The Alabama
FEBRUARY 2002 • VOL. 3 NO. 2
POULTRYMonthly
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ALABAMA POULTRY & EGG ASSOCIATION
The Durbin Company
Building on the past – Looking to the future
AP&EA
P.O. Box 240
Montgomery, AL 36101
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Montgomery, AL
Permit No. 796
BOARDOFDIRECTORS
Officers
Jeff Burroughs, President, Cullman*
Roddy Sanders, Vice President, Gordo*
Wally Taylor, Treasurer, Snead*
Tommy Knight, Secretary, Enterprise*
Joe Norris, Immediate Past President, Arab*
Allied Industry Directors
Roger Chappell, Cullman
Sandi Hofmann, Huntsville
Egg Industry Directors
Del Brock, Cullman
Harold Kelly, Arab
Processors Directors
Bob Cryar, Collinsville
Don Wisdom, Russellville*
Producer Directors
Fred Barkett, Ozark
Dan Smalley, Arab
Mack Watson, Pineapple*
Directors-At-Large
Jerry Arnholt, Albertville
Lyman Campbell, Montgomery
Fred Cespedes, Hanceville
Barry Fuller, Decatur
Dorman Grace, Jasper
Tim Holmes, Decatur
Richard Jamison, Dothan
Charlie Peacock, Albertville
Bill Peterson, Cullman
John Pittard, Oxford
Al Rhodes, Eufaula
Wendell Shelton, Boaz
Steve Snyder, Athens
Peggy Vardaro, Rutledge
Ricky Walker, Albertville
Advisors
Dr. J. Lee Alley, Montgomery
Dr. Bob Brewer, Auburn University
Jim Donald, Auburn University
Dr. Mike Eckman, Auburn University
Troy Newton, Montgomery
Perry Oakes, Auburn
*Executive Committee Members
AP&EA STAFF
Executive Director
Johnny Adams
EXECUTIVEDIRECTORS MESSAGE
Dear Friends,
Fifty years ago, a small group of poultry industry leaders came together in an effort to improve and foster the poultry industry. Thus was born
the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association. Since that time, the
Association is now the largest poultry and egg association in the country
and the industry has grown to become a leading industry in Alabama, an industry that provides
more jobs than any other industrial employer in our state. Our industry has an eight billiondollar economic impact and represents one dollar of every eight dollars in every Alabamian’s
pocket. Poultry is now the state’s largest cash crop. At 63 percent of all farm cash receipts, it is
larger than all other agricultural commodities combined.
One aspect that distinguished our association from most other associations was the fact that
very early on, our association recognized and involved all aspects of the industry – processors,
growers and allied. It made us unique and successful. I wonder if those few pioneers that formed
this association so long ago, or the many pioneers since then, could have envisioned just how
much the industry and the Association would accomplish.
The question now is, “Where do we go from here?” With an industry that now competes in
a global economy, it is imperative that the emerging leaders of today draw on the wisdom and
tenacity of those that built the industry. Although today’s issues have changed from those of 50
years ago, the challenges are much the same. Like those before us, we must recognize that
success will only come with the entire industry working together with a clear understanding of
the importance of every member on the team.
Please join us in celebrating these incredible past 50 years as we look toward the next 50
years. We look forward to serving you as always.
FEATURING
THIS MONTH
ASSOCIATIONNEWS
page 4
Administrative Director
Wanda Linker
CALENDAROFEVENTS
page 4
Administrative Assistant
Laura Wheatley
GOVERNMENTALAFFAIRS
page 6
Communications Director
Elizabeth Rutland
MEMBERSHIPNEWS
page 8
The Alabama Poultry Monthly is published by the
Alabama Poultry and Egg Association
465 South Bainbridge Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
Phone: 334-265-2732
Fax: 334-265-0008
Address editorial and advertising
correspondence to The Alabama
Poultry Monthly Editor Elizabeth
Rutland at P.O. Box 240,
Montgomery, AL 36101.
Advertising rates and closing
dates available upon request.
