From the editors of Feedstuffs
A new egg farmer cooperative in the western US intends to bring sustainability and supply chain stability to its customers through its eight independent shell egg production members. ProEgg, a farmer cooperative formed under the Capper-Volstead Act, will serve 13 states, and is committed to providing retail and foodservice shell egg customers with collaborative solutions that will help stabilize the shell egg supply in this period of high egg demand. Members of the cooperative are recognized leaders in egg production. They include Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.; Central Valley Eggs, LLC; Colorado Egg, LLC; Hickman’s Egg Ranch, Inc.; Oakdell Egg Farms, Inc.; Opal Foods LLC; Ritewood, Inc.; and Willamette Egg Farms, LLC.
The companies together will aggregate and sell shell eggs through the ProEgg cooperative throughout the 13-state region. The cooperative has hired its first CEO, Ric Herrera, an egg industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience in the food business, who will lead sales and operations.
“The formation of ProEgg is a deliberate response by our members to an ever-changing egg market,” said Herrera. “Combining production under the cooperative umbrella will promote stability within the egg supply chain, create contingencies to avoid supply disruption, develop sustainable logistics and maximize the available egg volume in the region.”Read more
Research trials are underway in the new Biological Safety Level-II facility that will focus on intestinal health issues in poultry.
The facility is located in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Poultry Science. The on-campus laboratory is part of an ongoing effort to enhance the research, extension and educational capacity of the department of poultry science. Research from the facility will benefit the field of poultry science and the commercial poultry industry.
Merck Animal Health and Tyson Foods provided a $500,000 gift that was matched by the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to build a new research facility. It is the only Biological Safety Level-II facility of its kind in the U.S.
“This facility helps us to address the most pressing challenges in the poultry industry with applied research,” said Audrey McElroy, Ph.D., head of the department of poultry sciences. “It also allows us to fulfill the land-grant mission, because it is in partnership with our stakeholders in the poultry industry and provides unique research, teaching and extension opportunities through our department.”Read moreAmerican Securities LLC, a leading U.S. private equity firm, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Milk Specialties Global, a leader in human and animal nutrition, to Butterfly, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food sector. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisitions expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.
Founded in 1949 and based in Eden Prairie, Minn., Milk Specialties is an industry-leading, vertically integrated ingredient manufacturer focused on the processing of raw dairy inputs, such as milk and liquid whey, into value-added functional ingredients for a variety of growing nutrition end markets. The company's human nutrition segment is a leading performance nutrition manufacturer that produces high-quality dairy protein ingredients and products designed to optimize health and nutrition. Today, Milk Specialties' human nutrition segment is the largest producer of whey protein isolate in the world. The company's animal nutrition segment is a leading provider of science-based animal nutrition products for the dairy industry.Milk Specialties operates 12 state-of-the-art facilities strategically positioned across the U.S. that allow the company to deliver high-quality, specialized ingredients and exceptional service to customers around the globe. It has been led for over fourteen years by CEO and industry veteran David Lenzmeier, who will continue to lead the business.
Read moreUSPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announced the completion of a funded research project at the USDA, ARS, National Disease Center in which researchers assessed the efficacy of Salmonella vaccines to reduce S. Reading colonization, dissemination and persistence in turkeys. The research was made possible in part by the Cooper Family Foundation and proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The research is part of the association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing.Read more
Lallemand is joining forces by getting involved in the steering committee of the Grand Défi Ferments du Futur, a highly strategic program that aims to accelerate research and innovation in the field of ferments and fermented foods to meet the challenges of agronomy and ecological transition, food sovereignty and to strengthen the economic leadership of the French and European food industries.
Three months after its official presentation, this ambitious research-innovation program piloted by INRAE and l’ANIA, already brings together around thirty public and private players, from academic research to cooperatives, from start-ups to large corporations. It was launched operationally on December 12, with the first meeting of its strategic orientation committee, which will contribute to its operational and financial functions.
The presence of pioneering companies like Lallemand in this consortium will strengthen knowledge and innovation around fermentation. Since 2017, Lallemand has been closely involved in the program development process, in the definition of objectives and content. The presence of historical will allow interactions between experts, and also a better understanding of the key role of fermentation and fermented foods on human health.Read moreOn January 1, 2023, all eggs and egg products sold in Colorado must be compliant with confinement standards for egg laying hens that were established in a 2020 bill. In order to be fully compliant, producers must phase into fully cage-free by 2025. The bill established a business owner or operator is prohibited from selling shell eggs or egg products that are produced by egg-laying hens confined in a manner that conflicts with certain standards. One such requirement is that each hen be provided at least one square foot of usable floor space. floor space.Read more
