Source: UVA
WHAT HAPPENED: NCC announced that Dr. Larry J. Sabato, founder and director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics and head of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, will speak on October 29 at the National Chicken Council’s 71st Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
ABOUT LARRY SABATO: A New York Times best-selling author, four-time Emmy winner, and Rhodes Scholar, Sabato is a regular political commentator on CNN, BBC, and CNN International. He has taught more than 20,000 students at UVA, earning the university’s highest honor, the Thomas Jefferson Award, and has held visiting appointments at Oxford and Cambridge. Sabato has authored or edited more than two dozen books on American politics. Under his leadership, Sabato’s Crystal Ball has become one of the nation’s most trusted political forecasting platforms — ranked #1 in political prediction by the Pew Charitable Trust, named a top political site by The Daily Beast, and recognized by the Harvard Political Review as the most accurate forecaster of the 2020 Electoral College.
HOW TO REGISTER: Join NCC 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].
THANKING OUR SPONSORS:
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NCC staff in the past week traveled to two state poultry association events to give presentations. Ashley Peterson was on hand in Ocean City, Maryland to address the Delmarva Chicken Association’s 61st National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing and Live Production. Meanwhile, Tom Super presented at the California Poultry Federation’s 2026 Annual Conference & Meeting in Monterey, California.
NCC features in a short spotlight column the official representative from each of our Allied Leader and Allied Member companies. This week’s Allied Member Spotlight is Emily Buehler, Associate Vice President – Poultry, at Farm Credit Mid-America.
We asked Emily three questions:
In 2-3 sentences, describe what good or service your company provides to the broiler industry.
Farm Credit Mid-America is a member-owned financial cooperative dedicated to supporting agriculture and rural communities. We provide financing and other financial services that help farmers and agribusinesses invest in their operations, manage risk, and position their businesses for long-term success. We’re proud to partner with America’s poultry farmers and the businesses that support them, helping strengthen an industry that plays a vital role in feeding families across the country and around the world.
Can you briefly describe your position and responsibilities within the company?
As Associate Vice President – Poultry, I work with poultry producers and agribusinesses every day to help them navigate opportunities, challenges, and plans for growth. Whether it’s financing a new project, expanding an operation, or planning for the next generation, I enjoy helping customers find solutions that fit their goals. One of the most rewarding parts of my role is getting to know the people behind these businesses and seeing the positive impact they have on their communities and on consumers across the country.
What is your favorite chicken dish?
Smoked bone-in chicken wings. There’s nothing better than spending a fall Saturday watching Ohio State football with family and friends while enjoying a plate fresh off the smoker.
The San Diego Chicken—also known as The Famous Chicken—was created in 1974 when San Diego State University student Ted Giannoulas was hired by rock station KGB-FM to wear a chicken suit for an Easter promotion at the San Diego Zoo. Before the Chicken, most sports mascots simply waved to crowds. Giannoulas introduced silent comedy routines, improvisational skits, and humorous feuds with umpires and players, establishing the modern sports mascot industry.
U.S. total broiler slaughter data for the week ending September 12, 2026, is estimated by USDA’s Poultry Market News Service to be 158,906,000 broilers, a 9-percent decrease from the same week a year earlier.
The 9-percent decrease in slaughter compares with no change in eggs set in the United States 10 weeks earlier, and no change in chicks placed 7 weeks earlier in the United States. USDA’s latest Broiler Hatchery report can be viewed here.