Editorial matter from sources outside
AP&EA is sometimes presented for
the information and interest of our
members. Such material may or may not coincide
with official AP&EA policy. Publication does not
neccessarily imply endorsement by AP&EA.
Layout & design
DaraLyn J. McColl
EDUCATIONALDEVELOPMENT
page 10
COUNTYUPDATES
page 12
COVERSTORY
page 14
ADVERTISINGINDEX
Aviagen
Federal Land Bank
First South Farm Credit
pg 2
pg 7
pg 8
Gateway Real Estate
General Chemical
Wynco
pg 5
pg 13
pg 12
About the cover: Marshall Durbin Companies President Melissa Durbin (left)
and Secretary/Treasurer Elise Durbin
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
ASSOCIATIONNEWS
Dr. J. Lee Alley, advisor to the AP&EA
board of directors and an Alabama Poultry
Hall of Fame member, will be running for
commissioner of the Alabama Department of
Agriculture and Industries in the Republican
Primary on June 4, 2002.
Dr. Alley served as state veterinarian for
the Department of Agriculture and Industries
for 22 years. He received his doctoral degree
in veterinary medicine from Auburn
University, furthered his studies at Michigan
State and Vanderbilt Universities and has since
spent 40 years in public service.
Prior to his appointment as state veterinarian in August 1979, Alley worked with
USDA, the Alabama Cooperative Extension
Service and served as acting assistant commissioner in 1987-1989. As the state veterinarian, he has served the state’s poultry industry, as
well as all of agriculture, in numerous capacities. He has been instrumental in eliminating
costly animal diseases such as Brucellosis,
Pseudorabies and Tuberculosis. He has written over 50 monthly “Animal Health News”
columns and was named Veterinarian of the
Year in 1984 and Distinguished Alumnus of
the Year by the Auburn University College of
Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Alley
serves on the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture, Animal Health
Safeguarding Review of USDA and Veterinary
Services.
A native of Bullock County, Ala., Alley is
married to the former Eleanor Langston.
They have two daughters, Marguerite (Meg)
and Jennifer, and one granddaughter, Devin,
by Jennifer and her husband, Brian.
CALENDAROFEVENTS
AP&EA Legislative Omelet Breakfast
April 4, 2002
Montgomery, AL
AP&EA “Evening of Fun”
June 8, 2002
Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center
Birmingham, AL
Alabama Broiler Industry Seminar
October 1-2, 2002
Auburn University Hotel and Dixon
Conference Center
AP&EA Board of Directors Meeting
April 4, 2002
Montgomery, AL
AP&EA Annual Meeting/Convention
July 14-15, 2002
Sandestin Beach Hilton
Destin, FL
National Poultry Waste Management
Symposium
October 27-29, 2002
Sheraton Birmingham
AP&EA Annual Golf Tournament
June 7, 2002
Bent Brook Country Club
Birmingham, AL
Alabama Processors Workshop
September 11, 2002
Birmingham Marriott
Alabama Breeder / Hatchery
Workshop
November 12-13, 2002
Auburn University Hotel and Dixon
Conference Center
The Alabama Poultry Monthly is now avaIlable online!
Visit our website at alabamapoultry.org today!
4 The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
ASSOCIATIONNEWS
AP&EA
Membership
Director Resigns
Chad Cofield recently resigned as the
Alabama Poultry & Egg Association’s
membership director. In a letter written to
Executive Director Johnny Adams, Chad
expressed his appreciation for the opportunity
to work for AP&EA but indicated he wished
to return to Boaz, Ala., where he had been
offered a position as a fireman. Chad was previously a volunteer fireman before joining
AP&EA in August 2001. Serving the public
as a member of the fire department has been a
lifelong goal of Chad’s. AP&EA wishes Chad
well in this endeavor.
Currently, the AP&EA membership campaign will be directed by Johnny Adams and
assisted by the staff. A search to fill the vacated position is in progress and AP&EA is confident that an outstanding candidate will be
on board in the near future.
AP&EA Membership
Drive Countdown
The AP&EA membership drive will end March 15.
We
are in the final month of our annual membership drive.
