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Event

Ag Workshops: Poultry Industry Agenda

Date:
Location:

Alabama A&M University, Knight Reception Center
4900 Meridian Street
Normal, AL 35726
United States

Event Details

Specific areas of focus included production contracts in the poultry industry, concentration, and buyer power.

For more information, see the workshops page.

Updated: July 13, 2010

Workshop Agenda

document icon Event transcript PDF | Text

 

May 21, 2010 - Normal, Alabama
9:00 a.m.

Welcome/Introductory Comments
(16:17-minute video)

The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Honorable Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
9:15 a.m.

Roundtable Discussion and Presentation of Issues
(37:01-minute video)

The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Honorable Eric Holder, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
The Honorable Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, U.S. Department of Justice
The Honorable Artur Davis, Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Troy King, Attorney General, State of Alabama
The Honorable Ron Sparks, Commissioner of Agriculture, State of Alabama
*The Alabama Congressional Delegation is invited.
10:00 a.m.

Coffee Break
10:30 a.m.

Roundtable Discussion on Poultry Grower Issues
(79:47-minute video)

This panel will allow a dialogue among growers, former producers and government officials. Expected topics include competition in the poultry industry, poultry contracting, contract terminations and upgrades to poultry houses. The panel will also discuss inputs that affect grower compensation, such as bird quality, feed quality and consistency.  

Moderator: 
The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Gary Alexander, Producer, Westminster, South Carolina
Kay Doby, Former Producer, Cameron, North Carolina
Garry Staples, Producer, Steele, Alabama
Robert Lumzy, Former Producer, Columbia, Mississippi
Carole Morison, Former Producer, Maryland
Shane Wootten, Producer, Henagar, Alabama
Sandra Genell Pridgen, Producer, North Carolina
12:00 p.m.

Lunch Break
1:00 p.m.

Public Testimony
(73:52-minute video)
2:00 p.m.

Roundtable Discussion on Trends in Poultry Production
(93:07-minute video)

This panel will discuss changes in the structure of poultry production and enforcement under the Packers and Stockyards Act. Issues that will be discussed include the use of the tournament system and other methods of compensation, market access, contracting, credit availability, production efficiency/improvements and poultry house upgrades.  

Moderator: 
Norman Familant, Chief, Economic Litigation Section, U.S. Department of Justice

Benny Bishop, Peco Foods, Tuscaloosa, AL
Michael R. Dicks, Watkins Chair, International Trade and Development, Oklahoma State University
Max Carnes, Producer, Baldwin, Georgia
John Ingrum, Forest, Mississippi
Cindy Johnson, Attorney, Cohutta, Georgia
Robert Taylor, Professor, Agricultural Economics and Public Policy, College of Agriculture, Auburn University   
Mike Weaver, Producer and President of Contract Poultry Growers Association of the Virginias, Fort Seybert, West Virginia
3:45 p.m.

Break
4:00 p.m.

Additional Public Testimony
(37:43-minute video)
5:00 p.m.

Closing Remarks
(4:00-minute video)

John Ferrell, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
William Stallings, Assistant Section Chief, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section, U.S. Department of Justice
Updated June 23, 2023
Topic
Antitrust