With the Expo starting at noon on Tuesday 24 January, the shift will help allow an increase in the amount of education programmes available at the front and back end of the Expo.

IPE Week will feature a series of dynamic education programmes addressing current industry issues. The education programme schedule includes the International Poultry Scientific Forum, Pet Food Conference, Animal Agricultural Sustainability Summit, Hatchery-Breeder Clinic, and AFIA International Feed Education programme.

New for 2012 are the following educational programmes: Chartering the Course: An Executive Conference on the Future of the American Poultry Industry (which incorporate the Market Intelligence Forum); IPE Pre-Harvest Food Safety Conference (a compliment to the highly successful 2011 IPE Salmonella and Campylobacter Reduction Conference); USPoultry/UEP Symposium on the Future of American Egg Production; and the National Renderer's Association Quality Feed Ingredients Conference.

International Poultry Scientific Forum

The International Poultry Scientific Forum to be held 23 and 24 January is sponsored by the Southern Poultry Science Society, the Southern Conference on Avian Diseases, and the US Poultry & Egg Association.

The forum presents information on industry topics such as environmental management, nutrition, physiology, pathology, processing and products, and avian diseases. The cost of the forum, which includes the Expo registration, is $70.

The conference programme and abstracts from the presentations are available on the education programmes section of the International Poultry Exposition web site.

Executive Conference on the Future of the American Poultry and Egg Industry

The International Poultry Expo will host a conference entitled, ‘Charting the Course: An Executive Conference on the Future of the American Poultry and Egg Industry’, as a key component of its educational programmes at the 2012 Expo.

The conference will be moderated by Mike Donohue, Vice President of Agri Stats and will examine current economic conditions, global competitiveness, and provide a vision of the American poultry industry in the coming years. The conference is free of charge to all Expo attendees.

"Perhaps in no other time in the history of poultry processing and production have the challenges been greater for our industries," commented USPoultry chairman, Gary Cooper of Cooper Farms in Oakwood, Ohio.

"Our industry currently faces high input costs, social concerns, government regulations and international competition, while trying to keep abreast of the increasing global demand for food. The 'Charting the Course' poultry conference was added to the 2012 IPE/IFE educational programmes to help provide industry leaders with a view to the current and upcoming challenges and opportunities facing our industry," Mr Cooper said.

Several prominent guests will be on hand to give presentations.

Jeff Simmons, President of Elanco, will conduct a presentation on Making Safe, Affordable and Abundant Food a Global Reality. Jim Paulsen, Chief Investment Strategist for Wells Capital Management, will discuss current and future economic conditions with an Economic Outlook presentation.

Adriaan Weststrate and David Nelson from Rabobank International will look at the drivers and issues for the future in their presentation, Global Competitiveness, during the poultry break-out session.

Other topics to be addressed as part of the 'Casting a Vision for the American Poultry Industry' poultry break-out session are Technology vs. Labor with Doug Britton from the Georgia Tech Research Institute, Management Development and Succession Planning with Paul Pressley from USPoultry, Social Issues with Yvonne Vizzier Thaxton University of Arkansas – Animal Welfare, Environment, Food Safety, Employee Welfare and University Research with Don Conner from Auburn University.

The break-out session for the egg industry will see Dr Ferry Leenstra from Wageningen University in The Netherlands talk on 'Global Competitiveness – Lessons learned from the Last 10 Years and Drivers and Issues for the Future'.

Dr Darrin Karcher from Michigan State University will talk on 'Housing Alternatives and Results' and Dr Jeff Buhr from the USDA ARS will speak on 'Food Safety Implications of Various Alternative Production Systems' in the session on the Status of Current Production Systems Research.

Gene Gregory from United Egg Producers will talk on the 'UEP-HSUS agreement – What It Means to the Industry' and Tom Silva from J.S. West Milling Co will talk on the 'Initial Results from Enriched Colony Housing'.

The Executive Conference on the Future of the American Poultry and Egg Industry will be held on Wednesday 25 January in Room A411 from 08:00 to 12:00 noon.

AFIA International Feed Education Programme

The international feed education programme will see Tim Lease, P.E., president, WL Port-Land Systems, Inc. discuss Selecting the Proper Equipment to Maximise Efficiency and Richard Sellers, vice president of feed regulation and nutrition, American Feed Industry Association give an update on the Food Safety Modernization Act.

The programme will conclude with a presentation from Keith Epperson, vice president of manufacturing and training, American Feed Industry Association on EPA & OSHA Updates looking at the Combustible Dust Rule and the NESHAP Rule.