Although the drive is going very well, we need your
help. If you have a friend or neighbor that has not yet
joined, please encourage them to do so.
The poultry
industry touches almost everyone in our state. Working
together, we can improve opportunities for everyone to
succeed.
For more information, please call AP&EA at
1(800) 254-2732.
AP&EA
is excited to announce the
2002
Evening of Fun
entertainment…
Travis Tritt!
We will have
more details in
the near future.
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002 5
GOVERNMENTALAFFAIRS
Fourth Special Legislature Session Ends
with Education Fix and Tax Hike
T
he Alabama Legislature adjourned its
fourth special session of the year just
days before Christmas. The
Christmas present to educators was a steady
budget and the present for businesses and consumers was new taxes. Under Alabama law,
state budgets must be balanced. When expenditures exceed revenues, the state goes into
“proration” where budgets are slashed to meet
revenues (except for salaries which are protected from cuts). Because of the new taxes, proration is not expected to go into effect during
this fiscal year. Below is a recap of the tax legislation passed in the special session.
House Bill 2 by Rep. Richard Lindsey,
D-Centre, would suspend the net operating
loss carryover deduction for one year for
corporate taxpayers (for the 2001 tax year
only), limit deductions for trademark/
copyright/patent royalty and interest payments to “related parties” under certain circumstances, and waive interest and penalties
for underpayments of estimated income tax
resulting from the NOL suspension or
disallowed deductions for payments to related
parties. The bill also restores the pre-1999
formula for calculating a corporation’s federal
income tax deduction and changes the
formula for calculating non-business interest
expense.
House Bill 4 by Rep. Frank McDaniel,
D-Albertville, would change the elective consolidated return rules that became effective in
1999 to require each company to have nexus
with the state in order to be included in the
group, and extends the “straightjacket” (once
the company elects to file an Alabama
consolidated return) from eight years to 10
years. The bill allows companies currently filing Alabama consolidated returns to terminate
their election and begin filing separate returns
6
again or to opt-in to the new rules. It also
would give the revenue commissioner the
power to de-consolidate a company if it
appears that the company has established
nexus with the state in order to offset its
losses against the group’s Alabama profits. The
bill also doubles the annual filing fee in order
to raise more revenue.
House Bill 7 by Rep. Frank McDaniel,
D-Albertville, adopts the broader Multistate
Tax Commission definition of “business
income” in order to allow the state to tax more
asset sales of out-of-state companies, and
specifically, overrules the Alabama Supreme
Court’s decision in the Uniroyal case
(involving the tax implications of the sale of a
company’s assets) last year. The business
lobby was successful in changing the
retroactive effective date so the law change
now does not take effect until January 1,
2002.
House Bill 8 by Rep. Greg Wren,
R-Montgomery, would create a Rainy Day
Trust Fund for the education budget if
approved by the voters in June. The fund
would be created from a six percent transfer of
oil and gas capital payments from the Alabama
Trust Fund and would be used to prevent or
reduce proration in years of insufficient revenue.
House Bill 62 by Rep. Richard Lindsey,
D-Centre, would equalize telephone tax rates
by reducing home phone rates from 6.7 to 6
percent, increasing cell phone rates from 4 to
6 percent, and imposing a 6 percent rate on
interstate long distance calls.
The governor’s call to raise the maximum
business tax from $15,000 to $2,000,000 was
rejected by the Legislature. This legislation is
expected to raise a minimum of $160,000,000
for this year’s budget.
2002 Regular Legislative Session Convenes
Governor Don Siegelman addressed
Alabama’s Legislature at his “State of the State”
address as it returned for the regular legislative
session on January 8, 2002. He spent much of
his time calling on the Legislature to join him
in his support for the creation of a new state
constitution. He also called on the Legislature
to support his efforts to further raise taxes on
businesses for an increased education budget.
The reception was cool as the Legislature
recently concluded the last of five legislative
sessions since the governor’s 2001 “State of the
State” address. Controversial legislation like
that the governor proposed is low on the
Legislature’s priority list as it limps into an
election year.
