The Chicken of Tomorrow Contest was a 1946-1948 animal husbandry contest sponsored by the American grocery store chain A&P in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to encourage the development of improved broiler chickens.[1][2][3]
History
editIn 1945, A&P was convicted by the U.S. Justice Department for criminal restraint of trade. To improve its image during and after the trial, A&P decided to start the contest in addition to other public service work and press releases.[4]
In 1946, the competition began with state contests. In 1947, regional contests were held. From the regional contests, 40 finalists were chosen to compete in the national competition for the title of "Chicken of Tomorrow". The final competition was held in 1948 at the University of Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station.[4][5]
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The winners of the contest in the purebred category were the White Rocks belonging to Henry Saglio of Arbor Acres farm. Saglio was the son of an Italian immigrant who grew fruits and vegetables on a small family farm in Glastonbury, Connecticut.[4] Saglio began raising chickens in a small coop he made from an old piano.[6] The Red Cornish crosses from the Vantress Hatchery won the overall contest.[7] After his win, Saglio built his family farm into one of the leading poultry development companies.[6] He created the Arbor Acre breed, a cross of his White Rocks and the Vantress Red Cornish. Today, the genetics from the line are found poultry farms globally.[7]
The contest had a Chicken of Tomorrow Queen, who appeared in a carriage in a parade in Georgetown.[7]
The contest is described in the 1948 documentary short film The Chicken of Tomorrow.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Collection: Chicken-of-Tomorrow Contest Papers | ArchivesSpace at the University of Arkansas". uark.as.atlas-sys.com.
- ^ Cardinale, Jean (June 11, 2019). "The Chicken of Tomorrow and the Land Grant University | News".
- ^ "How the backyard bird became a wonder of science and commerce | Aeon Essays". Aeon.
- ^ a b c "How the Chicken of Tomorrow became the Chicken of the World". www.iatp.org.
- ^ "How the 'Chicken of Tomorrow' Contest in 1948 Created the Bird We Eat Today". Environment. May 1, 2018.
- ^ a b O'Connor, Anahad (December 21, 2003). "Henry Saglio, 92, 'Father' of Poultry Industry". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b c Coe, Alexis (May 12, 2014). "Today We're Eating the Winners of the 1948 Chicken of Tomorrow Contest". Modern Farmer. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021.
- ^ Lawler, Andrew (September 8, 2016). "How the Chicken Became Our National Bird". Saveur.