The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) will host three egg grading workshops in Kansas this June, to train the state’s poultry producers in egg grading and share other important poultry care information. Grading eggs provides additional market opportunities for poultry farmers. The workshops will take place in Hays, Lawrence and Wichita, but are available to all Kansas egg producers at no charge.

 The workshops are funded through the Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) Grant which the KDA received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant award totals nearly $25,000 and in addition to the egg grading workshops will make available for poultry producers an egg grading resource manual, egg cell gauges, and an egg candling unit cost-share program.

 Producers can choose from among three egg grading workshops: Hays, Kan., at the Ellis County extension office on Tuesday, June 7; Lawrence, Kan., at the Douglas County extension office on Tuesday, June 14; or Wichita, Kan., at the Sedgwick County extension office on Tuesday, June 21. All workshops run from 5:30–7:30 p.m. and are free, but participants are encouraged to RSVP to events@kda.ks.gov.

 Workshops will provide training on egg grading and other important information for poultry producers. Dr. Scott Beyer, associate professor in the K-State Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, will offer training on proper egg grading and poultry disease screening for maintaining healthy flocks. Adam Inman, assistant program manager for Food Safety and Lodging at KDA, will review Kansas rules and regulations for grading and selling eggs in Kansas. 

 The poultry industry, including egg production, contributes $112 million annually to the Kansas economy. These workshops will help fulfill KDA’s mission of providing educational resources and support to help expand markets for agricultural products while encouraging economic growth of the agriculture industry.

 The FSMIP grant provides matching funds to state departments of agriculture, state agricultural experiment stations, and other appropriate state agencies to assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products, and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving the efficiency and performance of the marketing system.

 For more information about the egg grading workshops and how to obtain egg cell gauges or the egg candling unit cost-share provided by the KDA, contact Julie Roller at 785-564-6755 or Julie.Roller@kda.ks.gov or go to the KDA website at agriculture.ks.gov/egg-grading.