Once again this year Your Indiana Turkey Farmers are sponsoring Thanksgiving “Turkey Trot” races and walks across Indiana. We’re excited to see the Turkey Market Development Council logo on race t-shirts, social media shout outs, and race signage! Plus, when our sponsorship includes race registrations, we are donating those sponsorhips back to first responders or teachers in those communities. Check out the list below and make plans now to show your poultry pride this November!
Turkey Market Development Council Election Results
Congratulation to the winners of the 2026 Turkey Market Development Council Election!
Josh Uebehlor - Farbest Foods
Gibson Hochgesang - Farbest Foods
Logan Hawthorne - Perdue Farms
Cole Raber - Perdue Farms
Janel Buechler - Perdue Farms
Thank you to all candidates who participated in this year’s election. Your willingness to serve is what makes the TMDC such a great program in Indiana!
Turkey Producer Dinner 2026 - Huntingburg, IN
In August, local turkey farmers and representatives from Perdue Farms and Farbest Foods joined together at the Huntingburg Event Center for an annual celebration of turkey at the Turkey Producer Dinner, hosted by Your Indiana Turkey Farmers.
Attendees enjoyed a delicious meal featuring turkey tenderloins, prepared by Oink Inc Smokehouse & Catering, while they listened to the evening’s guest speakers. Leslie Oden, President and CEO of the National Turkey Federation, gave an update about her organization’s efforts to support the turkey industry - in Washington D.C. and beyond.
Justin Watson from USDA-APHIS spoke about Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments (WBAs), a free resource for poultry farmers to monitor and control wildlife on their premises.
Kenda Resler Friend highlighted the promotional endeavors of Your Indiana Turkey Farmers throughout the year. She focused on the various marketing efforts the group had made, including sponsoring local Turkey Trots, partnering with media organizations, planning a turkey takeover with Hambone’s Trivia in November, and supporting local high school culinary programs with turkey product donations.
Jim Bishop of Conjunction Leadership was the keynote speaker for the event. Jim’s presentation focused on the differences between stress and pressure, and how you can handle both in your daily life.
2026 Indiana State Fair
Poultry was well represented at the Indiana State Fair this year! Between Purdue Animal Sciences Poultry Experience, the Little Hands on the Farm interactive exhibit, and the 4H and Open Poultry Show, there were plenty of birds to see around the fairgrounds.
Purdue ANSC Poultry Experience
Little Hands on the Farm
4H and Open Poultry Show
Nominations now Open for ISPA Golden Egg Award
The ISPA Golden Egg Award was established to honor individuals that have gone above and beyond in their service to the poultry industry in the Great State of Indiana! It is awarded on the night of the annual ISPA Evening Under the Stars which is scheduled this year for January 19, 2027.
If you would like to nominate an individual for the ISPA Golden Egg Award, please submit their name using the form on the ISPA website which is available by clicking here. All nominated individuals will be included on a ballot and will be voted on by members of the ISPA Board of Directors. Please submit nominations no later than Friday, November 20.
If you have any questions on the ISPA Golden Egg Award, please feel free to reach out to us at (765) 496-3594. And, to see a list of past award winners and learn more about the history of the award, please click the link below:
https://www.inpoultry.com/ispagoldenegg
2026 Egg Industry Center Request For Pre-Proposals
Researchers from across the U.S. and Canada are invited to submit their innovative ideas to be considered for the 2026 Egg Industry Center (EIC) Grant Award Program. On average, researchers making the full proposal stage have a more than 50% chance of having their project funded. Emailed pre-proposals will be accepted through Friday, December 4, 2026. Submission details can be found in the Egg Industry Center's Request For Proposal.
EIC's 2026 high-priority research areas of interest are:
Dust mitigation strategies for cage-free housing specific to new technologies or improved management and control of current industry ventilation systems.
Design of BMPs for whole house nitrogen depopulation.
Biological proof that commercial eggshells are not an environmental contaminate, or novel ways to make use of eggshells in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Investigation across various commercial laying hen genetic strains for the impact and role of lighting in Cage-free environments including impacts of lighting source, type, color, and level to achieve optimum production parameters focused on body weight gain for pullets, feather retention, and reduction of floor eggs or feather pecking in laying hen flocks.