| U.S. Eggs Set, Chicks Placed, Broiler Slaughter Report | ||||||||||
| Week ending | Eggs set | Chicks placed | Eggs set | Chicks placed | Broilers slaughtered | |||||
| change from | change from | 10 weeks previous | 7 weeks previous | |||||||
| 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | ||||||
| -000- | % | -000- | % | -000- | % | -000- | % | -000- | % | |
| Aug | ||||||||||
| 1 | 252,434 | 101 | 194,575 | 101 |
256,395 | 102 | 198,318 | 102 | 172,471 | 100 |
| 8 | 250,870 | 101 | 195,784 | 101 |
257,558 | 102 | 198,971 | 102 | 172,664 | 101 |
| 15 | 249,495 | 100 | 196,465 | 102 |
257,097 | 102 | 198,693 | 102 | 172,776 | 101 |
| 22 | 251,861 | 101 | 195,188 | 101 |
254,493 | 101 | 197,202 | 101 | 174,016 | 100 |
| 29 | 250,525 | 101 | 194,097 | 100 |
252,943 | 101 | 195,611 | 100 | 171,708 | 97 |
| Sep | ||||||||||
| 5 * | 248,681 | 99 | 193,435 | 100 |
252,451 | 101 | 195,455 | 101 | 174,775 | 108 |
| 12 | 245,722 | 99 | 195,219 | 101 |
251,737 | 100 | 194,607 | 100 | 158,906 | 91 |
| 19 | — | — | — | — |
251,893 | 102 | 194,575 | 101 | — | — |
*Labor Day Holiday Weekend
WHAT HAPPENED: A bipartisan group of more than two dozen House members sent a letter on August 28 to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urging continued pressure on China to fully comply with the U.S.-China HPAI Regionalization Agreement. The letter, signed by 29 lawmakers, representing a majority of the districts that have production and are impacted by the bans, thanked Ambassador Greer for prioritizing chicken market access in recent negotiations with China but pressed for further action to remove remaining restrictions on U.S. chicken exports.
CATCH UP QUICKLY: The letter traces the dispute back to a March 2020 Regionalization Agreement, part of the Phase One Trade Agreement, which was designed to limit trade disruptions from HPAI detections by imposing only statewide (rather than nationwide) bans, with resumption of trade 90 days after virus elimination. While China initially followed those terms after the 2022 HPAI outbreak began, the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) reinstated broader bans in August 2022. By April 2026, 44 states were ineligible to export raw chicken to China — representing nearly 98 percent of registered U.S. chicken facilities.
Following President Trump’s May 2026 visit to China, GACC agreed to resume imports from HPAI-free states as designated by APHIS, lifting restrictions on 17 states. However, the lawmakers note China has not adhered to the agreed five-business-day window for lifting restrictions after receiving APHIS closeout reports. As of August 2026, 21 states remain banned, representing 34 percent of U.S. chicken production, though the letter acknowledges GACC recently lifted restrictions for eight additional states.
WHY IT MATTERS: China’s inconsistent enforcement of the Regionalization Agreement has significantly constrained one of the U.S. chicken industry’s most valuable export markets, particularly for paws and dark meat cuts with limited domestic demand. As recently as 2022, China was the second-largest export market for U.S. chicken, with more than 622,000 metric tons valued at over $1.1 billion. By 2025, shipments had fallen to just 93,978 metric tons valued at $291 million. The letter estimates China’s noncompliance with HPAI regionalization and relisting terms is costing American chicken producers more than $800 million annually.
NCC’s TAKE: NCC strongly welcomes this bipartisan letter and shares the lawmakers’ frustration with China’s inconsistent adherence to the HPAI Regionalization Agreement. We appreciate USTR’s work securing the recent state re-listings and echo the letter’s call for continued, sustained pressure on Beijing to honor its commitments. NCC will continue working with USTR, USDA, and Congress to press for full restoration of market access for all eligible states.
WHAT’S NEXT: The letter identifies Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina as states expected to soon meet the Regionalization Agreement’s provisions for lifted restrictions, pending no additional HPAI detections and timely Chinese action on APHIS closeout reports. Lawmakers are urging USTR to continue raising the issue with Chinese counterparts at every opportunity.
Source: Magnific
WHAT HAPPENED: The House on Tuesday passed the Senate’s version of a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government from September 30 — the end of the fiscal year — through December 11. The vote was 370-48, with 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting against it and 14 members not voting. The Senate had already approved the measure, and President Trump signed it on Wednesday, removing the threat of a shutdown.
WHAT IT DOES: The CR funds federal agencies generally at current levels through December 11, giving lawmakers additional time to negotiate a full-year funding measure. Republicans are seeking increased defense spending while cutting most non-defense programs; Democrats say that approach is a non-starter and are pushing for a bipartisan approach treating domestic programs with parity.
WHY IT MATTERS: Republicans and Democrats wanted to prevent any possible funding lapse ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, following a record 43-day shutdown last fall over expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and a subsequent 76-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
WHAT’S NEXT: Government funding runs through December 11 under the CR. Lawmakers will need to reach agreement on full-year appropriations bills or another funding measure before that deadline.
WHAT HAPPENED: The California Legislature this week passed Assembly Bill 2244 (AB 2244), which would establish a first-of-its-kind state certification seal for food products that meet standards for not being “ultra-processed.” The bill, authored by Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), passed unanimously, with a 32-0 vote in the Senate and a 72-0 vote in the Assembly, before the Legislature closed its regular session for the year.
