GEORGETOWN, Del. - Delmarva Chicken Association (DCA) is commemorating the 100th anniversary of Delmarva’s meat chicken industry with an extensive year-long campaign. “Growing For 100 Years” is an educational effort that will spread awareness of the Peninsula’s poultry history via television, digital platforms, publications, billboards, and community events in Maryland and Delaware.
According to the DCA, the industry began in Ocean View, DE when Cecile Steele of Sussex County accidentally received a shipment of 500 chickens in 1923. She and her husband then built the very first broiler chicken farm on Delmarva.
The industry has since experienced exponential growth. The association says there are now more than 1,300 family farmers on Delmarva, more than 18,000 chicken company workers, and hundreds of allied businesses, all working together to produce $4.5 billion worth of chicken a year.
“Cecile Steele’s inspired idea 100 years ago has impacted not only the Delmarva region, but America and the world,” said DCA Executive Director Holly Porter. “This campaign is about paying tribute to the farmers, chicken companies, and allied businesses advancing the industry, and looking forward to the bright future ahead for the chicken community.”
2023 also marks the milestone 75th Anniversary of Delmarva Chicken Association.
You can learn more about this 100th anniversary at www.dcachicken.com.