Delmarva Chicken Association

10/01/2026

Hard work and a plan -- it pays off! Great to see longtime DCA members and leaders, the Nasirs, investing in chicken and feeding more people than ever. Check out the news at the link .🐤 💸

Far Nasir, a prominent poultry producer and industry leader in Maryland, has expanded his broiler operation, Delmarva Chicken Coop, to support a flock size of about 5 million chickens. Located […]

09/29/2026

Usama Ikram’s family farm mixes together some perhaps surprising ingredients – his father, who grew crops and raised livestock in Pakistan, and Ikram himself, who arrived on the farm with a computer science degree. But it has led to success – and now, an Outstanding Grower award for this four-house, 106,000-bird farm.
“My dad, his ways are like old ways, how they were used to do everything manually, looking after every single detail. And I feel like me, I'm more like a tech guy. So, We have integrated old ways and new ways together to bring this farm to where it is today,” Ikram says. “We are both very detail-oriented.”

09/24/2026

LIz, our ag conservation specialist, isn’t a poultry grower herself, but she recently did a visual inspection of her own farm's fenceline windbreaks - the same advice she has for growers with vegetative buffers, or 'living fences,' on their farms. Liz found this Bradford pear seedling, instance, that would have been a problem by next year if left to grow, along with a handful of unwelcome weeds and plants trying to bully their way in. Read more about fall buffer management and the value of visual inspection in the current issue of Delmarva Chicken magazine -- a DCA membership benefit. Don't get the magazine? Consider joining DCA!

09/22/2026

The Greg Showell Farm is two chicken houses, built in 1987 (population of Sussex County: 107,000). Today, Sussex County has more than doubled to 277,000 people, and a couple hundred of them live in a new development that is literally a stone’s throw from their farm. Through all that change, Gregory Showell says, he’s continued to raise chickens the way his grandfather, also a grower, taught him to. “He said, watch me, because I won’t be here all the time… I take my job serious. I listen to stuff, try to jump ahead, take care of the details in everything I do,” he says. “If you’re doing everything right, everything’s in order, keep doing what you’re doing – you were here first. I mean, I’m a good neighbor. I keep everything neat and proper.”

09/21/2026

The National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production doesn't happen without generous support from sponsors like these. We hope the more than 450 attendees at last week's conference came away with insight and inspiration. And to our top sponsors: One more "thank you!"

09/18/2026

A great flock supervisor is like a bonus brain for a motivated chicken grower - so each year, we recognize the best with our Outstanding Flock Supervisor awards! 🐤👑

GEORGETOWN, Del. -- Ten flock supervisors from Delmarva’s chicken companies received Outstanding Flock Supervisor awards at Delmarva Chicken Association’s 61st National Meeting on Poultry Health,...

09/16/2026

Dr. Carol Cardona of the University of Minnesota and Dr. Fidelis Hegngi of USDA APHIS had a very attentive audience as their conversation about HPAI's "new normal" carried forward the 61st National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production. Our Ocean City conference, including the live production talks, wraps up today.

09/15/2026

Ready, set, learn. The 61st National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production is happening now in Ocean City; Todd Wilson of Agri Stats/EMI is leading off the day with a briefing on the key drivers of broiler production and markets.

09/11/2026

Our job opening for a government affairs manager closes on Sept. 18; apply to help DCA advance chicken's agenda in statehouses, council chambers and on Capitol Hill. Find the link in comments.

09/10/2026

We're only days away from the 61st National Meeting in sunny Ocean City! More than 430 attendees will converge here to learn the latest updates on research and policies involving poultry disease, processing, and bird health and welfare on the farm. See you next week - and thanks to presenting sponsors Farm Credit, Clear View Enterprises, and Best Veterinary Solutions for supporting the conference.