This document summarizes a poultry farm management training and certification program developed by University of Maryland Extension for new and existing poultry growers. The program covers best management practices, regulations, production management, and more. Over 250 producers have participated in quarterly workshops. The material was also translated to Vietnamese and Korean and over 70 immigrant farmers were trained. Surveys found that most participants better understood broiler operations and many planned to implement recommended best management practices on their farms.

1. Poultry Farm Management Training And Certification
For New And Existing Growers
Nottingham, * J.R.1 , Timmons, J.R.2, Rhodes, J.L.
Extension Educator, University of Maryland Extension, Princess Anne, Maryland 21853
²· Extension Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Salisbury, Maryland 21801
3. Extension Educator, University of Maryland Extension, Centreville, Maryland 21617
ABSTRACT IMPLICATIONS
Workshops
Workshops provide growers the opportunity
A Poultry Farm Management Training & Certification for New and Existing
Growers workshop was developed for potential and existing poultry growers as to meet individuals from various agencies
part of the New Source Performance Standard for the Environmental
Protection Agency Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) permit.
Quarterly Workshops:
This University of Maryland Extension (UME) program was developed by J. L.
•Energy Efficiency
Rhodes, J.R. Timmons, and J.R. Nottingham, with cooperation from Natural
Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Delmarva Poultry Industry, Maryland
Follow-up surveys will determine the number
Department of the Environment, and Maryland Department of Agriculture
•Manure Building Fire Prevention of on-farm BMPs that were implemented as a
(MDA). The course includes an introduction to poultry farm management, best
management practices, site and production area management and
•Nutrient Management result of these programs
maintenance, mortality and manure handling, state and federal regulation
compliance, vegetative environmental buffers, financing, and emergency
•Litter Management Over 250 producers
preparedness. In addition, this program has been translated into Vietnamese
and Korean. Two classes were held in 2010 training over seventy people. Fifty
•Regulations-CAFO
have been educated
by this program
VIETNAMESE AND KOREAN Programs have the potential to constitute a
seven percent rated the workshop excellent, and eighty nine percent had a
better understanding of a broiler operation. Unexpected outcomes included the
attendance of existing poultry growers, government employees (Farm Service
•Disease Prevention GROWER TRAINING significant impact on Maryland’s poultry
•Disaster Preparedness industry and the environment
Agency, NRCS, MDA and UME), poultry company employees, and bank and
farm credit loan officers. This group indicated that this training would help
them have a better understanding of the many aspects of a poultry operation •Approximately 100 Vietnamese and Korean Growers
and would help them serve their customers better.
Poultry Farm Management Training •Operate approximately 300 poultry houses
•Material from Poultry Farm Management Training was
•Required for new growers Existing growers were asked:
condensed
•Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) “What Best Management Practices (BMPs)
•Translated into Vietnamese and Korean
Requirements will you implement on your farm? “ (choose up to 5)
•Translators were poultry growers and respected members of the
Delmarva Broiler Production •Best Management Practices communities who had a deep understanding of the poultry
industry.
•Manure and Mortality Handling
2010 Broiler chicken production •Two workshops with approximately 70 growers
•Vegetative Environmental Buffers
•The head of CAFO enforcement with MDE and the District
•Site and Production Management 54% of attendees
never Conservationist with NRCS attended both workshops to
*1,696 growers •Record keeping operated a poultry participate and answer questions.
farm
•UME wrote curriculum
•Collaborators:
*4,679 poultry houses -Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)
-Natural Resource Conservation Services Poultry Farm
(NRCS)
*559,000,000 broilers
-Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.
Management Training
(DPI, 2011)
-Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) Results
Economic value:
What is your level of understanding of the CAFO/MAFO regulations?
Wholesale value: $1,902,000,000
annually (DPI, 2011)
•Accounts for almost 70% of farm 45
output value (Chase et al., 2003)
40 Very knowledgeable
•1 out of every 12 jobs in region 35
directly or indirectly dependent
upon broiler industry 30 Some Knowledge
25
%
20 Little Knowledge
15
10 Very Little
5 Knowledge
0 No Knowledge
Before Attending After Attending
theTraining the Training