The International Poultry Expo, the networking hub of the world for the poultry industry, opens today at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Every segment of the poultry and egg industry is represented: feed milling, live production, hatchery, processing, further processing, packaging, commercial egg, marketing and all support activities.

For the third year, the American Feed Industry Association’s International Feed Expo, the largest animal feed and ingredient show in the world, also will be held in the center. Both shows run through Friday.

The programs include the return of the International Buyer Program, InfoMart Theater and Buyer Connection. There also will be the new Asian and Latin American pavilions in the B-C Connector of the center to showcase the poultry and feed industries in those regions.

Tom Hensley, president of Fieldale Farms in Baldwin, will be a featured speaker in Thursday’s Industry Education Program during the 2009 International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo.

The industry education sessions are scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday.

Admission for growers is $5.