Delmarva Poultry Industry Recognizes Achievers
SALISBURY, Md. — Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI), the trade association for the Delmarva Peninsula’s chicken industry, recognized 17 persons for outstanding work in or for the chicken industry at its 51st annual Booster Banquet April 19 in Salisbury, Md.
The J. Frank Gordy, Sr. Delmarva Distinguished Citizen Award, DPI’s highest honor, was presented to Dale A. Boyce, a long-time Sussex County, Delaware poultryman and community leader. In addition to being a poultry grower and internationally recognized authority on poultry house equipment, Boyce was a highly effective chairman of the DPI grower committee for seven years and served on the DPI board of directors. In his native Laurel, Del. community, Boyce has been a leader in his church, the Laurel Chamber of Commerce, and the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation. He has headed programs for elderly and poor people and has been a volunteer for countless other community projects. He is a retired member of the Delaware National Guard.
DPI’s Medal of Achievement awards were presented to Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner and University of Delaware poultry science professor Dr. Conrad Pope.
Minner was honored for her decades of service to the poultry and agricultural industries as a member of the General Assembly and as lieutenant governor and governor. Among the reasons Minner received the award were her work on farmland preservation, her efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza, portions of her Livable Delaware program to direct growth to areas that will help avoid conflicts with poultry farms, her budget support for poultry diagnostics, her support of Delaware’s nutrient management program and research on solar energy for chicken houses, and her recognition and championing of the poultry industry.
In presenting the award, DPI Vice President Wayne Evans said, “our industry is better off because you have been supportive of it since your public service began more than three decades ago. We thank you.”
Pope was recognized for his technical service, research, and outreach to the chicken industry as a poultry diagnostician and educator at the University of Delaware. Following a veterinary career in the U.S. Army, Pope joined the University of Delaware. In his more than 20 years on the faculty, he has conducted experimental studies, performed diagnostic work on tens of thousands of chickens, and has developed and taught poultry courses.
Additionally, DPI recognized 14 outstanding poultry producers. Selected by their companies from Delmarva’s 2,000 poultry growers, this year’s recipients are Earl and Karla Beardsley, Nanticoke, Md. — Tyson Foods, Inc.; Wendy Bingham, Delmar, Del. — Tyson Foods, Inc.; Brian, Rose, and Brian William Derrickson, Pocomoke City, Md. — Tyson Foods, Inc.; David Hoffman and Dorothy Jones, Pocomoke City, Md. — Mountaire Farms, Inc.; Loockerman Farm, Inc., Carol Johnson, Bridgeville, Del. — Allen’s Hatchery, Inc.; Doris and Edwin Meredith, Federalsburg, Md. — Perdue Farms Inc.; Tom Nguyen, Bishopville, Md. — Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc.; Fred O’Neal and Sons, Seaford, Del. — Perdue Farms Inc.; Parker Farms, Inc., Cliff and Connie Parker, Frankford, Del. — Allen’s Hatchery, Inc.; Rantz Purcell, Princess Anne, Md. — Perdue Farms Inc.; Gregory Showell Farm, Frankford, Del. — Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc.; Terry’s Farm and Peter’s Farm, Thoan Pham and Hoa Le, Pocomoke City, Md. — Mountaire Farms, Inc.; Bill and Billy Thompson, Berlin, Md. — Perdue Farms Inc.; Janice and Bill Vickers, Millsboro, Del. — Perdue Farms Inc.