WHAT HAPPENED: NCC installed the officers that will guide the organization through 2027. The installation took place last week at NCC’s 71st Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
OFFICER CORPS: Kevin McDaniel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne-Sanderson Farms, will serve as 2026-2027 Chairman. Kevin McAdams, Chief Executive Officer and President of Perdue Farms, will serve as Vice-Chairman. New to the officer corps, Brad Respess, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tip Top Poultry, was installed as Secretary-Treasurer. In addition to the three new officers, Harrison Kircher will serve his third term as NCC President.
ABOUT THE OFFICERS: For biographies and photos of the four officers, please visit NCC’s press release by clicking here.
NCC’s TAKE: “I want to commend and thank David Jackson for his tremendous leadership and support over this past year,” said Kircher. “Kevin McDaniel, Kevin McAdams and Brad Respess are proven leaders who bring decades of hands-on experience to our organization. I look forward to working alongside them as we advocate for policies that keep chicken affordable, safe and abundant, and as we advance an industry that produces America’s #1 protein and supports communities across the country.”
NCC’s 71st Annual Conference took place last week, Oct. 28-29, in Washington, D.C. Here are a few photos from the event.
A special thank you to USPOULTRY for the partnership, in planning support, financial assistance and execution, for many NCC public relations and consumer education campaign projects advancing the industry’s efforts for the mutual benefit of both our associations and our members! L-R: USPOULTRY President Nath Morris; NCC Chairman and Simmons Foods COO David Jackson; and Harrison Kircher, NCC President
Nikolas Badminton, Chief Futurist at The Futurist Think Tank, talks about the “Exponential Food Supply – Looking to 2030 and Beyond”
L-R: NCC Chairman and Simmons Foods COO David Jackson; Judge Stephen Vaden, Deputy Secretary, USDA; NCC President Harrison Kircher; NCC General Counsel Brian Eyink, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
Dr. Larry Sabato, Founder and Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, provides attendees with a 2026 Midterm Election outlook
L-R: NCC VP of Government Affairs David Elrod; Edward Fishman; and Tom Super, NCC SVP of Public Affairs. Fishman spoke about how businesses can navigate the age of economic warfare. He is a Senior Fellow and Director at the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, Council on Foreign Relations; and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs
L-R: Tom Super, Dr. Larry Sabato, Harrison Kircher, David Elrod, and Polina Burko, NCC Director of Meetings and Member Services
Trey Gowdy, former S.C. congressman and host of “Sunday Night in America” on FOX News, addresses attendees
Annual Conference Luncheon
David Jackson (R) passes the gavel to 2026-27 NCC Chairman Kevin McDaniel, President and CEO of Wayne-Sanderson Farms
The new 2026-27 NCC Officer Corp (L-R): Kevin McAdams, Chief Executive Officer and President of Perdue Farms, NCC Vice-Chairman; Harrison Kircher, NCC President; Kevin McDaniel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne-Sanderson Farms, NCC Chairman; Brad Respess, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tip Top Poultry, NCC Secretary-Treasurer
Thank you to all of our 2026 Annual Conference sponsors!
WHAT HAPPENED: NCC on Nov. 2 filed comments with USDA supporting USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics’ effort to update its rules for animal vaccines and similar products. These rules have not kept pace with modern chicken production and evolving science.
IN THE COMMENTS: NCC asked USDA to:
- Reduce animal testing by using newer and comparable lab methods.
- Improve access to vaccine ingredients so supply chain disruptions do not hold up production.
- Base withdrawal periods on science and make them both product and species specific. Today, all livestock and poultry, including chickens, must wait 21 days after certain vaccines are administered before going to market.
- Accept quality research from other countries instead of making companies repeat the same studies domestically.
- Speed up access to vaccines for emerging or rare diseases.
- Update rules for custom-made “autogenous” vaccines, including how long these vaccines can be used.
WHAT WE’RE SAYING: “Updates should be science-based, data-driven, and reflect current production practices,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., NCC senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. She emphasized that USDA should keep its high standards for safety and effectiveness while making the process faster and more predictable.
WHAT’S NEXT: USDA will review the comments as it considers changes to existing regulations.
WHAT HAPPENED: USDA on October 29th announced plans to buy up to $472.5 million in U.S.-grown and U.S.-raised agricultural commodities under its Section 32 authority, including $20 million for chicken. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will make purchases of a variety of foods, including chicken, destined for food banks and other nutrition assistance programs.
WHAT ELSE IS INCLUDED: Chicken is one of 15 commodities in the package, along with dairy ($165.5 million), pork ($41 million), split peas ($37 million), almonds ($30 million), lentils ($29 million), and farm-raised catfish ($20 million), among others.
WHY IT MATTERS: The program lets the department buy commodities during periods of market imbalance. For chicken, the purchase moves high-quality, affordable protein to families who rely on the charitable food network and federal nutrition programs. At the same time, it supports growers and processors who produce it. These programs aid in providing food security to thousands of families across the country, and chicken continues to serve as a protein allowing USDA’s dollars to go even further.
