3Q05 - Hickmans Family Farms

VOLUME
4,
ISSUE
3
•
PRINTED
SEPTEMBER
2005
W W W . H I C K M A N S E G G S . C O M
Dating in Arizona, the law is they must be 24!
Parents of tweens and teens
might think this is a good law.
The application is to eggs sold
to grocery stores and food
service distributors! The story
of the dating law unfolded by
Bill Hickman, Sr: Egg
shoppers were told to break
the eggs into a separate
saucer or plate before using
them at home to make sure
they were fresh before the
dating law in Arizona. In
markets and grocery stores
some eggs were stored in the
refrigerator, but not always.
Although it was mandated
by law, it was not always
adhered to. An Egg board
with rules and regulations
established the beginnings of
egg laws in the late 1940’s
and early 1950’s. Myself, the
Arizona Egg Inspection
Board, and the Arizona
Grocers worked together to
develop the egg dating law
in Arizona. That also means
that the eggs are even
fresher. There is no
possibility that a Hickman
egg can “lay” around in the
hen house more than 12
hours from the time it was
laid. Our ranches are in-line,
if we allowed the eggs to
stay any longer, the conveyor
belts wouldn’t be able to
carry them into the
processing facility. If you
read this edition’s MVP, that
conveyor belt is the main
focus of Enrique’s concern!
The original Chief Egg
Inspector, Jim Kaffenberger,
was the egg inspector when
Hickman’s started selling to
markets and grocery stores.
What does this mean to the
Arizona egg
consumer? They are
assured that they
are getting the
quality they
purchase. Of course
we would like you to
buy another dozen
of Hickman eggs
when their date is
passed. However,
consumers think
eggs are not edible
after the pull date.
The expiration date
means that the egg
has most likely
dropped in quality
grade. You can
however use them
for baking or hardcooking. Stick with Grade
AA for soufflés, meringues,
and over easy eggs.
Arizona’s Egg
dating law
allows us to
advance the
calendar
expiration date
24 days from
the date of
processing.
Dart Easterday has been
Arizona’s State Egg Inspector
since the early 1990’s. “Before
the dating law, I would visit
grocer’s dairy coolers and
see and smell black rots,
molds, and leaking product.
The dating law has virtually
eliminated these
occurrences to directly
benefit the Arizona
consumer,” incidentally, Dart
has been noted as an
individual whose name
uniquely identifies his career!
Globally, other countries have
quality assurance programs,
such as The Lion Seal in the
UK. Other countries typically
don’t refrigerate their eggs,
and the eggs must be pulled
from retail after 21 days. The
United States is the only
country to wash and
24
refrigerate their eggs. The
International Egg Commission
reports that Australia washes
and refrigerates eggs., along
with a few other European
countries. Information
provided by Joanne Ivy, from
the American Egg Board.
Henrietta’s Flight Progress
and mailing address update
HQ and Henrietta’s new perch. Please take note
of our address change: 6515 S. Jackrabbit Trail,
Buckeye, Arizona 85326.
Just before her flight to her Eggstreme Makeover with
caretaker Tom Vanek
News Eggstra from the President:
The following article is printed verbatim courtesy of Feedstuffs Magazine, July 2005 Edition, Editor: Sarah Muirhead:
Getting close to loving the animal to death
One of the greatest changes in
American agriculture may
well be the number of farms
that raise chickens. According
to U.S. Department of
Agriculture reports, 98% of
all U.S. Farms had chickens
in 1900.
Fond memories are those of my
childhood, which include
butchering chickens and
peddling eggs in town. Today,
we have fewer people who
understand the natural behavior
of a chicken, yet they don’t
refrain from telling producers
and the food industry how a
chicken should act based on
seeing the latest Disney
fairy tale.
Management of Wild Oats
Markets grocery chain recently
announced that it would require
all of its major egg suppliers to
remove their chickens from
cages and allow the birds to
roam freely within the
chicken coop.
The press release included this
quote from Wild Oats chief
executive officer Perry Odak:
“We are hopeful that our
decision not to approve egg
farmers who use caged birds
for our national and regional
product lists will encourage the
egg industry to move in the
direction of phasing out its use
of battery cages and shifting
toward cage-free methods that
take the animals’ welfare
into account.”
