On March 8th we all celebrated International Women’s Day, but since 1987, March has been celebrated as Women’s History Month, and so, we are celebrating the work of the untiring women leaders who have worked hard to help develop our industry, while still working hard each day to keep food on America’s dinner tables. Women have been integral to agriculture, and our nation’s food supply chain, since the beginning. Their work continues to drive the chicken industry forward.
According to the National Chicken Council, from farmers to processing plant workers to veterinarians and everywhere in between, the chicken industry wouldn’t be nearly as productive as it is today without the commitment of the diligent women in agriculture. And it’s not just a few women contributing to the health of the industry, more than one-third of farmers in the U.S. are women and over half of farms have at least one female decision-maker, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In fact, female-led farms have almost tripled in the U.S. since 1982.
Did you know?!
Mrs. Wilmer Steele of Sussex County, Delaware, is often credited for laying the groundwork for the commercial broiler industry. In 1923, she raised a flock of 500 chicks intended to be sold for meat. Her little business was so profitable that, by 1926, Mrs. Steele was able to build a broiler house with a capacity of 10,000 birds.
Mrs. Steele Pioneers a Path Forward
Following Mrs. Steele’s success, chicken meat production – previously a subsidiary of the egg industry – began with the developmentof the broiler – a chicken raised specifically for its meat. Broiler production started in locations such as the Delmarva Peninsula, Georgia, Arkansas, and New England. Factors in the geographic expansion of the industry included: favorable weather conditions, adequate land and water, and access to supplies of corn and soybeans.
1950s
Courtesy of the National Chicken Council // https://www.chickencheck.in/