WHAT’S NEXT: AMS will issue solicitations for the chicken purchase. Eligible vendors can then submit bids through the agency’s standard commodity procurement process. NCC will share more details as they become available.
WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers released an updated economic impact study that highlights the positive impact the poultry industry has on jobs, wages, and federal and state revenue in the United States. The study breaks down poultry into three subcategories: broilers, turkey and eggs, and calculates the direct, supplier, induced, and total economic impact of each.
WHAT IT FOUND: The broiler industry supports 1,555,821 total jobs, generating $118.7 billion in wages, contributing $532.9 billion in total economic activity and providing $49.5 billion in government revenue. Since the last study in 2024, the chicken industry supports nearly 180,000 additional jobs, generates $27.8 billion more in wages and contributes an additional $83.4 billion in economic activity. Government revenue has also increased by $12.8 billion. These gains represent approximately 13% growth in employment, 31% in wages, 19% in economic activity and 35% in government revenue.
NCC’s TAKE: “Chicken producers’ positive economic impact stretches from coast to coast, hits every sector of the U.S. economy and is felt in every congressional district,” said NCC President Harrison Kircher. “We know that chicken is nutritious, affordable and versatile, but chicken also means jobs – whether it’s on the farm, in the processing plant, the transportation sector, manufacturing, retail or restaurants. This data will prove extremely helpful as we welcome a new Congress to Washington next year. I want to thank USPOULTRY for funding and coordinating this effort.”
THE DATA: The data is hosted on interactive websites that can be viewed collectively or by individual species, and then sorted nationally, by state, congressional district, state house district or state senate district, and county. For more information about the U.S. chicken industry’s economic impact visit: www.chickenfeedsamerica.org.
METHODOLOGY: The economic impact study was funded by USPOULTRY and conducted by John Dunham & Associates, a New York City-based economic research firm. The study was updated using the most current methodology available and uses data from 2026. For more information on the study’s methodology and model description, please click here.
WHAT HAPPENED: NCC Chairman Kevin McDaniel will be appointing members to NCC’s standing committees in the near future. As such, NCC has begun reaching out to the official reps of all of our Allied Leaders and Allied Members to request company appointments to NCC Standing Committees for 2027.
WHAT TO DO: Allied Leader Members are entitled to a single appointment on two of NCC’s committees. Allied Members are entitled to a single appointment on one of NCC’s committees. If you are an official rep and did not receive an email about 2027 committee appointments, please contact Phouth Gonzalez: [email protected].
ABOUT NCC COMMITTEES: For a full list of NCC’s Standing and Joint Committees, and information on each, please click here.
WHAT HAPPENED: NCC announced that Dylan Daniels, Assistant United States Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy, will speak on October 29 at the National Chicken Council’s 71st Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
ABOUT HIM: Daniels brings extensive experience in international trade and agricultural policy, having held senior positions with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce. He returns to USTR from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) where he served as Senior Policy Advisor, Licensing Official for the Dairy and Sugar import programs, and the Designated Federal Official for the Sweeteners Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee.
Daniels began his career in trade as an international economist with FAS. He worked as a senior trade specialist for the International Trade Administration of U.S. Department of Commerce in Memphis Tennessee, then as a Senior Economist and Director with the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Office of Agricultural Affairs and the Office of Trade Policy and Economics.
He is a Marine Corps Veteran and has a Jurist Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a Master’s in Applied Economics from the University of Utah.
WHAT HE’LL DISCUSS: International trade and export issues of importance to the broiler industry.
HOW TO REGISTER: Time is running out! Join NCC next week October 28–29, 2026, in Washington, D.C., to gain insights into the legislative, regulatory, political, business, and economic issues shaping the chicken industry’s future — and connect with industry leaders driving that future forward. The conference is open to NCC members, state association representatives, press, government officials, academia, and other interested parties. For more information, questions, sponsorship opportunities, or to register, please contact Polina Burko at [email protected].
WHAT HAPPENED: Brazil confirmed Newcastle disease on a commercial turkey farm of about 6,000 birds in western Santa Catarina. The lab confirmation came October 18, from samples taken September 21. Under its sanitary protocol with China, Brazil has stopped all poultry shipments to its biggest buyer. Mexico also moved quickly to suspend imports.
WHY IT MATTERS: Brazil is the main competitor for U.S. chicken exports. China took about 10% of Brazil’s poultry exports from January through September, roughly 420,000 MT. Santa Catarina accounts for about 23% of Brazil’s chicken exports, so a state-wide restriction would have a bigger effect than a local one.
WHAT’S NEXT: Analysts expect a short disruption. The last outbreak, in July 2024, cut Brazil’s chicken exports about 25% for the affected month, but they recovered quickly once markets reopened. JPMorgan said it expects an even smaller impact this time, because several countries now restrict trade by radius rather than nationwide.
A scene from NCC’s Annual Conference in 1984 honoring the sponsor of that year’s Food Media Seminar, Elanco. Pictured from the left are Ron McGhee and Bob Howerton from Elanco; next James T. (Red) Hudson of Hudson Foods and NCC Chairman; and Blake Lovette, of Valmac Industries/Perdue at the time and incoming NCC Chairman. The chef’s hats were borrowed from the hotel.
