Delmarva Chicken Association

10/22/2026

Far's a great example of an engaged chicken grower - he puts his experience to productive use and, as a past DCA president, has shown he's willing to lead. Congrats, Far, on extending your education with LEAD Maryland Foundation!

Introducing LEAD Maryland Class XIV Fellow, Far Nasir!

Far, Worcester County, is the co-owner and operator of Nasir Family Farms, a contract chicken-growing operation. Furthermore, Far does part-time real estate sales.

Far shared what he hopes to gain from his LEAD Maryland experience: “I hope to use the knowledge and experiences developed through the program to better serve my community. LEAD Maryland network will help me understand and contribute to public policy, and create solutions that benefit agriculture.”

Through his LEAD Maryland experience, Far expressed, “I hope to develop my skills in communication, public speaking, conflict resolution, strategic thinking, and collaborative leadership. I want to build lasting relationships with classmates, alumni, and educators.”

Thank you, Far, for the insight and experience you bring to Class XIV!

10/20/2026

Did we see you at the October grower social? Our members enjoyed dinner, drinks, and a chance to catch up with other growers at Harvest Ridge Winery. Sponsors Farm Credit and Once by Signify made it happen. That's a wrap on this year's Grower Socials. We're already planning next year's set!

10/12/2026

The farmers in your town are early to rise, late to bed, and hard at work all day. It's what they do to feed their neighbors and all of us on Delmarva. Let's celebrate and reflect on their perserverance today -- National Farmer's Day.

10/11/2026

Another type of diesel is legal for use in Maryland during harvest. Every little bit helps farmers in a crunch.

Governor Wes Moore has declared a 30-day state of emergency which will permit the on-road use of off-road dyed diesel specifically for agricultural and forestry hauling.

Additionally, the order also waives fees for 30-day Exceptional Hauling Permits, allowing qualifying vehicles that haul agricultural and forestry products to carry heavier loads on state highways.

This action comes days after the Maryland Farm Bureau joined Maryland Grain Producers, Maryland Forests Association, Delmarva Chicken Association, and Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association in calling on the State of Maryland to waive its restrictions on dyed diesel for agricultural use.

We greatly appreciate the state’s action to provide farmers meaningful relief as they face record-high diesel prices at harvest time.

10/08/2026

Josh & Deanna Long have a certain of type farm: modestly sized and expertly run. Their two-house operation raises flocks of 60,000 birds for Perdue. Josh is retired from the Ocean City public works department, and for many years, he held down that full-time job while also managing the birds. “It was probably the great people I worked with,” Josh saysto explain why he has done this work for more than 30 years now, name-dropping flock advisors who have been on his side: Todd Le Kites, Mary Parent, Dan Malone, and Rusty Covington. Deanna Long, a nurse off the farm, says it’s been important to them to stay current and careful on biosecurity. “I think we did the whole biosecurity thing before anybody, before it was ever really a thing, with the designated footwear and the designated farm clothes,” she says.

10/01/2026

Hard work and a plan -- it pays off! Great to see longtime DCA members and leaders, the Nasirs, investing in chicken and feeding more people than ever. Check out the news at the link .🐤 💸

Far Nasir, a prominent poultry producer and industry leader in Maryland, has expanded his broiler operation, Delmarva Chicken Coop, to support a flock size of about 5 million chickens. Located […]

09/29/2026

Usama Ikram’s family farm mixes together some perhaps surprising ingredients – his father, who grew crops and raised livestock in Pakistan, and Ikram himself, who arrived on the farm with a computer science degree. But it has led to success – and now, an Outstanding Grower award for this four-house, 106,000-bird farm.
“My dad, his ways are like old ways, how they were used to do everything manually, looking after every single detail. And I feel like me, I'm more like a tech guy. So, We have integrated old ways and new ways together to bring this farm to where it is today,” Ikram says. “We are both very detail-oriented.”

09/24/2026

LIz, our ag conservation specialist, isn’t a poultry grower herself, but she recently did a visual inspection of her own farm's fenceline windbreaks - the same advice she has for growers with vegetative buffers, or 'living fences,' on their farms. Liz found this Bradford pear seedling, instance, that would have been a problem by next year if left to grow, along with a handful of unwelcome weeds and plants trying to bully their way in. Read more about fall buffer management and the value of visual inspection in the current issue of Delmarva Chicken magazine -- a DCA membership benefit. Don't get the magazine? Consider joining DCA!

09/22/2026

The Greg Showell Farm is two chicken houses, built in 1987 (population of Sussex County: 107,000). Today, Sussex County has more than doubled to 277,000 people, and a couple hundred of them live in a new development that is literally a stone’s throw from their farm. Through all that change, Gregory Showell says, he’s continued to raise chickens the way his grandfather, also a grower, taught him to. “He said, watch me, because I won’t be here all the time… I take my job serious. I listen to stuff, try to jump ahead, take care of the details in everything I do,” he says. “If you’re doing everything right, everything’s in order, keep doing what you’re doing – you were here first. I mean, I’m a good neighbor. I keep everything neat and proper.”

09/21/2026

The National Meeting on Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production doesn't happen without generous support from sponsors like these. We hope the more than 450 attendees at last week's conference came away with insight and inspiration. And to our top sponsors: One more "thank you!"