Having been forced into a position of
raising taxes or cutting the education budget
in the last special legislative session, left most
legislators apprehensive of tackling controversial issues with the exception of election
reform which may be taken up in this election
year session. The Legislature will likely
address the state’s essential needs like the
passage of the state’s budgets and some
noncontroversial legislation such as measures
to deter terrorist acts and scaled down state
employee retention incentives. We will
monitor all legislation and keep you informed
on any activity that pertains to the poultry
industry.
MEMBERSHIPNEWS
Forbes Magazine Recognizes ConAgra Foods
C
onAgra Foods has been
named to the Forbes
Magazine Platinum 400
list of the “best big companies”
in the country. ConAgra, parent
of ConAgra Poultry Company,
checked in at number 355 on
the total list and 13th in food
processing.
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation also
made the list for the second year in
a row listed as number 134 on the
list, and fifth of the 14 companies in
the food processing category.
“To make the Platinum 400,
a company must be an industry
8 The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
leader in long-term and short-term
return on capital, growth in both
sales and earnings, and in still other
financial metrics,” Forbes Magazine
said in a statement. All 400 of these
corporations show the strategy,
stamina and growth to be standouts
among their peers. Only publicly
traded companies with revenue of
more than $1 billion per year are eligible for the list.
AP&EA would like to congratulate these two companies and
wish them the best in their continued success.
First South Adopts
New Name
First South Agricultural Credit
Association is pleased to announce that
the member/stockholders have voted to
change its name to First South Farm
Credit effective January 1, 2002.
First South’s lending authorities have
recently been broadened and by adding
Farm Credit to its name, aligns
them with similar institutions across
the country.
First South presidents, R. Camp
Powers and Roger F. Chappell, wish to
assure that although they will be operating under a new name, First South Farm
Credit will remain the same organization
and the same people committed to
serving agriculture, agribusiness and
rural Alabama.
MEMBERSHIPNEWS
INDUSTRY
LOSES LEADER
Ross Debter, 89, died December 29,
2001. Debter was born the 13th child of 15
children to M.D. and Evie Debter in 1912.
He lived all 89 years on the same family farm,
near Snead, Ala. Starting with 100 laying hens
and selling eggs door to door, Debter
developed a successful egg business that lasted
more than 50 years and grew to 500,000 laying hens.
In the early 1930s, quality eggs were hard
to come by in Alabama. Eggs were shipped
into Alabama from the Midwest, and the quality was not good. Debter saw an opportunity
in supplying metropolitan customers with
eggs much fresher than they could buy in the
grocery store. His business continued to grow,
and in 1942, he began contracting with other
farmers – selling them feed and buying their
eggs.
When Debter moved into wholesale, he
ran up against less expensive, lower quality
eggs being shipped into the state. In order to
give Alabama producers a chance to compete,
Montgomery lawmakers passed an egg inspection law insuring better eggs for consumers
and a fairer market for everyone. Ross Debter
was instrumental in seeing that law passed.
With the move to wholesale and retail
routes, Ross Debter and Son Eggs continued
to grow. Among his many customers over the
years were Bruno’s and Food World markets.
The business that began in the mid-1930s
with 250 Rhode Island Red hens grew to a
complex housing 240,000 birds in 1970.
Debter was the first producer in Blount
County to put in an egg cooler and grader and
one of the first to put in cages.
In 1980, Debter was inducted into the
Alabama Poultry Hall of Fame. He was also a
longtime member of the Alabama Poultry &
Egg Association.
Surviving are son and daughter-in-law
Glynn and Bobbie Debter, Snead; daughter
and son-in-law Ann and Ronnie K. Tidwell,
Altoona; and grandchildren James Debter and
Perry Debter, both of Snead; Sherri Alldredge,
Susan Moore; Tracie Hamrick, Macon, Ga.;
Doug Haynes, Henagar; and Anita Latta,
Oneonta. In addition to his parents, he was
predeceased by wife Eva J. Debter.
Fire Destroys Brock Egg Plant
On Thursday, January 3, an early
morning fire broke out at Brock Miracle
Eggs in Fairview destroying the office, processing plant and one poultry house.