The programme takes place in Room A Hall 404 on Wednesday 25 January.

International Rendering Symposium

The International Poultry Expo is introducing a new education programme – the International Rendering Symposium: Focus on Quality – as a featured component of its educational programmes at the 2012 Expo.

The programme is co-sponsored by the National Renderers Association and US Poultry & Egg Association.

The US rendering industry collects and safely processes more than 50 billion pounds of animal by-products each year.

Through this process the industry converts these materials into fats and proteins used in animal feed. The rendering industry provides services for the safe collection of these materials, transports the materials in bio-secure, leak-proof trucks and uses heat (240 to 290°F) to dehydrate and separate the fat and solid materials.

This extensive process builds on the need to include safety and quality into a rendered product.

"Rendered by-products are an essential aspect to the poultry industry," said Dr David Meeker, Vice President of Scientific Services for the National Renderers Association.

"Encompassing safety and quality control practices serve as the foundation to the production of a quality product. This programme will include several globally recognised speakers who will focus on control methods, microbiological controls, research, and useful details on using rendered products in high quality diets for various species," he said.

"We really appreciate the National Rendering Association developing this excellent and timely educational programme. We have had a number of loyal rendering-based exhibitors for many years, and we think adding this programme makes Atlanta the place to be for anyone in the world wanting to learn about the industry and see the latest equipment and technology," remarked John Starkey, President of USPoultry.

Topics will include Global Rendering Markets, Rendering Code of Practice for Safety and Quality - Certification Standards, Controlling Salmonella in Feed, Research in the Rendering Industry, The Role of Rendered Products in Aquaculture Feeds, Rendered Products for Pet Food, and other issue-specific subjects.

The International Rendering Symposium will be held in Room B-405 on Thursday 26 January from 13:00 to 17:30 and on Friday 27 January from 08:00 to 12:00 noon.

Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit at IPE/IFE 2012

The fourth annual Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit will have a series of presentations on operational approaches to sustainability that will help attendees identify and discuss challenges for the future. The programme is free of charge for all registered Expo attendees.

This year's Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit will focus on sustainability in lean times with an emphasis on getting back to basics.

Programme topics will include Building a Culture of Sustainability; Operational Efficiencies; Long-term Risk Management Approach and Communicating Sustainability. Jim Perdue, Chairman of Perdue Farms, and Mike Helgeson, CEO of GNP Company, will participate in a panel discussing the importance of sustainability efforts within the poultry and egg industry.

The summit will also include family farm award presentations on behalf of USPoultry.

The Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit – Sustainability in Lean Times: Getting Back to Basics – will take place in Room A-411 on Monday 23 January from 13:00 to 17:00 and on Tuesday 24 January from 09:00 to 11:00.

Hatchery-Breeder Clinic Returns to IPE 2012

The Hatchery-Breeder Clinic will provide an opportunity for hatchery and breeder flock managers to learn the latest techniques for producing high quality chicks. The Clinic will cover both hatchery and breeder operations, so that both functions can be kept abreast of new innovations and basic management principles.

Topics will include an Agri Stats Industry Overview; Salmonella and Campylobacter: What's Coming Down the Pipeline for Breeders; Disease Update for Breeders; Incubation Needs for Modern Breeds; New Equipment for Hatcheries and Breeder Farms; Heat Recovery Systems for Hatcheries; Changing Vaccination programmes and the Impact of Disease Trends; Male Management for Optimum Fertility; and Alternative Feed Ingredients for Breeders.

The Hatchery-Breeder Clinic will take place in Rooms B-405 and B406a on Tuesday 24 January from 08:00 to 12:00 noon and Wednesday 25 January from 08:00 to 12:00 noon.

Pet Food Conference

The 5th annual Pet Food Conference, sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association and the Poultry Protein and Fat Council, covers a variety of topics ranging from regulatory issues to technical aspects of production and product claims, marketing and nutrition.

The morning session will be focused on ingredient issues and the afternoon will be focused on food safety. The new Pet Food Certification programme, a third-party certification system, will be highlighted at the event as well. More details are available online [click here].

The programme is expected to start with a look at Domestic and Global Industry Trends from Svetlana Uduslivaia from Euromonitor International, followed by a presentation on Ingredient Variability – Why Should You Care? by Dr Dale Hill from ADM Alliance Nutrition Inc.

