The 2016 edition of IPPE was the fourth year of the partnership for U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and American Feed Industry Association (AFIA).

Last year was a good year for chicken, but not great compared with the above-average years of 2013 and 2014.

It has been a busy couple of years, but the gamble that Butterball LLC has taken to modify its operational approach appears to have paid off, spurred along by several headline-making acquisitions in recent years.

In mid-November, Andy Hanacek, editor-in-chief, visited Raeford, N.C., in order to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony and get an exclusive tour of the new Butterball further-processing plant there (which was also still under construction at presstime).

Amid increasing consumer demand for organic and lean protein choices, Foster Farms this summer launched Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey.

We are all observers of the world around us, drawing conclusions and cues from our environment.