“Volunteers from five fire departments
responded to the blaze, which was reported
at 4:47 a.m. by a truck driver who was parking to make a pickup when the business
opened,” Fairview Fire Chief Doug
Williams said.
“Firefighters arrived to find the fire well
under way. A downed power line and sparks
from its power pole prevented trucks from
going too deeply into the complex until the
power was cut,” Williams said. “Firefighters
were able to save three of the five poultry
houses. A fourth was partially saved, with
most of the layer hens still alive,” Williams
FIRE continues on page 10
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002 9
MEMBERSHIPNEWS
FIRE continued from page 9
said. A crew from Cullman Electric
Cooperative worked to restore power at
mid-morning to keep the remaining birds
from freezing to death.
Brock Miracle Eggs was started in 1964
by Barney and Lee Brock. In 1980, their
son, Del, and his wife, Sheila, took over
operation of the family business. Del Brock
estimates that as many as 140,000 laying
hens were killed in the fire. Several thousand more may have to be destroyed as a
result of damage from the blaze. “We had a
total capacity for about 450,000 chickens
and after the fire we’re down to around
280,000 to 290,000,” Brock said.
Prior to Thursday’s fire, the 200-acre
farm in Fairview housed what was considered by many to be one of the most sophisticated processing plants in the industry.
Brock Miracle Eggs uses computers and
other new technology advances so human
hands seldom if ever touch the eggs. The
equipment in the plant could detect cracks
in eggs and fire up generators if the power
ever went out for seven seconds. Another
machine washed, rinsed, graded, packaged
and dated 50 cases of eggs an hour, one of
only a dozen such machines made in the
world each year, Del Brock told
Congressman Robert Aderholt at a tour of
the plant last August. During the tour,
Brock said the family-owned enterprise,
which consists of egg production, cattle and
a fertilizer plant in Cullman, employs
approximately 40 people.
“We still have chickens laying eggs,”
Brock said. “We just aren’t able to process
them and package them on site.” Efforts are
under way, Brock said, to acquire a farm
packer capable of packing 150 cases of eggs
each hour for shipment to a processing plant
elsewhere. For the processing, Brock said
two competitors, Gerald Hilley in Boaz and
Ralph Bradley at Weiss Lake, have offered
their services until the Brock operation is
back up and running on its own. “These are
people who are in the same business we are.
They’re our competitors and they were on
the phone with us Thursday asking what it
is they can do to help us,” Brock said.
“What do you say about people like that?
It’s just great and further evidence of the
wonderful people there are in this business
and this community. You can’t help but be
humbled by something like that.”
For the time being, Brock plans to limit
egg production to two chicken houses. The
eggs will be gathered and shipped to other
processing plants and if needed, additional
eggs will be purchased to help meet contract
obligations.
“Right now we’re holding our own, but
as time goes by that will be more difficult to
do,” Brock said. “Our first order of business
is to get this debris removed as quickly as
possible and continue to get as much product out as we can, with the help of some
other processing facilities. Other than that,
we’re literally going one day to the next.”
The Alabama Poultry & Egg
Association family extends their sympathy
and best wishes to the Brock family.
EDUCATIONALDEVELOPEMENT
Infectious Bursal Disease Virus:
An Old Foe Changes Its Face Again
Joseph J. Giambrone
Professor of Poultry Science
Auburn University, Auburn, Al 36849-5416
Infectious bursal disease (IBD), or
Gumboro, has been a constant problem for
the commercial chicken industry since its
discovery in Gumboro, Del., in the late 1950s.
This highly contagious viral disease appeared
in the clinical form striking chickens between
2 and 4 weeks of age resulting in sickly looking birds that do not grow and have high mortality. In the 1980s a new form of IBDV
appeared. The virus was found to adversely
affect the immune system if chickens were
infected with the virus during the first few
10 The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
weeks. This form decreased the immune
response of infected chickens to subsequent
vaccination and increased their susceptibility
to pathogenic organisms. Affected flocks had
a higher incidence of respiratory, gut, and
skin diseases. Flocks had much higher
processing plant condemnations resulting in
economic losses.