I had to ask, “Why?” When I
got on the phone, I wasn’t
allowed to talk to the
company’s CEO but instead
was directed to their “resident
chicken expert.”
This expert had been quoted in
20-plus major newspapers
around the country regarding
the natural behavior
of chickens.
Sonia Tuitele was anxious to
join my live radio show to
share her excitement about
the welfare of these hens.
I let her ramble on about why
Wild Oats had made this
decision and why it was a
great thing. Her theory was
that this would allow chickens
to partake in natural behaviors
such as dust bathing, eating a
native diet and exercising.
When she crawled off her
soapbox, I asker her why
chickens need to dust bathe,
and not surprisingly, she
didn’t know.
I told her chickens dust bathe
in an attempt to get rid of
insects, parasites, and other
pests that are bugging them.
“Oh!” was her reply.
When I questioned her about a
chicken’s native diet, she told
me that chickens like grains
and other natural things found
in vegetarian diets. She had no
idea what her free-range hens
would do with the carcass of a
dead animal.
When I informed her that
chickens were not naturally
vegetarians and that they were
tremendous at cleaning a skull
if you wanted it picked clean,
she then made it quite clear to
me that she was “not an expert
in the chicken business.”
Then came the ultimate test.
I asked her why chickens were
kept inside, and again, she
didn’t know. I told her that
buildings were used as a
means of protecting the hens
from the elements of weather
and, most importantly, from
predators and for ensuring
that the birds receive an ideal
diet every day.
Just one day before this
intervew, a skunk killed all
but three hens belonging to a
friend of mine.
I passed along the knowledge
that hawks were not
vegetarians either and that they
had also enjoyed these hens.
Despite her nationwide press
as an authority, she again
reminded me that she was
“not an expert in the
chicken business.”
In order to determine what is
best for the chickens, we don't
need to listen to selfproclaimed experts, because
the chickens will tell us if they
are in a good environment
or not.
How many eggs did a hen lay
in a week in 1900, when they
were stressed from the daily
challenges of their life? How
many eggs do they lay today,
because they basically live
stress-free lives?
Never in history have hens
come close to
today’s production
numbers of an
egg a day.
This really makes
even more sense
when you look at a
study just released
from the
University of
Alberta.
Researchers
discovered that
chickens can
choose whether or
not they’ll funnel
the nutrients they
eat toward their
bodily functions or
the production
of eggs.
Obviously, a
stressed animal
will use whatever
resources it has for
survival rather
than egg production. We know
that the folks at Wild Oats don’t
know squat about the chicken
business, but what are we, in
modern agriculture, to do? We
can't call every newspaper and
play that interview to discredit
their source, but we can get
our story out to the consumer.
We can’t let the Sonia Tuiteles
of the world who have never
raised a chicken, imagine
themselves as a hen and then
force changes in the way we
operate our businesses.
As the gap widens between
consumers and the food they
consume, we face an uphill
battle in convincing them about
the benefits of our production
systems, but that doesn’t mean
we should throw in the towel.
Someone recently told me,
“We are close to loving these
animals to death,” and I think
that about says it all.
*Trent Loos is a sixth-generation
U.S. producer, host of the daily
radio show: Loos Tales” and
founder of Faces of Agriculture, a
non-profit organization putting the
human element back into the
production of food. Find out more
at www.FacesofAg.com,
email trent@loostales.com
Kids Coop
Our girls think eggs are
GOOD for dogs.... When we
first got our bullmastiff,
“Smokey” helped the girls
with their Easter egg hunting
by eating the boiled eggs
whole (no sign of shell
anywhere). She was absolutely
fine after sooooo We think the
whole egg shell and all is good
for dogs!
The eggs should not hurt him.
The shells might have irritated
his stomach some but any
serious effects should have
been seen fairly soon. So if all
is well now I would imagine
no significant effects.