Development/Evaluation of approaches to reduce/ultimately eliminate Ascaridia galli from commercial poultry flocks and their environment with emphasis on practical environmental control through elimination of roundworm eggs or interruption of flock-to-flock transmission.
Determination of potential changes in Salmonella enteritis, via whole genome sequencing, based on positive farm samples from past outbreaks.
The EIC Research Grant Program is open to researchers in various disciplines that affect egg production. This research is crucial to providing trusted scientific answers that help ensure eggs and their high-quality protein remains available for a growing population.
The Egg Industry Center is committed to helping the research community: 1) provide scientific solutions to help egg farmers so they can better serve their customers and consumers, and 2) tell the story of how the research that has been completed can impact the egg industry. For questions on EIC's grant program, please reach out to eic@iastate.edu.
Live Bird Marketing Systems Working Group Meeting
On February 18th and 19th, the USDA hosted a Live Bird Marketing Systems Working Group meeting in New York City, NY. I attended this meeting to participate in various HPAI-related discussions and to learn more about how the virus is affecting Live Bird Markets across the nation. The meeting was attended by many federal and state government employees as well as some university employees and laboratory personnel.
Live Bird Markets (LBMs) are defined as any facility that procures live poultry to hold or display for more than 24 hours and sells such poultry for onsite slaughter or offsite ritual use. While Indiana does not have any LBMs, several producers in the state provide poultry to LBMs in other states, such as Pennsylvania or Michigan.
Highlights from the first day included state reports from California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania on their responses to an HPAI detection in an LBM. It was interesting hear how response activities differed between states depending on local population, geography, facility structure, etc. For example, the disposal of carcasses from an LBM that is located in a high-traffic area of New York City is significantly more challenging than disposal of carcasses at a rural LBM in Pennsylvania. Each state had their own unique challenges to face and that required creative solutions. This fostered some great discussions, as all were happy to share the lessons they learned and offer advice where they could to other states.
A large portion of the second day was spent reviewing the “Guidance for Response to a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Detection in a Live Bird Market” document. This is a guidance document that the USDA would like to publish as a resource for states to use as they navigate their response to an HPAI detection in an LBM. It has been in development since 2024, and one of the goals for this meeting was to finalize it for publication. Line by line, the group read through the four-page document. Some offered minor changes to format and grammatical structure, others suggested some clarifying content be added. This continued until, at last, the document was complete! USDA plans to publish this document online in the near future.
The meeting ended a little early on the second day so that attendees would have time to visit one of the many LBMs located in the NYC area. I took this opportunity to take a short train ride to Utica Halal Live Poultry in Brooklyn, NY, a small LBM in a residential district. As I entered, the market had a meat counter on the left side, a wall of cooking ingredients on the right, and a glass door in the back which led to a large, access-restricted area where cages of live poultry lined the walls. Overall, I was impressed with the cleanliness of the cages and the floor throughout the facility.
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this meeting and to have been able to visit an LBM in person. I had a fantastic time in NYC and had an overall very pleasant experience at this meeting. Thank you to ISPA for supporting my attendance and to USDA for their efforts in organizing this event. I look forward to attending next year! Kyle Banaszak
2027 USPOULTRY Seminars
IDEM Open Burning Information
The Stomping Ground - Stubborn Soil Temperatures Spur Variability
Hans Schmitz’s most recent column from IANA’s The Stomping Ground publication discusses variable soil conditions as we approach the winter season. Here are the highlights:
The average first freeze date has passed for most of Indiana without an actual freeze occurring.
Soil temperatures are still in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees.
Fall applied nitrogen should be avoided until soil temperatures are safely below 50 degrees.
Fall applied phosphorus may be actively cycling.
Parts of the state have entered drought conditions, which may reduce soil biological activity but also reduce winter wheat/cover crop germination and growth.
Where winter cash crops are actively growing, they may have excessive top growth prior to dormancy, necessitating some late winter/early spring crop scouting for damage.
