IPPE: Zoetis expands Folds of Honor support to include poultry
An opportunity to honor fallen US heroes through a scholarship program called Folds of Honor
29 April 2025
3 minute read
By: Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Brandon Marshall, Poultry Business Director at Zoetis, spoke to The Poultry Site’s Sarah Mikesell at the 2025 International Processing and Production Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA about Zoetis' support for Folds of Honor.
Folds of Honor provides academic scholarships to the spouses and children of men and women who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the US Armed Forces or as first responders. They have awarded more than 35,000 scholarships in all 50 states since 2007.
Why is Zoetis partnering with Folds of Honor?
Zoetis has been a partner now for several years with Folds of Honor. We're excited to expand that into our pork and poultry businesses. If you look at the reputation of Folds of Honor and what they've contributed — 35,000 scholarships in 50 states — that's a tremendous impact.
At Zoetis, we want to continue to elevate the importance of education and the passion that some of these folks have for agriculture. We also want to say thank you to those that have served our country in either the US Armed Forces or in other service organizations. We're all here today because of the sacrifices those folks have made. It’s a terrific opportunity to give back.
How can poultry producers get involved?
We're running a special Patriot’s Pledge promotion from Memorial Day (May 26th) to Veteran’s Day (Nov 11th). During that time, for Poulvac® E. Coli and Embrex® Inovoject®, part of their proceeds will be donated to Folds of Honor. Poulvac® E. Coli is widely used in the broiler, turkey and layer industries. Embrex® Inovoject® has been very impactful for broiler poultry producers.
What kind of impact is this program having?
Since 2022, when we first got involved with Folds of Honor, we've given almost $1.8 million to the scholarship program. It’s making a tremendous impact. We’re expanding our contributions, which should push it well over $2 million of total contribution in the brief time we've worked with this program. We're hoping to continue to make an impact on folks’ lives to honor their relatives and loved ones who have sacrificed for all of us.
I've been covering this program with Zoetis for several years on the cattle side of the Zoetis business.
This is an expansion. Nearly $1.8 million has been driven from livestock products in the cattle business. As we expand into poultry and pork through the Patriot’s Pledge promotion, our donations will only grow.
We think for Zoetis and poultry, it's going to be a key initiative to connect with our customers. A lot of our customers employ veterans in their facilities, or their children are serving in the US Armed Forces. It's a great emotional connection with our customers, more than just products.
Farm families are a strong sector for the military.
Yes, that is 100% true. We still see it within Zoetis. In the poultry team, we have a lot of veterans that are currently serving or did serve. We can never fully appreciate the sacrifice from our US Armed Forces and first responders.
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Sarah Mikesell
Sarah Mikesell grew up on a five-generation family farming operation in Ohio, USA, where her family still farms. She feels extraordinarily lucky to get to do what she loves - write about livestock and crop agriculture. You can find her on LinkedIn.
