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POULTRY TIMES, July 2, 2012
Business Compiled by David B. Strickland, Editor 770-718-3442 dstrickland@poultrytimes.net
Aviagen develops new technique to improve hatch HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Aviagen’s specialist hatchery team supports customers to get better results from their hatcheries, the company notes. Part of the team’s remit is to investigate and evaluate better ways of handling, storing and incubating eggs. One of the challenges many customers face is how to achieve the best possible hatch and chick quality from stored eggs. Tests in the U.S., Europe and Australasia have demonstrated big improvements in hatchability and chick quality when stored eggs are given short periods at incubation temperature during storage (SPIDES), Aviagen said. “The improvement in hatchability we see when we use SPIDES on stored eggs is a fantastically exciting step forward in our technical knowledge and understanding,” said Dr. Dinah Nicholson, Aviagen global manager - Hatchery Development and Support. “When market conditions are poor, or when order sizes are variable, longer periods of egg storage become unavoidable. Extended egg storage invariably causes lower hatchability, and higher cull rates. SPIDES offers a solution to these issues.” To date, the SPIDES technique has been found to give 2 percent to 3 percent better hatch in eggs stored for seven to 14 days and much more when they are stored for more than two weeks, the company notes.
After a series of replicated experiments, field testing is currently being undertaken in Aviagen hatcheries around the world. “The investigation was initiated by members of the hatchery support team, but has involved a huge amount of hard work and commitment from staff at our product development center in Alabama and in our PS hatcheries all over the world,” she said. “We are now focusing on how the SPIDES technique can be applied on a commercial scale.” The SPIDES technique will not completely prevent the decline in hatch due to long egg storage, but it can limit the loss and give much more predictability. Aviagen believes it will be of considerable interest to the poultry industry. A number of Aviagen customers have already expressed an interest in the trials and are keeping a close eye on any developments and further advancements of the technique, the company noted. More information can be obtained about SPIDES from Nicholson by email at DNicholson@aviagen.com. More information can also be obtained at http://www.aviagen.com.
Other Business News Cobb opens new research complex SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — The latest U.S. Cobb-Vantress Inc. research complex, built in Deer Lodge, Tenn., at a $22 million investment to increase its pedigree breeding activities, has been officially opened. The recent opening occurred just more than 12 months after Cobb purchased the 1,000 acre site in Morgan County, as part of global expansion of research and development. “The pedigree research complexes are the heart of Cobb’s research and development efforts,” said Jerry Moye, president of Cobb. “The Dry Creek farm is at the very start of the supply chain and will play an important role in developing product that will sustain Cobb’s position as a world leader in broiler genetics.” The project will create up to 115 new jobs during the next year as the complex becomes fully stocked, the company said. It is also benefiting the local community through improved energy and water supply as a result of infrastructure investment aided by grants from the state of Tennessee. Donnie Smith, president and CEO of Tyson Foods, who graduated from the University of Tennessee and began his career with Tyson in Tennessee, said he was proud to see what Cobb was doing in his native state. “Cobb has absolutely the best genetics in the world,” he said. “You are a competitive advantage for our company and I’m delighted to be here to celebrate such a fabulous facility,” he told more than 120 guests at the grand opening event. He compared the complex to the 6,000 family farms producing chickens for Tyson Foods across the U.S., and to the level of biosecurity protecting the pure line stock. “How we protect this farm, and
the security on these farms, is second to none, he said. “We call it in Tyson biosecurity to the nth degree — they call it just another day at work.” He also spoke of U.S. citizens spending just 6 percent of their net income on food or 10 percent including restaurant meals. “This is the lowest percentage of annual income spent on food of any nation in the world.,” Smith added. “We’ve got it good here. There’s a lot of people that don’t share that privilege and we have a responsibility to feed them and so being able to have a breed of chickens that can grow well in arid, warm climates and where you don’t have access to the utilities that we might have here, that’s going to be more and more important in 10, 15 or 20 years from now.” Governor of Tennessee Bill Haslam, described the opening as a “big day for Tennessee.” He said the project recognized the three big priorities for the state — taking seriously their role to feed the world, focusing on rural economic development and bringing new high technology jobs. This is the second major investment by Cobb in Tennessee in less than two years. A $14 million parent stock hatchery was opened at Lafayette in November 2010, providing new opportunities for 21 contract farmers supplying hatching eggs from their breeder flocks and creating 59 new job opportunities. Dry Creek is situated amid a large area of commercial forestry isolated from poultry — factors that led to choosing the site of the complex, the company noted. It becomes Cobb’s sixth pedigree research complex worldwide. Dave Juenger, Cobb director of support services, explains that locating the research complexes well apart, and in multiple states, provides additional security in supplying not only North America but also markets across the world.
“Dry Creek is a very secluded area of Tennessee with very little poultry activity,” he said. “We’ve been received with open arms by the authorities here and we’ve worked closely with them in the infrastructure improvements. Naturally they welcome our new Cobb job opportunities in today’s challenging economic environment.” The complex comprises 34 poultry houses and a hatchery, involved in selecting and reproducing the pedigree lines, and producing the breeding stock that will in three generations supply the broiler chickens of the future. A number of different pedigree lines will be housed at Dry Creek including some of the Hybro lines which came to Cobb in 2007 as part of the acquisition which included the Herveld research farm in the Netherlands. Dr Frank Siewerdt, who has 20 years’ experience in animal breeding, has been appointed pedigree geneticist for the new operation. The complex manager is Craig Benich who has experience at a number of Cobb research farms during the past eight years. More information can be obtained at http://www.cobbvantress.com.
Meyn opens Netherlands HQ OOSTZAAN, Netherlands — On June 5, Meyn Food Processing Technology officially opened its new international headquarters. The state-of-the-art headquarters and manufacturing facility is developed to strengthen Meyn’s position as a global leader in poultry processing solutions, company officials noted. In order to express its community involvement, Meyn also donated chicken to all 27,500 clients of the Dutch Food Bank. More than 22,000 kilos in 70,000 portions of chicken were presented to Clara (Continued on next page)