It’s harder to diagnose
overseas than in Arizona.Dr. Ed Bicknell
Eggceptional Customer
& Nest Members
By Maria Smith & Clint Hickman
We would like to thank
Dino from TC
Eggingtons, Nancy from
Kiss the Cook, and Brad
from Earl’s Mexican
Restaurant for being
the first participants in
our Eggsotic Egg Dish
Competition for the
Shamrock Food Show,
August 2005. Katie
Cisco custom-designed
the trophy for the Best
Overall Winner. Jim
Kirby and Mike
McGever from
Shamrock Foods, and
DJ Gluck were our
honorable judges.
Best Overall Eggsotic Egg Dish Trophy,
created by Eggartist Katie Cisco
Stump the Eggspert
Is there any difference in the
egg itself; or is it just the shell
that is different (brown vs.
white)? The type of hen? Feel
free to use this question in
your newsletter.
Smokey and Abi Sarda, Ireland
What’s Cookin?
Summer's Ice Cold Moo-ver and Shaker
Start your Day the Healthy Way!
2 Hickman Jumbo or Extra
Large Eggs
1 ? Cups Shamrock milk
1 Banana*
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Ice
Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Whip eggs in blender until
light and frothy-about 3
minutes on high, then add
honey, vanilla, and cinnamon
for an additional minute. Turn
blender to low and slowly add
banana and ice cream, then
pour into frozen glasses.
* Freeze bananas that are
about to turn brown and add
them to your shake frozen.
This tip laid on us by Christina
Calio-Shamrock Farms
Spokesperson.
Next issue will feature the
Farm City Breakfast-Stuffed
French Toast from
Cowboy Campfires!
Thanks again! Kind regards,
Rita-Scottsdale, Arizona
Dear Rita:
Your question is one of the
most common that we receive.
Brown eggs come from hens
with brown feathers, white
eggs are from white-feathered
hens. There is no nutritional
difference as the same feed is
consumed. A poultry
nutritionist optimizes their
health while achieving
nature’s production level.
Glendale ranch
remembered
Jim Manos suggested to our
Editor in Chief, that we pay
tribute to the ranch that Bill &
Gertie Hickman, Sr., built.
From Enrique Galvan, (this
issues MVP) “But, I still miss
Glendale, because I miss
seeing “Nacho” helping
customers at the store and
cleaning the machine during
lunch breaks.
Cackle for a Quarter
What is a chickens favorite tree? A yolk (oak) tree.
What grows on yolk trees? Egg-corns.
Where do chickens come from? From a poul-tree!
Send us your cackle for a quarter to shickman@hickmanseggs.com,
Thank you Chick Gang Members, Kerri Felix and Pamela Justice,
each will receive .50 and a Hickman fun pack.
Eggknowledgements
Alternative Uses for Egg Cartons!
Shells are rock solid!
Susan and Elizabeth of the
Arizona Mining and Mineral
Museum presented Hickman's
Egg Ranch, Inc., with the
hardest shells and most
colorful eggs on the planet!
“Your egg cartons offer the
perfect way to present
minerals,” commented Liz.
“We are still receiving the
Hickman egg carton
admission offers, even after
expiration. We ask our
visitors to return the entire
egg carton,” stated Susan
Celestian, Museum Curator.
Eggs-ecutive Director
eggcells at feeding
Arizona’s hungry
We wish to honor Ginny
Hildebrand, the Executive
Director of the Arizona
Association of Food Banks.
Shortly after AAFB’s 2005
Annual Strategic Planning
event, she was featured in the
Arizona Republic for her
efforts in solving hunger
problems in Arizona. “We
have to think of model
solutions that will be
workable and effective for
future generations”, Ginny
stated in conversation
following her award. She also
wants to urge the 20-30 year
olds to get into community
involvement. As she pointed
out in her speech, “We need
to recruit the younger
generation, because
hunger will always
affect our society.”
Eggstinguising Hunger
on June 7th
St. Mary’s Food Bank was
founded by John Van Hengel
in 1967. A unique component
of the Good Samaritan law,
which Mr. Van Hengel lobbied
for, was the donation of food to
the hungry. Many citizens
standard application of this
law is aiding someone in a car
accident or administering
CPR. Bashas, Albertsons', BarS,
Shamrock Farms, Fry's, and
other food providers provided
St. Mary's Food Bank with
truckloads of donated food.
