Poultry World at the Georgia National Fair
October 6 – 15, 2006
Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter
Perry, Georgia
 Poultry World at the Georgia National
Fair has a new home – a permanent building which replaced
the tent structure that had been so popular with fairgoers over
the years. October 2006 was the eleventh appearance at the Georgia
National Fair of Poultry World, an educational, interactive, multimedia
exhibit that has become one of the most popular displays at the
fair. The exhibit has drawn more than 40,000 visitors each year,
over half of which are school children who tour the exhibit as
part of the fair’s Georgia National School House Program.
For most visitors, it is their first real look at what goes on
in the poultry industry and why it is so successful.
For the first six years, the exhibits were housed in a temporary
tent structure, but in 2001 the decision was made to build a
permanent facility that would provide a better educational experience
for our visitors. With the assistance of 25 major materials donors
and member companies, a 40-feet by 55-feet building resembling
a poultry growout house was constructed. The building includes
video and computer displays to provide an overview of the industry
from the farm to the grocery store. A favorite of the children
is the incubator where visitors can view chicks hatching and a
large area for the baby chicks to drink and feed, complete with
equipment as it would appear in an actual chicken house. The children
are allowed to hold and pet the chicks, and afterwards they are
taught about good sanitary practices with cleaning gel provided
for their hands. Volunteers are available throughout the exhibit
to answer questions about any segment of the poultry industry.
The Poultry World exhibit is staffed each year with more than 140
knowledgeable volunteers from Georgia Poultry Federation members,
allied industries, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University
of
Georgia
and the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network. Craig Wyvill and Steven
Thomas of the Georgia Tech Research Institute have been the key
coordinators.
Eventually, the building will be available year-round for 4-H and
FFA training exercises and for other special events. For example,
the
board
of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Environmental
Protection Division staff, which are responsible for state environmental
policy, visited Poultry World as a group recently. This gave the
federation the opportunity to highlight the environmental stewardship
activities taking place in the poultry industry as depicted in
a special section of the Poultry World exhibit.
Poultry World was established in 1995 by the Georgia Poultry Federation
along with industry and academic partners to share information
with the public about all aspects of the poultry industry – Georgia’s
No. 1 agricultural and agribusiness sector. The mission of Poultry
World is to increase public awareness and understanding of the
industry and how it produces safe and wholesome products while
creating jobs and other positive economic impacts.
The site was improved greatly with the placement of 10 picnic tables
and umbrellas with company logos. The picnic table area is a popular
location for fairgoers to relax and have a comfortable place for
lunch, and practically all of them visit Poultry World. The companies
that sponsored the tables and umbrellas are: Cagle’s, Claxton
Poultry, Crider Poultry, DeLong Gizzard Supply
Co., Georgia Poultry Federation, Gold Kist, Mar-Jac Poultry, Tyson
Foods and Wayne Farms/Dutch Quality House.
Establishing a permanent facility for Poultry World would not have
been possible without material donations and other support from
many poultry and allied industry companies including the following:
Building materials: Iron City Construction, Chore-Time, Lextron,
Wedincamp Electric, Neff Rentals, Smith Grey Electric, Southland
Wood Products, Warner Robins Supply Co. Truss Div., and Wheeling
Corrugated.
Exhibits and displays: Cagle’s, Cantrell Machine Co., Dapec,
Fieldale Farms, Georgia Poultry Federation, Georgia Tech Research
Institute, Georgia Egg Commission, Georgia Poultry Processors Association,
Gold Kist, National Chicken Council, Select Labs, Stein DSI, Stork
Gamco, Tyson Foods, University of Georgia, and Wayne Farms.
The knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers who staffed the exhibit
are a big factor in the continuing success of Poultry World. The
total industry benefits from the presence of these individuals
who talked with visitors and answered questions. Volunteers
came through these companies and agencies: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural
College, Cagle’s, Claxton Poultry,
Crider Poultry, Crystal Farms, DeLong Gizzard Supply Company, Fieldale
Farms, Georgia Poultry Federation,
Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, Georgia Tech Research Institute,
Gold Kist, Harrison Poultry,
Mar-Jac Poultry, Pilgrims Pride, Tyson Foods, Wayne
Farms/Dutch Quality House and the University of Georgia: Poultry
Science Department, Extension Poultry Science, Cooperative Extension
Service and Poultry Diagnostic Research Center.
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