USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have approved a total of $275,000 for four new research grants at three institutions. The research funding was approved by the boards of directors of both organizations, based on recommendations from the Foundation Research Advisory Committee. The committee evaluates research proposals to determine their value to the industry and then makes recommendations to the boards for funding. Committee members are professional specialists from different segments of the poultry and egg industry who represent a variety of disciplines.
The Association’s comprehensive research program dates back to the early 1960s when funds were first approved for poultry disease research. It gradually grew into an all-inclusive program incorporating all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. Since the inception of the research program, USPOULTRY has reinvested more than $26 million dollars into the industry in the form of research grants, with the International Poultry Expo as the primary source for the funding. More than 50 universities and federal and state facilities have received grants over the years.
“Research continues to be an important part of USPOULTRY's and the Foundation’s service to the industry. The Foundation Research Advisory Committee is the core of the research program with committee members giving numerous hours studying and evaluating research proposals before making recommendations for funding. We sincerely welcome and value their excellent work,” said Paul Hill, West Liberty Foods, Ellsworth, Iowa, and USPOULTRY chairman.
The research grants for each institution include:
Production of Cross-Protective Autogenous Bacterin Strains for Controlling Escherichia coli Infections in Poultry, University of Georgia (research grant made possible by a gift from Koch Foods)
Does Broiler Vaccination with HVT-LT (INNOVAX) Vector Vaccine Increase the Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV) Challenge Infectious Dose? University of Georgia (research grant made possible by a gift from Claxton Poultry)
Development of Clostridium Septicum Oral Vaccine for Clostridial Dermatitis in Turkeys Using an Outer Membrane Vesicle Delivery System, Cornell University (research grant made possible by a gift from the Cooper Farms Foundation)
Genetic Modulation of the Antimicrobial Properties of the Egg Shell Cuticle Pore Plug, University of Ottawa, Canada (research grant made possible by a gift from Midwest Poultry)
