At only 25 years old, Cole Luthman is the Lead Service Technician at Cooper Farms, responsible for overseeing five out of their 8-million total birds. And as if that wasn't keeping him busy enough, Cole recently decided to start his own barn and become a contract grower himself. Cole's journey into the poultry world started at 13, when he began working with one of Cooper's contract growers. Since then, he's won an FFA award for proficiency in poultry production in the state of Ohio, obtained a degree in agriculture, and helped Cooper's growers navigate through a devastating HPAI outbreak. Today, Cole joins us to discuss his unique path into the poultry world, his day-to-day life as a Service Technician and contract grower, and what other young people can learn from his journey into the ag industry. 

Logan Webster has worn many hats in his life: he grew up on a broiler farm in South Arkansas, he worked in PR for Tyson Foods, he interned for a US Senator in Washington, and now, he's an entrepreneur working on an app that could prove to be an indispensable resource for growers everywhere. We've talked a lot about the broiler industry on this show, but for the first time we're featuring a voice from inside of it. Logan's going to walk us through his family's experience working as contract growers, the different challenges that people face within that industry, and how his new app 'Chicken Sheet' aims to make their lives a little bit easier. 

Besco Structures is one of the leading suppliers of pre-fabricated steel structures for agriculture. And since they started in the 80's, their director, Mark Doyle, has had the opportunity to observe poultry operations across the globe, from South America to Sub-Saharan Africa. His many travels have given Mark a repository of amazing stories that you wouldn't necessarily expect from your typical career in agriculture, including run-in's with dangerous reptiles, wearing bullet proof vests, and monkey bodyguards. Yes, seriously.  Today on Eggheads, we're picking Mark's brain about the upsides and challenges of operating in the international market, how poultry operations have changed during his time in the industry, and Besco's vision for the future. 

On this show we've talked a lot about the debate around vaccinating birds against highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the opposing views on the issue within the egg and broiler industries. For clues on how to break that deadlock, we looked to a country that experienced very similar pushback when they first started talking about vaccinating their own birds, but still managed to make it work. Charles Martins Ferreira is the Deputy Agricultural Counselor at the French Embassy in Washington. As a trained veterinarian, Charles has worked on sanitary and phytosanitary issues all over the world. Now his job specifically involves monitoring the situation with bird flu in North America. Charles joins us to talk about the French experience with HPAI, the debate surrounding vaccination, and the incredible success they've had in curbing outbreaks. We also get into the importance of post-vaccination surveillance, and how bold leadership was instrumental in getting them across the finish line. 

A few months ago, Eggheads had the pleasure of running a booth at the PEAK Conference in Minneapolis. We met so many different folks working in the egg world, and felt so inspired by all of the incredible things we saw going on within the industry. So today, we wanted to sit down with one of the people who made it all possible. Lisa Henning is a board member for the Midwest Poultry Association, the body responsible for organizing the PEAK conference. She's also the Strategic Relationship Manager at Henning Companies, where she's worked for more than 22 years. Lisa joins us to discuss the incredible growth of the PEAK conference, her own atypical journey into the world of agriculture, and the importance of encouraging young people to pursue careers in the field.  

Glenn Hickman is the president of Hickman's Family Farms, one of the largest egg producers in the southwestern US. You'd think that their location in the middle of the Sonoran desert, well outside the range of migratory birds, would keep them safe from outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). But that was unfortunately not the case. After taking root in a nearby dairy farm, HPAI spilled over into Glenn's facility. 80 years of continuous operation came to a screeching halt, and the Hickmans were forced to sacrifice 95% of their flock — nearly 6 million birds. Glenn takes us inside his operation as he attempts to repopulate, and shares his perspective on what the industry needs to do to prevent this from happening over and over again.  

Why are so few young people pursuing careers in the skilled trades? For Aaron Witt, the founder of BuildWitt, the problem is a lack of visibility. For too many young people coming out of high school, the trades just don't end up on their radar. And he knows that firsthand, because he was one of those kids. As a teenager, Aaron got a summer job working on a construction project in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona, and despite the sweltering heat, he fell in love with the industry. He's since obtained an engineering degree, and built a media empire where he demystifies the world of construction, and highlights the many opportunities that exist for young people in the skilled trades. Aaron takes us through his incredible story, while making the case for the value of marketing as a recruitment tool, and a way for industries to reclaim the narrative from their harshest critics. 

Today, we return to our special 'Scramble' format, where some of our most trusted experts break down some of the most pressing issues facing the egg industry today. First up, Dr. Kay Russo joins us to talk about the current situation with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and why the number of outbreaks has declined so dramatically in recent months. We also get into the HPAI situation in the dairy industry, the risk of spillover into nearby poultry operations and why the presence of the disease in cattle could turn the disease into a year-round concern for producers. And then lastly, we get into the ongoing push to get vaccines into birds, and what progress has been made in breaking the political deadlock surrounding the export market. Second, we have Brian Moscogiuri discussing what's happened to the egg market as we've seen HPAI subside. Brian discusses recent trends in egg prices, and what might happen as production ramps back up. He also explains how high prices have led to abnormally sluggish Easter sales, and why he's hopeful that strong organic demand will lead to a rebound in the market when kids go back to school in the fall. 

We've talked before about how government policy has prevented the egg industry from using vaccines to fight Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. But if there was a policy shift tomorrow, and producers were given the green light to immunize their birds, what would that effort even look like? Where would the vaccines comes from? How would we know they're safe and effective? How much would they cost? And who would be expected to foot that bill?Joel Harris is the co-founder of Genvax. An economist by trade, he has nearly 20 years of experience working in the field of animal vaccine development. His company, Genvax, uses an RNA platform that allows them to quickly develop vaccines, and respond rapidly to emerging diseases. Today, Joel walks us through the complex logistics and economics of vaccine development, as well as his own companies efforts to develop a tool to fight HPAI. This is a fascinating issue that sits at the intersection of business, politics and science. Joel does a great job of breaking it all down for us, and shedding light on the inner workings of a niche but vital industry.  Are you an egg industry pro? Reach out to be a guest on the show! Connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram. And please rate Eggheads on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.If you're interested in sponsoring a future episode of Eggheads, you can contact us by filling out this form.

This week on Eggheads, we're chatting with Dr. Ken Anderson, a long-time poultry scientist and a Professor in the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University. Ken has been working with eggs since he was 6 years old, and his perspective is informed by a wealth of hands-on industrial and academic experience. One of his biggest contributions is a project called the Layer Performance and Management Test. It's a long running trial where different breeds of hens are raised under various production systems to measure their impact on egg output, feed efficiency, shell quality, and various other factors. Running the test has given Ken a unique vantage point to observe the industry's trajectory over the past decades.  In this episode me and Ken talk about all of the changes he's witnessed in his nearly 60 years working in the egg industry, including the evolution of layer housing, egg safety protocols and the animal welfare debate. This is a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion that includes some controversial opinions. And while you may not agree with them, they'll definitely make you think.  Are you an egg industry pro? Reach out to be a guest on the show! Connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram. And please rate Eggheads on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.If you're interested in sponsoring a future episode of Eggheads, you can contact us by filling out this form.