Former USPOULTRY president receives Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award

Current USPOULTRY president honors John Starkey during the 2024 IPPE.

USPOULTRY president Nath Morris presents the Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award to former USPOULTRY president John Starkey at the 2024 IPPE

Image courtesy U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

John Starkey, former president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, was honored by USPOULTRY during the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo, where he received the Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor was presented to Starkey by Nath Morris, president of USPOULTRY.

The Harold E. Ford Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual whose dedication and leadership over the years have far exceeded the ordinary and impacted both the poultry industry and USPOULTRY in an exemplary manner. The award is presented nonannually and when the awards and recognition committee unanimously recognizes and endorses the need for occasional, unique recognition for exceptional contributions.

“John provided consistent leadership to USPOULTRY for more than 15 years, with USPOULTRY and IPPE growing significantly under his direction. He also offered steady guidance through some very demanding times, particularly the Foundation campaign and COVID-19 pandemic. We are honored to present this award in recognition of John’s dedication to USPOULTRY and the poultry and egg industries,” said Morris.

Starkey was president of USPOULTRY from August 2007 to August 2023 after succeeding retiring president Don Dalton. Starkey began his professional career as an environmental engineer for Gold Kist in Atlanta in 1982 after completing his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Purdue University and a master’s degree in sanitary engineering at Georgia Tech. After several years at Gold Kist, Starkey joined Hudson Foods as director of environmental affairs. He later became a principal in the engineering firm of Vaughn, Coltrane & Associates when Hudson Foods was sold to Tyson Foods.

During his years as president, Starkey was instrumental in many USPOULTRY accomplishments including extending IPPE’s long run as the world’s largest annual poultry industry event. Through the IPPE, USPOULTRY continued to reinvest millions of dollars into the industry through research, education, communication and technical services. In 2015, Starkey was awarded USPOULTRY’s highest annual award, the Workhorse of the Year, in recognition of his leadership.

Source: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

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IPPE 2025

The International Production & Processing Expo is the world's largest annual poultry and egg, meat, and animal food industry event of its kind. A wide range of domestic and international decision-makers attend this annual event to find solutions for their business, network with industry colleagues, and learn about the latest technological developments and issues facing the industry.

The 2025 IPPE already has 1,200+ exhibitors that will occupy more than 583,000+ square feet of exhibit space. The 2025 IPPE will offer timely and important information and an efficient way for producers and processors to find solutions to enhance their operations.

We look forward to being with you again at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Mark your calendar to join us Jan. 28 - 30, 2025. You will not want to miss this "must-attend" event for our industries!