Carper hosts legislators in poultry summit

By CAROL KINSLEY
Staff Writer

DELMAR, Del. — Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., hosted a poultry summit in Delmar, Del., on Jan. 23.
Long a supporter of the poultry industry on Delmarva, he wanted to bring elected officials from both Maryland and Delaware together for a productive discussion with industry leaders.
The summit was to provide a unique opportunity to openly discuss key topics facing the poultry industry today, including: Domestic and export sales, labor needs, operating costs, and environmental issues.
The poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula accounts for more than $2 billion — supporting 15,000 jobs, 5,000 chicken houses, 1,800 growers, and more than $1 billion in vendor payments.
Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Ben Cardin, D-Md., faced with icy roads and fog in the morning, joined the summit by telephone.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Congressman John Carney, D-Del., were there, as were invited representatives of three poultry companies, the president of the National Chicken Council, university professors focused on agriculture, individuals from government agencies that deal heavily with the poultry industry, and individuals who are strongly connected to the poultry industry, including poultry growers and trade associations.
Delaware Ag Secretary Ed Kee was the moderator.
The meeting was closed to the public and to the press; however, Carper, Coons and Carney allotted a few minutes for questions before leaving to attend to other business.
Carper said it had been an “extraordinary session” of listening, not talking: “The U.S. economy is beginning to come back. We have reason to believe the poultry industry will come back. We want to make sure the recovery, especially on Delmarva, continues.
“This summit provided a forum for those involved in the industry to learn from each other, address shared challenges, and find ways to keep this industry thriving for years to come,” he said.
Carper repeated his belief that government’s major role is to create a nurturing environment for job creation and access to markets. He noted that much of the poultry produced in this nation is exported, in fact, exports are up from 3 percent in 1985 to 20 percent last year. “But there are big markets out there that we have only begun to penetrate,” he said.
Coons said individuals in the meeting had asked their legislators to advocate for exports to Korea, India, Russia and China.
Coons added, “Some of those countries have used inappropriate means to block U.S. poultry imports.”
He noted that representatives from DuPont and the deans of agriculture at the universities of Delaware and Maryland had discussed energy needs, poultry litter and cellulosic ethanol.
Coons said DuPont is making real progress with cellulosic ethanol.
He concluded, “Now that we are fighting to grow poultry on the peninsula for the long-term.”
Carper said he came away from the meeting with a new “to do” list. He recognized the need for a reliable and dependable work force and for research and development on how to use parts of the corn plant other than the grain for biofuel.
“Two farmers, one from Maryland and one from Delaware, represented hundreds, if not thousands of farmers (today). They wanted assurance that we care about their industry.
“We answered that agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Delaware and poultry is at the top — we want it to continue (to be so.) We’ll only get there if we take up the role of advocacy for individual farmers.”
Coons said the farmers, one who raises chickens and one who grows feed, vegetables and poultry, reminded them that government needs to use responsible science in regulations and to credit farmers for the things they are doing right.
Carney said the big grain states are pro-ethanol, and farmers like getting higher prices for their corn, but there needs to be balance between food security and cost and energy independence.
Cardin issued a press release about his participation.
He stressed the need to “end preferential treatment of corn-based ethanol and to develop responsible alternative energy sources that will help much of the agricultural community.”
Hilmar Helgason of El Dorado, Md., said he grows poultry and grain and enjoys “finishing in the bay.”
His concerns included regulations and paperwork. “The general public does not know how far it’s gone,” he said, in the quandary of what to do with poultry manure.
Bill Brown, Delaware Cooperative Extension poultry agent and contract grower, said after the news conference, “our elected officials have heard the concerns of the industry. They wanted to explore those concerns. Now they have a better handle on what they’re dealing with.”