The latest IBDV variants to evolve are
viruses that can cause or contribute to
infectious proventriculitis. The proventriculus
is the glandular stomach of the chicken.
Reduced body weight gain and processing
plant stoppages due to intestinal tract tears
characterize this disease. Affected birds have
diarrhea and an enlarged flabby proventriculus, which can break open upon processing,
resulting in condemnation from contamination of digested material on the edible carcass.
We have been working for the past two years
with several isolates from north Alabama
broiler flocks. These isolates came to us by way
of researchers (Drs. Tami Kelly and Fred
Hoerr) from the Alabama State Veterinary
Diagnostic Laboratory System. In 2000, over
100 field cases of proventriculitis were reported in north Alabama broiler flocks alone. Field
isolates can reproduce a similar disease in
leghorns or broilers with either bursal or
proventricular homogenates isolated from
infected commercial chickens. We have also
shown that some live IBDV vaccines can
reduce this disease in laboratory trials. For
this reason, it is important to reexamine your
Gumboro vaccination program if you are seeing proventriculitis or have suboptimal weight
gain and feed conversion in your broiler
flocks.
EDUCATIONALDEVELOPEMENT
Jensen Named Interim Dean of AU College of Agriculture
J
ohn W. Jensen, a 30-year old veteran
of Auburn University and current head of
the department of fisheries and allied
aquacultures, has been named interim dean
of the AU College of Agriculture and director
of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station.
Jensen, who has led the fisheries program
at Auburn as department head since 1996, was
appointed by John Pritchett, Auburn’s interim
provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“I am absolutely delighted that John
Jensen has accepted this position and the challenges associated with it,” Pritchett said.
Auburn University Interim President
William F. Walker praised the selection, citing
Jensen’s record, energy and familiarity with
Auburn and its constituencies.
“John Jensen’s record as a researcher,
administrator and an innovator make him
extremely qualified to head the College of
Agriculture and the Alabama Agricultural
Experiment Station as interim dean and director,” Walker said.
“He possesses the energy, the knowledge
and the familiarity with the university’s various constituencies to help both the College
and the Experiment Station grow to meet the
challenges of new directions in agriculture that
we’re seeing in Alabama, nationally and
worldwide.”
Jensen holds a bachelor’s degree in
wildlife management from the University of
Minnesota and a master’s and Ph.D. in fisheries and allied aquacultures from Auburn.
After three years in Brazil with the Peace
Corps, Jensen came to Auburn in 1972 as a
research associate and served as a graduate
research assistant, for 15 years as an Extension
fisheries specialist with the Alabama
Cooperative Extension System and six years as
a fisheries professor. In 1995, he was named
interim head of the department and was
appointed head of the department a year later.
As fisheries head, Jensen directed a 145employee program largely reliant on outside
funding (grant money for the department
exceeded $4.1 million in 2000, more than any
other department on the AU campus.) Still,
Auburn’s fisheries program has continued
its reputation as among the best of its kind
in the world.
Jensen’s tenure has seen improvement and
expansion of facilities across the state
(including the construction of a new
$650,000 shellfish laboratory at the Dauphin
Island Sea Laboratory), innovative and leading
research in species ranging from red snapper to
catfish and the department’s coordination of a
statewide volunteer water quality monitoring
network.
Jensen’s work as a researcher and administrator has been recognized with awards from
the Alabama Agribusiness Council, the
National Association of County Agricultural
Agents, the Alabama catfish industry and the
Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
He has authored or co-authored more
than 40 extension publications, refereed publications, bulletins, reports, departmental
series and books and has given presentations
to groups all over the United States as well as
in Brazil Vietnam, China, Thailand and
Canada.
Gold Kist Inc. Makes Final Installment
for New AU Poultry Building
Gerald Bailey, retired live production
manager for Gold Kist Inc. in Cullman,
recently presented the last installment in a
$600,000 pledge made by Gold Kist to
Auburn University’s new poultry science building fund.