Terry Shannon, Executive
Director at St. Marys since
December of 2003 states,
“June 7th helps direct the
need focus, during the time
when our donors are busy
planning vacations and
leave. Our 300 agency
partners service 600
locations and experience
higher needs when schools
are out of session. For every
$1 that is donated, St. Mary's
can deliver 6 meals. For
each hour of donated time, it
has a value of $17 per hour.
We can direct our resources
to transporting the food to
people that need it. Citizens
interested can help in three
main ways: donate
financially, donate their
time, or donate food. In kind
donations such as equipment
maintenance, donation, and
repair also extend our
dollars to help move food.
We keep pace with the
current needs and try to
eliminate Food Insecurity.”
Thank you to Kate Thoene,
Resource Developer for
extending the opportunity for
Hickmans to participate.
Teddy Bear Bunco is an
Ace for Thomas J.
Pappas.
"We were able to raise just
over $10,000 for the Thomas J
Pappas Kids!!!!! We are
overjoyed!" Denise Bryson,
event coordinator, reported.
The Eggsecutive Chicks'
Shopping Cart was Hickman's
contribution. It is a mini
grocery cart containing,
Cerreta Chocolates' eggclusive
Hickman eggs n bacon, 2 free
Kiss the Cook breakfasts, and
a Chick Gang T-shirt. This was
only one of the many prizes
for the volunteers that "rock n
rolled the dice’ for
Pappas dollars.
Eggstreme Finds
Judy and Bill Kelleher, while
eggspeditioning with their
Australian friends, found
Hickman eggs. They went to
eggstreme depths of the Grand
Canyon basin to find the
Hickman chicken. We urge our
readers to share with us any
evidence that our Chicken can
be found in unusual places.
Send your findings to email,
shickman@hickmanseggs.com.
We will use it and send you a
Hickman gift pack!
Ginny Hildebrand, Executive Director of the Arizona Association of
Food Banks. Photo courtesy of Fred Bates
Eggknowledgements
Lady Laura Bush.
Summer Ag Institute
Hosts 27 Arizona
teachers
Thanks go to Leslie Pierson
for organizing the event. We
were proud to display our
AIMS Partner DPA Breakfast
Program in the eggsposition
area. Twenty seven teachers
Out of the kitchen,
the heat was still on!
Australian nest members!
Bill & Judy Kelleher
Ag Day makes Eggsodus
to Saguaro Ranch Park
Join Arizona farmers and
ranchers for the next Ag Day.
Not only did the location
change, the day of week is
now Saturday! Entry for Ag
Day is free, with a barbeque
sack lunch for only a buck.
ACRES eggspress
secrets to keeping 2.8
million hens cool
AZPROMAC based in Casa
Grande publishes a monthly
magazine to over 3,000
subscribers. "We reach
readers from Holland," stated
staff writer, Patti Gross. Their
magazine focuses on the
agricultural artists and
companies that call Arizona
their home. George Bango,
our Production Manager at
Maricopa, wowed Patti, "Each
house has 56 fans. I can
now have a jump on the
Arizona Grown AIMS DPA free
breakfast essay competition!
Tables were turned, as
teachers did the listening. Jack
Roberts stressed Agriculture's
impact in Arizona's economy
of $6.6 Billion dollars.
visually access the interior of
our chicken houses from my
laptop 24 hours a day, our
average daily temperature is
below 80 degrees." George
showed up on his day off to
make sure Patti had some hot
details for the story.
Shamrock Foods Super
Summer Savings Show
hosted Hickman’s Eggsotic
Egg Cooking contest on
August 17th. Superior judging
was provided by DJ Glutz,
Glutz Food Marketing, Mike
McGever and Jack Kirby,
Shamrock Sales Associates
and former Chefs. “I know
good food, this was all good
and hard to judge” DJ Glutz
commented. Brad Radian,
from Earl’s Mexican
Restaurant in Peoria, captured
the most points, 167! His
Huevos Con Chorizo with
Mango Salsa won over
Santiago Ramos’ Kiss the
Cook, Cajun Eggs Benedict,
and Dean from TC Eggington’s
Tuscan Omelet. The trophy
will be on display at Earl’s for
the next few months. Special
thanks go to Bob Tully for
providing the heat on demand,
induction stoves. Good luck to
the next group of contestants.
