Morison chose not to make the upgrades.
"The cost was, No. 1, we would have never seen a return on that investment," she said. "No. 2, in our opinion, it wouldn't have been in the best interest of the chickens."
The proposed upgrades would have required her to completely enclose the houses, leaving the only air exchange up to fans and tripling her electricity usage.
To address practices like this nationwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspectors, Packers and Stockyards Administration has proposed a set of rules, as required by the 2008 Farm Bill, to protect poultry farmers from unfair, fraudulent or retaliatory practices.
The bill, among other things, addresses the lack of information poultry dealers provide on pricing and contract terms by requiring companies to post sample contracts on GIPSA's website allowing producers to be more aware of what a typical contract looks like and what type of deal they are getting.
"Concerns about a lack of fairness and commonsense treatment for livestock and poultry producers have gone unaddressed far too long," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The proposed rule will help ensure a level playing field for producers by providing additional protections against unfair practices."
Changes should include addressing discrepancies in the tournament pricing system, requiring poultry companies to give additional written notice 90 days before they stop delivery of birds time to recoup up to 80 percent of their investment.
The reform is partly in response to a decrease in the number of buyers with whom producers can conduct business and consolidation in the poultry market, which increases the possibility packers, dealers and swine contractors may engage in unfair practices. For example, a producer should be able to speak freely against something they have seen as wrongful treatment without being retaliated against or having their contract terminated.
However, the National Chicken Council, which represents companies like Perdue Farms Inc. and Tyson, says the regulation appears to be "one-sided, unrealistic and not in accordance with court rulings."They stated the proposed regulation is not in the best interest of poultry producers, companies or consumers and went on to dispute the USDA's estimate of the average grower making 34 cents per bird when the processing company makes $3.23, stating the figure is a wholesale value and not the profit.
Although Morison said it's too late for the regulations to help her, she hopes they will be able to help other poultry farmers make wise business decisions.
The rules remove ambiguity from the existing regulation, making what practices are acceptable and what practices are not clearer to packers, swine contractors and live poultry dealers.
"I see it leveling the playing field," Morison said. "Growers will have more security that they don't have now, especially when they make their investments."
The proposed rules are open for the public to comment on until Aug. 23 and include:
VIA: DelmarvaNow.com