GEORGETOWN, Del. — The Delmarva Chicken Association announced earlier this summer the recipients of its Outstanding Grower awards, honoring 12 farm families in Delmarva’s chicken community with recognition as exemplary farmers raising broiler chickens.
Each grower operates an independent, family-owned farm raising chickens under contract for one of Delmarva’s five chicken companies. There are more than 1,360 such chicken growers on Delmarva, each one an important part of the $4.2 billion chicken community, the association noted.
“To be a chicken grower in 2021 was to roll with the punches. In a climate roiled by COVID-19, avian influenza and the stirrings of inflation, chicken growers certainly dealt with adversity,” said Holly Porter, DCA’s executive director. “Growers came through for all the families, including mine, who depend on the chickens they raise. For this class of outstanding growers, earning recognition for their work in a year of challenge is a real feather in their caps. And when they share their everyday rewards and challenges with others, they help people who may never set foot on a farm understand how chickens are raised.”
The following growers were honored:
- Gary & Pat Bennett, Gary Bennett Farm, Berlin, Md., Perdue Farms.
- Brenda Cowgill, Brenda Cowgill Farm, Denton, Md., Amick Farms.
- Aaron Dennis, Carrs Creek Farm, Preston, Md., Perdue Farms.
- Ben & Kayla Dilworth, Beyla Farm, Greensboro, Md., Mountaire Farms.
- Robert & Susan Elliott, Elliott’s Chicks, Delmar, Del., Mountaire Farms.
- Aaron & Kathy Mast, Royal Oak Farm, Quantico, Md., Perdue Farms.
- Muhammad Parvez, Ish Farm LLC, Oak Hall, Va., Tyson.
- Alvin & Norma Warner, Warner Enterprises Inc., Milford, Del., Coleman Natural Foods.
- Keith & Sandy Whaley, Three Jokers Farm, Hardscrabble, Del., Allen Harim.
- Marcus & Marcia Woodward, Gryffen’s Roost, Houston, Del., Mountaire Farms.
- Wan Ki Yu & Eun Young Yu, Cco Cco Farm, Laurel, Del., Mountaire Farms.
- John & Carol Zoch, Dixie Line Farm, Seaford, Del., Amick Farms.
The Outstanding Grower awards were presented during the Booster BBQ, an annual event for DCA members and invited guests at the Delaware State Fairgrounds. More than 800 DCA members and others in the chicken community attended the event, which featured barbecued chicken prepared and served by Greenwood Volunteer Fire Company and Harrington Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary, ice cream from Vanderwende’s, door prizes, more than 40 vendors, and a musical performance by the Jones Boys.
The growers received silver Revere bowls and were recognized on stage at the Booster BBQ. They also received lane signs that can be displayed at the entrances to their farms acknowledging them as outstanding poultry producers.
For more information about the Delmarva Chicken Association, visit dcachicken.com.
