[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 7, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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           100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DELMARVA CHICKEN INDUSTRY

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I stand today on behalf of 
Delaware's congressional delegation to recognize the 100th anniversary 
of the broiler chicken industry and its contributions to the region's 
economy, our Nation's food supply, and its innovations in farming 
practices over the last century. Raising broiler chickens is a way of 
life for the more than 1,300 farm families on Delmarva whose hard work 
provides food for hundreds of thousands of people in our country and 
around the world.
  The industry all started with an accidental delivery. In 1923, Ocean 
View, DE, resident Cecile Steele ordered 50 chickens, but instead she 
received 500. This led Cecile and her husband, Wilmer, to start the 
first broiler chicken farm on Delmarva. Within 3 years, their new 
business grew exponentially, and the Steele family built enough coops 
to house 10,000 chickens. This new kind of farm--one dedicated to 
raising chickens for meat instead of laying eggs--paved the way for the 
modern U.S. broiler chicken industry we know today.
  The industry may have started with an accidental delivery, but we can 
look back on it now as an amazing economic opportunity for Delmarva and 
the thousands of families it supports. Farms in our region now produce 
567 million chickens a year; 200 million of those chickens are raised 
in Delaware. The poultry industry has $13.6 billion in economic impact 
and supports more than 51,900 jobs. It also purchases $1.3 billion 
worth of crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat annually, making this 
industry a major purchaser for hundreds of other farmers.
  I have long known that many farmers are among our best environmental 
stewards since my days as Governor of Delaware when my administration 
worked with farmers to create common-sense, effective environmental 
strategies like the farmer-led Nutrient Management Commission. Today, 
the adverse impacts of chicken farming on our environment has greatly 
decreased. Compared to 1960, it now takes 75 percent fewer resources to 
produce the same amount of chicken than it did back then, and more than 
95 percent of poultry litter is recycled and reused as organic, locally 
produced fertilizer for crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and 
mushrooms.
  It is with great pleasure that I rise on behalf of U.S. Senator Chris 
Coons and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester to honor the 100th 
anniversary of the Delmarva chicken industry. Along with the hard work 
of the many farmers, suppliers, employees, not to mention the Delmarva 
Chicken Association that is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, 
the Delmarva chicken industry keeps Delaware's economy 
thriving.

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