Twelve chicken growers and four honorees were recognized at the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI) Booster Banquet. The banquet is a 1,800-member trade association’s annual membership event.
The J. Frank Gordy, Sr. Delmarva Distinguished Citizen Award, DPI’s highest honor, was presented to Clark White. A Sussex County native and historian for Delmarva’s chicken community, White was involved with DPI beginning in the 1980s and served as DPI’s president in 1988. He has a collection of artifacts, equipment, photos and other memorabilia of the industry over the past decades. He was instrumental in working with producers of the “Cluck, Pluck, and Luck” documentary to showcase the earliest roots of raising chickens on Delmarva.
The Edward H. Ralph DPI Medal of Achievement was presented to Dr. Dan Bautista, director of the University of Delaware Lasher Laboratory. In that role, he collaborates with company and state veterinarians, allied industry scientists, and university faculty to protect Delmarva poultry flocks from disease.
A DPI Medal of Achievement was presented to Robert Crockett, a member of the Accomack County, Va. Board of Supervisors, for his recognition of the importance of the Delmarva chicken industry.
A special recognition was awarded to Lori Morrow, DPI’s office coordinator and corporate secretary/treasurer. A DPI employee for 18 years, Morrow’s work behind the scenes is essential to the success of DPI’s membership campaign; the National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing and Live Production; the Booster Banquet; and many other events each year.
DPI recognized 12 outstanding chicken growers. Selected by the companies with which they contract to raise chickens from among Delmarva’s more than 1,300 poultry growers, this year’s outstanding growers are:
- Tim and Kim Austin, Centreville, MD, growers for Mountaire Farms
- Gary and Crystal Conaway, Georgetown, growers for Mountaire Farms
- Dasrat Deonarine, Georgetown, a grower for Perdue Farms
- Ryan and Laura Greer, Middletown, growers for Coleman Organic
- Tracey Hill, Laurel, a grower for Mountaire Farms
- Brian Kunkowski, Laurel, a grower for Amick Farms
- Kimberly Lang, Bloxom, VA., a grower for Tyson Foods
- Ronnie and Tammy Massey, Seaford, growers for Amick Farms
- Larry Sterling, Pocomoke City,MD, a grower for Mountaire Farms
- Jonathan Tran, Pocomoke City, MD., a grower for Perdue Farms
- William and Janice Vickers, Millsboro, growers for Perdue Farms
- John F. Williams III, Cordova, MD a grower for Allen Harim
For more information, visit dpichicken.org.