Use of a nitrification inhibitor can slow the conversion of nitrogen into forms more vulnerable to loss
Use of a cover crop or other living green cover can take up soil nitrates that may move through the soil profile before spring time, reducing risk of nitrogen loss
Purdue University - College of Ag Graduate Spotlight : Hayley Sutherland
Nestmates November 2026
Purdue University - College of Agriculture
Job Title: Assistant Professor of Artificial Intelligence for Animal Improvement
City: Indianapolis, IN
Application Link: https://careers.purdue.edu/job/Assistant-Professor-of-Artificial-Intelligence-for-Animal-Improvement/44394-en_US/
Purdue University - Department of Animal Sciences
Job Title: Clinical Assistant Professor of Animal Sciences – Applied Animal Sciences
City: West Lafayette, IN
Application Link: https://careers.purdue.edu/job/Clinical-Assistant-Professor-of-Animal-Sciences/44742-en_US/
Indiana Ag Gathering 2026
Click here to register. Registration closes December 2nd.
Indiana craftsmen, boutiques, industry partners and more!
Be sure to visit the ISPA booth while you’re there!
1:45 - 6:30 p.m. ET Friday, Dec. 11
8 a.m. - Noon ET Saturday, Dec. 12
Purdue ANSC Welcomes Dr. Victoria Uyanga! Industry Survey Participation Requested
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Victoria Uyanga, who joined Purdue University’s Department of Animal Sciences as an Assistant Professor of Poultry Science on August 17, 2026.
Dr. Uyanga’s research focuses on how nutritional, environmental, and immune factors influence poultry productivity, health, and resilience. Her work takes a systems-based approach to better understand the connections between nutrition, poultry physiology, welfare, and sustainable production. Her research includes areas such as amino acid nutrition, functional feed additives, microbiome health, low-crude-protein diets, gastrointestinal function, thermoregulation, and immunometabolism.
At ISPA’s September 30th Board of Directors meeting, Dr. Uyanga, joined us to introduce herself and to begin engaging with Indiana’s poultry industry on potential research topics. In order to get a better sense of the needs of the different sectors of Indiana’s flock, we agreed we should send out a survey to collect information on topics and needs. Please either fill out the survey on behalf of your company or forward it to those within your organizations most knowledgeable of your needs. And, Purdue encourages collaboration, so don’t hesitate to share research needs that are beyond traditional animal science-related topics – there’s a good chance someone at Purdue has the expertise you need.
SURVEY LINK
If you would like to connect with Dr. Uyanga directly, her contact info is as follows:
Email: vuyanga@purdue.edu
Office: +1-765-496-1997
Rose Acre Farms, Inc. Announces Leadership Transition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rose Acre Farms, Inc. Announces Leadership Transition
Wesner moving into advisory role, leadership at Egglife Foods, Inc.; Anderson appointed CEO
SEYMOUR, Ind. (November 2, 2026) — Rose Acre Farms (Rose Acre Farms, Inc., RAF) is pleased to announce a transition in leadership. Tony Wesner, who has led the company in various roles during his 45 years with the company, including CEO, is moving into an Executive Management Advisory role with RAF and has accepted the CEO position at Egglife (Egglife Foods, Inc.), a RAF subsidiary.
“When I came to work at Rose Acres, we just had chickens in southern Indiana, so I’ve been along for the ride for a long time. It has been an honor to work with The Good Egg People Team as CEO, and it’s time for me to turn the reins over to someone else,” Wesner said.
Terry Anderson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rose Acres, effective immediately.
“It’s been a joy to work with Terry, and to see him grow up in the company,” Wesner shared.
This elevates Anderson from his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, a position he had held since 2024. Anderson has been with the family-owned company since 1991, starting at the farm level and progressing through management roles, including Vice President of Operations.
“I would like to thank Tony and the Rust family for the trust that they have instilled in me for 35 years. We get up every day and help feed people, and I take that responsibility seriously,” Anderson said.
Bryce McCory, a third-generation Rust family member who most recently served as a RAF Regional Manager, has been named Chief Operating Officer at RAF to fill Anderson’s former role.
“I am honored at the opportunity to serve as COO. I am excited to continue to work with our great team at RAF who make it happen every single day,” McCory said.
Rose Acres and Egglife both value the egg as a complete protein and nutritional powerhouse. Egglife is working to reimagine the future of food with innovative EGG WHITE WRAPS, POWER PASTA, GRAB & GO, and more.
