TUCKER, Ga. – As part of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s efforts to support recruitment and training of the brightest students and to promote careers in the poultry and egg industry, the top five teams of the National FFA Poultry Evaluation Career Development Event (CDE) and the Food Science and Technology CDE were invited to the 2022 International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia. The opportunity to participate was made possible in part by endowing Foundation gifts from Prestage Farms and Sanderson Farms for the Poultry Evaluation CDE teams and Pilgrim’s and Cargill for the Food Science and Technology CDE teams.
“USPOULTRY has been a supporter of the FFA Poultry Evaluation CDE for many years, and now other CDEs and Poultry Efficiency contests. We believe IPPE is a great opportunity for these teams to see the range of career opportunities available to them in the poultry and egg industry and to experience the world’s largest annual trade show for the poultry, meat and animal food industries,” remarked Greg Hinton, Rose Acre Farms, and USPOULTRY Foundation chairman.
Poultry industry leaders, Amy Gifford, internal business support services consultant at Cargill Protein – North America; Matt Leu, assistant vice president and general manager for Cargill; Mandy Klopp, senior head of operations for Fresh Foodservice at Pilgrim’s and member of the USPOULTRY board of directors; Pat Allen, head of human resources operations at Pilgrim’s; and Juanfra DeVillena, director of quality assurance and food safety at Wayne Farms LLC, participated in a program that informed the students about the multitude of career opportunities in the industry. The students were also able to explore the vast trade show floor to see the exciting technology used by today’s modern, sustainable poultry industry.
The following Poultry Evaluation CDE teams were invited to attend the 2022 IPPE: Lincoln, FFA, Arkansas; Paris FFA, Missouri; Miami Trace Great Oaks FFA, Ohio; Watts Public Schools FFA, Oklahoma; and Katy ISD-Taylor High School FFA, Texas.
The following Food Science and Technology CDE teams were invited to attend IPPE: Orlando Colonial FFA, Florida; Preston High School FFA, Idaho; Louisburg FFA, Kansas; Eustis-Farnam FFA, Nebraska; and Big Walnut-DACC FFA, Ohio.
— USPOULTRY
