SALINA, Kan. — Each fall millions celebrate the return of football. Nights and weekends suddenly become packed with excitement, friends, and shouts of emotion when their favorite team scores a touchdown or fails to convert on fourth down. To celebrate Americans often tailgate, host watch parties, or grab a bite after a game. No food has become more ingrained in our football psyche as chicken wings. We love them. We devour them covered in spices and dipped in delicious sauces.
Once a year football fans collectively tune into television sets to spectate the big game, the Super Bowl. In 2015 Denver’s beloved Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers. Von Miller, Denver linebacker, was awarded the Most Valuable Player award. America ate 1.33 billion chicken wings that Super Bowl Sunday.
Von’s success landed him in the spotlight. During the influx of press attention many were shocked that Von, the MVP on the field during our keystone sporting event, has a plan for the future: raising chickens. Truly; Von majored in Poultry Science at Texas A&M University and intends to produce chickens for consumption after his football career.
Besides delicious wings America loves a whole host of meat products from chickens. In 2016 you, me, and the rest of the country consumed 89 pounds of chicken per capita. That is 35 pounds more than our second most popular meat: beef. It took 8,776,700,000 chickens to produce enough chicken meat for our plates. On average, modern chickens are raised to just over six pounds and are younger than 10 weeks old. These birds are very efficient and require slightly more than one pound of feed, grains mostly, to gain one pound in live weight.
Recently, poultry production has been on the minds of many folks in Kansas. Grain producers have asked about the effects increased local grain demand to feed new poultry operations. Farmers have inquired about opportunities to utilize their land and equipment for poultry production. Local residents have asked about the effect on local grocery store prices. Citizens of central Kansas are interested in learning more about modern poultry production and how it affects them.
On Monday, November 13 at 6:30 pm Central Kansas District Extension and the Salina Community Economic Development Organization will be hosting an educational program titled, “A Discussion On Modern Poultry Production.” Speakers will be Dr. R. Scott Beyer, K-State Associate Professor of Poultry Sciences, and Dr. Peter Tomlinson, K-State Assistant Professor of Agronomy. The event is being held at the Salina Chamber of Commerce Annex located at 120 West Ash Street in Salina, Kansas. It is a free event, but attendees are politely requested to RSVP to ensure adequate snacks and seating. Please contact Anthony N. Ruiz at 785-392-2147 or anruiz@ksu.edu by Tuesday, November 7 to RSVP. Early buzz indicates a robust attendance; make sure you have a seat reserved today!
Many similarities exist between football and modern poultry production. Players and teams perform at a high level. Coaches prepare a detailed plan for effective and efficient management. Hours of hard work and dedication go into refining their strategy and skills. They even have a “safety” on their team. This year when you tailgate, host watch parties, or grab a bite after a big game be well informed on the methods that produced your chicken wings. Attend “A Discussion On Modern Poultry Production” Monday, November 13 at 6:30 pm in the Salina Chamber Annex. Give us a call or email to reserve your spot today.
Click here for a flyer:Â Modern Poultry Production 11-13-2017
— Anthony N. Ruiz,
Livestock Extension Agent
Central Kansas District
For more news from Kansas, click here.
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