Rose Acre Farms is the second largest egg producer in the United States. The family-owned company prides itself on the small-town values of quality, service, and integrity. Rose Acre Farms is located in seven states and offers shell eggs (including commodity and cage-free), liquid eggs, dried eggs, and more. Visit www.goodegg.com to learn more.
Founded in 2020, Egglife Foods makes protein-forward foods built on the egg. The company launched with its category-defining egglife® EGG WHITE WRAPS, a protein-packed alternative to flour-based wraps, and has since expanded into POWER PASTA™ and GRAB & GO. Egglife products are sold in more than 16,000 retail locations across North America, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, Aldi and Sprouts. Learn more at www.egglifefoods.com.
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RAF Media Contact:
Amanda Gee
Director of Communications
Egglife Contact:
Kyle Oschman
Chief Sales Officer
Photos are available online.
2026 ISPA Johndrew Memorial Golf Outing
On September 9, 2026 the ISPA hosted the ISPA Johndrew Memorial Golf Outing at The Fort Golf Course at Ft. Harrison State Park. A huge thank you to all of our sponsors who made the Golf Outing possible and to everyone that attended. For the first time ever in the history of the golf outing, we sold out of player tickets and on the day of the golf outing we had over 135 golfers take to the course in the morning.
A big thank you to our event sponsor, the Indiana Soybean Association and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council!
Thank you to ARCO Design/Build for sponsoring the Registration Table.
Thank you to AEI llc for sponsoring the driving range and practice green on the course that was open to players during registration.
Thank you to Summit EPC for sponsoring the Breakfast Bar during registration. Golfers were able to enjoy a refreshing Mimosa or Bloody Mary and a breakfast burrito before heading out to the course.
Thank you to Farm Credit Mid-America, Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, and Maple Leaf Farms for sponsoring the Beverage Stations out on the course. One beverage station was located on the front nine between holes two and seven and the other beverage station was on the back nine between holes eleven and seventeen.
Thank you to ARCO Design/Build, Hy-Line North America, Indiana Pork, and River View Farms for sponsoring the boxed lunches provided to the golfers. Our boxed lunches were catered through Sahm’s this year, and included a choice of sandwich, chips, fresh fruit salad and a cookie.
Thank you to Facco for sponsoring the buffet dinner at the Awards Reception post course play. Thank you to Best Veterinary Solutions, Elanco and York Ag for sponsoring the beverages served during the Awards Reception post course play.
Thank you to AEI llc, Clear H2O Culver Duck Farms and York Ag for hosting an Expo Table during registration at the golf outing.
Thank you to Cal-Maine Foods, Facco and MPS Egg Farms for sponsoring the Hole-In-One Contests at the four par three holes on the course.
Thank you to Culver Duck for sponsoring the Longest Drive contest on hole 7 and thank you to Hy-Line North America for sponsoring the Closest to the Pin Contest on Hole 14.
Thank you to Facco for sponsoring the First Place Team Prize, MPS Egg Farms for the Second Place Team Prize, Double L Group for the Third Place Team Prize, and Hy-Line North America for the Last Place Team Prize.
And Thank you to all our Hole Sponsors: AEI llc, Aerotech, Alltech, CSA Animal Nutrition, Elanco, Facco, Falcon Packaging, Farbest Foods, H&N North America, Hog Slat Inc, Hy-Line North America, Naturally Recycled Proteins of Indiana, Patoka Equipment/Choretime, Perdue Farms, Rose Acre Farms, and Wabash Valley.
Congratulations to the Third Place Team of …. with a score of …
Congratulations to the Second Place Team of …. with a score of ….
Congratulations to the First Place Team of …. with a score of ….
Congratulations to the Last Place Team of …. with a score of ….
ISPA raised $980 of the Purdue Animal Sciences Scholarship Fund through sales of mulligans and grenade balls to the Golfers. Thank you!
The ISPA Johndrew Memorial Golf Outing honors Frank Johndrew (1950 - 2020) for his many years of service as an ISPA Board Member, his dedication tot he Hoosier poultry industry and his enthusiasm for the game of golf.
Thank you again to everyone, sponsors and golfers for making this one of the best ISPA golf outings ever.