WHAT IT WOULD DO: Modeled after the USDA Organic label, AB 2244 would create a voluntary certification program allowing qualifying manufacturers to display a “Non-Ultra processed Certified” seal on packaging. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) would oversee the program, appointing accredited certification agents no later than June 1, 2029 to review manufacturer applications and monitor compliance.
The bill would also require large grocery retailers — those selling more than 25 individual non-UPF-certified product types and generating more than $10 million in annual sales — to make certified products clearly identifiable in-store, through signage, physical separation, or other visual cues. A Public Health Food and Nutrition Education Fund would be established, funded by certification agent registration fees, to support implementation and consumer education.
HOW UPFs ARE DEFINED: The bill broadly defines UPF as any food or beverage containing one or more ingredients with a “specific technical effect,” including surface-active agents, stabilizers and thickeners, propellants, colors, and emulsifiers, among others. Products containing dyes, flavor enhancers, non-sugar sweeteners, and certain other additives would not qualify for the seal.
WHY IT MATTERS: AB 2244 would be the first state-level, government-backed certification program of its kind for non-ultra-processed foods. While the bill applies only in California, the state’s prior UPF-related legislation has prompted similar bills in other states, raising the prospect that AB 2244 could serve as a model nationally.
NCC’s TAKE: While AB 2244 is a state matter rather than a federal one, NCC has strong concerns with any effort to define or classify foods as “ultra-processed” or not, including at the state level. As outlined in NCC’s October 2025 comments to FDA and USDA, NCC believes process-based classification systems — including the NOVA framework that underlies much of the current UPF discourse — are scientifically flawed and misleading. Such systems ignore nutrient density and protein quality, apply inconsistently even among trained nutrition professionals, and lump nutritionally disparate foods together based solely on how they are made rather than what they contain. A breaded chicken tender, which delivers high-quality, complete protein along with iron, zinc and B-vitamins, is treated the same as candy or soda simply because both meet a “processed” threshold. NCC continues to urge policymakers to center any food policy on nutritional composition, not processing method, and cautions that classification schemes like AB 2244’s could stigmatize affordable, nutrient-dense foods that millions of families, schools and food assistance programs rely on.
WHAT’S NEXT: The bill heads to Governor Gavin Newsom, who has until September 30 to sign or veto it; he is expected to sign.
WHAT HAPPENED: The Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council is now accepting applications for the Frank Cruice Innovation in Safety & Health Award, which recognizes poultry and egg industry organizations advancing workplace safety and health through innovative practices, programs or technologies. The award is open to members of NCC, the National Turkey Federation (NTF) and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), and honors companies that have demonstrated significant operational advancement through a safety or health innovation.
THE DETAILS: Applications are open across several industry categories — Poultry Processing (NAICS 311615), Poultry & Egg Production (NAICS 1123), Animal Feed Manufacturing (NAICS 311119), Animal Support Services (NAICS 115210), and Rendering (NAICS 311613) — with awards issued for innovations in both processes and equipment. A panel of judges will select winners and honorable mentions in each category. To qualify, innovations must be novel solutions proven to reduce occupational injuries or illnesses, or improve safety awareness on or off the job, with demonstrated results over at least six months and the ability to be leveraged industry-wide.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: ”Innovation plays an important role in how we continue to improve workplace safety & health across the poultry and egg industry. This award recognizes companies who are willing to think differently, challenge the status quo, and find new and effective ways to protect our Team Members. At the end of the day, innovation in safety & health is about putting people first and continuing to build a culture where working safely is simply how we work,” said Rick Hellinga, senior director of Safety, Health and Loss Prevention at Simmons Foods and chair of the Joint Poultry Industry Safety & Health Council.
WHY IT MATTERS: The award is named for Frank Cruice, formerly of Perdue Farms, who served on the Joint Poultry Safety & Health Council for more than 20 years, including as Council Chair from 2019 to 2021, before retiring. The award highlights the industry’s ongoing, collaborative investment in workplace safety innovation, spanning processing, production, feed manufacturing, support services and rendering.
WHAT’S NEXT: The application deadline is Oct. 9. Award winners and honorable mention recipients will be announced during a ceremony at the International Production & Processing Expo on Jan. 26, 2027, in Atlanta, Ga. Award program rules, regulations and application forms are available by clicking here.