There will then be an FDA/AAFCO Panel looking at an FDA Regulatory Update on Ingredient Approvals (GRAS, FAP lite), and Unapproved Animal Drugs and Calorie Labeling and AAFCO's IDC Review Process, Listing GRAS in the Official Publication, Where is it going in the Future?

There will also be an Ingredient Supplier Question & Answer Panel: Establishing Quality Relationships and Safety Issues of Concern with Chuck Hayden from Trouw Nutrition USA LLC, Richard McKinley from SPF North America and James La Marta of DSM Nutritional Products.

The FDA is also due to give a presentation on Food Safety Modernization Act and Salmonella and there will be a discussion on Pet Food Safety Topics - Trends and Methods to Control.

The conference will conclude with a panel discussion on What's Next in Food Safety?

The Pet Food Conference will take place in Rooms B302 to B304 on Tuesday 24 January.

IPE Pre-Harvest Food Safety Conference

The Pre-Harvest Food Safety Conference, an educational opportunity developed by the US Poultry & Egg Association (USPoultry), the National Chicken Council (NCC), the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP), Auburn University (AU) and the University of Georgia (UGA), will consist of two half-day sessions conducted on Wednesday and Thursday during the 2012 International Poultry Expo (IPE).

All registered Expo attendees are eligible to attend the Pre-Harvest and Food Safety Conference for an additional $150.

This event will complement the highly successful 2011 Salmonella and Campylobacter Reduction Conference, by bringing regulators and researchers together with experts from the poultry industry, and the allied industries that serve them, to discuss the known and unknown issues associated with the control of foodborne pathogens in pre-harvest operations.

This conference will be one of the most thorough explorations into the poultry pre-harvest arena that has ever been conducted, so attendees will find it relevant regardless of other similar such events they may have previously attended.

"When one considers the food safety issues the poultry industry is facing, it is hard to see how such a conference could be more relevant and timely," remarked Dr Pettit Ewing of Koch Foods and chairman of the USPoultry Food Safety Advisory Committee.

"This conference will provide an in-depth exploration into the poultry pre-harvest arena, so attendees will find it relevant regardless of other food safety-related events they may have previously attended," said Dr Alling Yancy, Vice President of Food Safety and Production Programs for USPoultry.

Programme topics include FSIS Update, Salmonella Intervention Strategies in Poultry Live Production Operations, Use of Commercial Vaccines to Control Salmonella, Use of Autogenous Vaccines to Control Salmonella, Environmental Impacts of On-Farm Interventions to Control Salmonella, Current Trends in Antibiotic Usage in Food Animal Production, Industry Assessment of Salmonella on the Farm, and Industry Assessment of Campylobacter on the Farm.

It will take place in Room B-401/402 on 25 and 26 January.

International Poultry Expo and University of Georgia Collaborate on Educational Programme

The International Poultry Exposition is collaborating with the University of Georgia to promote the Georgia International Poultry Short Course 2012 to be held 27 to 31 January in Athens, Georgia.

Registrants who sign up for the Georgia International Poultry Short Course will also receive registration to the 2012 International Poultry.

The Georgia International Poultry Course is a four-day day conference designed by the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia.

It will cover a broad range of topics for individuals new to the poultry industry, as well as for experienced professionals. In addition to formal instruction, demonstrations in various areas of poultry science will be conducted at the university research facility in Athens.

During this programme, participants will have the opportunity to interact with experts in many areas. In addition, translation to Spanish may be available based on participant applications.

The course will immediately follow the International Poultry Expo in Atlanta.

Some topics that will be covered in the short course are: US poultry industry structure and economics, poultry nutrition, poultry diets, broiler breeder management, incubation/hatchery management, hot weather management, cold weather ventilation, foot pad dermatitis, poultry mortality management, live production environmental management, poultry processing, processing food safety and HACCP, environmental impacts of processing, biosecurity and vaccination programmes, egg layer production and management, pastured poultry, energy use and conservation, and animal welfare.

Registration for the course is $800. Registration after 15 January 2012 will incur an additional fee. More information can be found online [click here].

The International Poultry Expo is also collaborating with the University of Georgia to promote a Poultry Processing Spanish Course to be held from 28 January to 1 February in Athens.

Registrants, who sign up for the Poultry Processing Spanish Course, will also receive registration to the 2012 International Poultry Expo.

Programme topics include Good Poultry Practices; Primary, Secondary and Further Processing, Food Safety Integration, Value-added Processing and Quality and Culinary Parameters.

January 2012