPHARETTA, GA—Adisseo announces the continuation of their 2017 expansion of the North and Central American regional team with addition of Felipe Navarro, DVM, MBA, James Barton, DVM, and Jeff Lewis to the US office.

Siloam Springs, AR - Science students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in poultry science will soon have a new resource to help fund their education. The Cobb-Vantress Fellowship Endowment was announced during the August annual meeting of the Poultry Science Association (PSA) in Orlando, FL.

While statistics show the US poultry industry has made great strides reducing foodborne pathogens, USDA’s new standards for Salmonella and Campylobacter in chicken parts have made poultry companies up their game.

ALPHARETTA, GA—Adisseo USA has selected the University of Georgia as the first partnering university for Poultry Leaders of Tomorrow, an invitation-only educational event for poultry science and veterinary students, which brings together leaders in poultry academia and industry from around the country to discuss prominent industry issues and enable the development of collaborative solutions.

TUCKER, GA – The USPOULTRY Foundation has approved $125,000 in additional emergency funding to support avian influenza research and communication. The research is a follow-up study on a previously funded project (BRU007) in which researchers provided insight on using ventilation shut down (VSD) as a humane depopulation method.

BENTON COUNTY, AR — Simmons Prepared Foods, Inc. announced it will build a new chicken facility in Benton County between Decatur and Gentry.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – On July 17, Aviagen® welcomed Sallie Starks as its new Vice President of Finance. Starks is an accomplished financial and strategic leader with a proven track record of strengthening the financial sustainability and effectiveness of businesses. Reporting directly to Kevin McDaniel, president of Aviagen North America, Starks is based at the corporate headquarters in Huntsville, Ala.

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Chicken Council (NCC), the United States’ oldest and largest national association representing the U.S. broiler chicken industry (chickens raised for meat), today rolled out a set of industry-wide standards for broiler chicken welfare – the “Chicken Guarantees.”