Bailey presented the last $100,000 of the
$600,000 pledge to AU College of Agriculture
Dean John Jensen early in January. Those
funds, which represent contributions of $1 per
1,000 birds placed in Alabama per week,
will be used for construction of the building.
Ground will be broken soon for that new
facility.
This donation represents the largest single
donation made by Gold Kist to any university
in the nation. Bailey explained that Auburn
was picked because of its outstanding poultry
science program.
“There is not enough funding in America
to fund multiple stand-alone poultry science
departments,” said Bailey. “I believe
that eventually we will end up with
only six such departments in the
United States. Since the Southeast is a
key poultry production area, it is critical that Auburn have one of those
departments.”
Bailey praised Auburn’s program
saying that the knowledge provided
through Auburn’s teaching, research
and extension programs is vital to
ensuring the poultry industry’s future
growth. “Our industry depends on
Auburn for entry level personnel, for
continuing education efforts through extension
programs and for the research that keeps our
industry growing.”
The AU Poultry Science Building
Committee, of which Bailey is chairman, continues to raise additional money and hope to
establish a fund of at least $1 million
(after completion of original building and
equipment) for upkeep and future equipment
needs of the department.
“We wouldn’t be getting this new poultry
building without Gerald Bailey and the strong
industry committee that has raised money and
support for the project,” said Jensen. “The
coalition of industry and academia represented
in this committee is part of the strength of our
program and we deeply appreciate their hard
work and support. It represents their long-term
commitment to Auburn’s poultry program and
our ongoing commitment to providing information and knowledge to the industry.”
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002 11
COUNTYUPDATES
AFO/CAFO Hold Meetings
On November 15, Ted Tyson, extension
agricultural engineer from Auburn University,
presented a program on AFO/CAFO (Animal
Feeding Operation/Concentrated Animal
Feeding Operation) rules at a meeting
sponsored by the Butler County Poultry &
Egg Association and the Butler County
Farmers Federation. It was stated that all
poultry producers will be required to have
nutrient management plans that meet
or exceed NRCS (Natural Resources
Conservation Service) standards. If a poultry
producer has on his farm 125,000 or more
birds at one time, they are considered a
CAFO. Less than 125,000 birds puts them
into the category of AFO. The CAFOs in
addition to the AFOs will be required to go
through a registration procedure.
AFOs can formulate their own nutrient
management plans that will meet or exceed
REGIONAL GROWER
SEMINARS FACE
FURTHER DELAY
The AP&EA regional grower seminars
continue to be delayed under the recommendation of the state veterinarian’s
office and the poultry production
committee. Only one seminar has taken
place in Luverne in October prior to an
LT outbreak in south Alabama. Seminars
in north Alabama were cancelled early in
October after an extended outbreak
of the disease. Later in November, a
planned seminar in New Brockton had to
be cancelled after a series of disease outbreaks in southeast Alabama.
The Association is working with the
Department of Agriculture and Industries
and the Production Committee in an
effort to monitor disease outbreaks. We
are currently seeing outbreaks in both
northeast and southeast Alabama. We
hope that the outbreaks will end soon and
we can move forward with the seminars.
In the meantime, remember that your
best defense against disease outbreak is
good biosecurity.
12
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
NRCS standards. Since there are a large
number of CAFOs and they are first in
priority, the NRCS will be tied up for awhile
doing nutrient management plans for them.
If you are an AFO and would like to do your
own Nutrient Management Plan, you can
come by the Butler County Extension Office
and ask for circular ANR-926 Nutrient
Management Planning for Small AFOs,
Broiler Operations. The circular will tell you
what you need and the five steps to follow.
The regulations come from the guidelines
of ADEM AFO/CAFO rules adopted March
31, 1999. A Comprehensive Nutrient
Management Plan is one way to help meet this
requirement for AFOs and CAFOs. Those
with questions may contact the Butler County
NRCS office or the Butler County Extension
office.
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2001
13
COVERSTORY
The Durbin Company
A True Product of the Industry
Marshall Durbin Sr.