Serving Arizona’s Brijet
Condon provided double
coverage by supplying the
photos for our piece, and
eggsposing the piece in
Serving Arizona Magazine.
Julie Knueppel and Laura
Stormes helped get the party
started at Shamrock Foods.
Eggposing Arizona’s Egg
Artists & Eggcrafters
The official date for the 2006
White House Easter Egg
Competition is Wednesday,
January 4th, at the Banner
Estrella Medical Center,
hospital lobby. See 2005's
winner on our website, public
relations button. The 2005
runner up can be seen on
Bank Note$,
www.arrowheadcommunityba
nk.org. The competition is
open to any artist and to
spectators interested in seeing
what will be presented to First
Photo L-R, (Courtesy of Serving Arizona) Hickman’s Chicken*,
Jack Kirby, Brad-Earls Restaurant, Dean-TC Eggingtons, DJ GlutzGlutz Food Marketing, Santiago-TC Eggington's, Mike McGever.
By Billy Hickman
Enrique Galvan has been
married to Cecilia for 14 years
and are raising their three kids,
Enrique Jr., Vianney, and Dianna
in Buckeye, Arizona. Enrique
began working for Hickman’s at
the age of twenty. “I started at
the plant in Glendale. It took 25
people to work on a machine
that processed 150 cases of eggs
per hour. As the machines got
faster, they also ran better, with
less breakdowns and our staff
didn’t have to work as hard. My
biggest fear is that the conveyor
might break. That means lots of
long hours trying to catch up.
We have to have eggs for the
loaders, so the drivers can
leave, and our customers won’t
be out of eggs. The newer
machines and better hen
houses are very nice. The new
The joke at the Christmas
party about me was that I
never see the sun. I keep busy
making sure everyone is safe,
the machine is maintained,
customers get their eggs,
drivers stay happy or my
brother Rene will find me, he’s
an egg driver. I’m looking
forward to more parties at
Glenn’s house! The Hickman’s
have stayed the same for many
years. The only thing that’s
changed are some packaging
and labels and equipment and
technology for the better.”
Hatch Dates
Varsity & Freshmen Football.
From Grandad
July: Mark Stratford, Jay
Herrera, Wes Field, Brett
Hickman, Glenn Michael
Hickman, Maria “Elena”
Constante, Justin Bango,
Orlanda Perez, Raudel Lopez,
Leonor Garcia, Carmen Tovar,
and Hilda Salas
Love Nests
August: Elizabeth Renteria, Ric
Chavez, Aurora Amparan,
Branden Hickman, Elide Cruz
Ramirez, Nancy Navarro,
Horacio Montoya, Gertie
Hickman
September: George Bango,
James Gonzales, Bliss Hickman,
Jordan Hickman, Maria
Martinez, Marcos Hernandez,
Eudelia Martinez, and Nathin
Avila
Congratulations to Branden
and Brett Hickman. Both flew
like the wind to score the 1st
touchdowns for Estrella
August marks Bill and Gertie
Hickman’s, 48th wedding
anniversary
Congratulations to Hunter
and Nikki Anderson on their
new nest.
Congratulations to Leigh of
BarS and Scott Shuldberg,
August 6th.
Emails & Fowl Ups:
“You forgot me for April hatch
dates,” submitted by Tom Silva.
“Thanks for leaving me out of
your June Hatch Dates,”
submitted by John O'Connor.
“hi. I have bought your guys’
eggs for a long time but never
had the internet to access your
website until now. great
recopies! please send me the
fun pack; the kids will just love
it.” thanx, phil
6515 S. Jackrabbit Trail
Buckeye, Arizona 85326.
Billy’s MVP
wrapping machines make less
trash and protect the eggs
better. We don’t have to hand
lift the eggs anymore. Our
check detector helps the
candlers. When we eat eggs at
home, I prefer them scrambled
with salsa and chorizo. My
favorite food is still the El Pollo
Asado Chicken. We had it once
at an employee pool party at
the Buckeye Pool. I don’t care
for movies or actors. I like
sports and going to the
Prescott horse races with my
family. Football, soccer, and
boxing, are the only things
I watch.
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Phoenix, AZ
Permit No. 2659