M
arshall Durbin Companies’ vision
started in 1930 in Birmingham,
Ala., when Marshall Durbin Sr.,
founder, borrowed $500 to buy a retail chicken stand. In the late 60’s, he put his entire
business up as collateral in order to borrow
money to build a feedmill in Hayleyville, Ala.
He was the first in the South to build his own
feedmill and thus began the vertical integration of Marshall Durbin Companies. From
that beginning, the first vertically integrated
poultry company in the South was born.
Marshall Durbin Sr. led his company to
great success until his death in 1971 and his
leadership helped to make Alabama one of the
largest poultry producing states. Following in
his father’s footsteps, Marshall Durbin Jr.
became president and chairman of the board
upon his father’s death and continued to lead
the company to great recognition and success.
The poultry industry brought Marshall many
honors and much acclaim, not the least of
which is a membership in the Alabama
Poultry Hall of Fame, an honor which was also
bestowed upon his father. He was a director of
14 The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association for 27
consecutive years and president of AP&EA in
1968-1969. On September 16, 2001,
Marshall Durbin Jr. passed away. His leadership, however, is still alive and remains with
his two daughters, Melissa and Elise. Today, a
family tradition continues as Melissa currently
replaces her father as president of Marshall
Durbin Companies and Elise serves as secretary/treasurer. True products of the industry,
Melissa and Elise have stepped up to a challenge that was set before them all of their lives.
“This is something we have always been prepared for and are confident in our preparation
from both our father and our grandfather that
we will continue to lead this company to great
success,” said Melissa. “So many poultry companies are family owned and it only is natural
for us to continue to keep our family business.
Our father and our grandfather were both
excellent teachers and selling has never been
an option or a consideration.” Melissa has
been working for her father since 1983 as
director of advertising and then as
secretary/treasurer. Elise began working for
the company in 1996 as vice president of
human resources after receiving a law degree
from the University of Alabama. Both Melissa
and Elise have grown up working summers
and holidays for the company, familiarizing
themselves with the business. Currently,
Marshall Durbin Companies operates processing plants in Jasper, Ala., and Hattiesburg,
Miss.; hatcheries in Haleyville and Chatom,
Ala., and Waynesboro, Miss.; feed mills in
Haleyville and Waynesboro; and a distribution
center in Tarrant, Ala. Corporate headquarters are located in Birmingham.
Future plans for the company include
continuing a concentration on fast food and
the continuing operation of all current plants.
The Haleyville live operation facility is
approaching expansion and more expansions
will be made in the coming years. “The transition after my father’s death has been
extremely smooth which Elise and I credit to
Marshall Durbin Companies’ employees,”
Melissa said. “They have been extremely supportive,” added Elise.
A recently renewed member of the
Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, Marshall
Durbin Companies joins AP&EA as its
newest broiler integrator member. “With our
renewed membership, we hope to create ties
and relationships with counterparts and
industry growers and have better access to the
latest information, education and governmental decisions and regulations affecting the
poultry industry,” said Melissa and Elise.
AP&EA extends a warm welcome to Marshall
Durbin Companies and best wishes to Melissa
and Elise as they continue a tradition of leadership and success.
Marshall Durbin Jr.
COVERSTORY
“As leaders of Marshall Durbin Companies, we will
remove the barriers that have slowed our growth and
reduced our productivity. Progress may seem slow,
but we will progress. It is time to awaken this sleepy
little company, to restore it to what it once was; one
of the leaders in the industry. This will be our
first priority and on these principles we will not
compromise.”
–Melissa Durbin, President
The Alabama Poultry Monthly • 2002
15
ALABAMA
POULTRY
is more than
mere
chicken feed.
■ Poultry’s total economic impact
is $8 billion
■ Poultry accounts for 63% of all
Alabama farm income
■ Poultry generates $1.6 billion at the
Alabama farm level
■ Poultry provides employment for
78,000 Alabamians
■ Poultry accounts for 75% of all
Alabama farm exports
■ Alabama is the third largest poultry
producing state
For more information, contact the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association at
1-800-254-APEA