Adisseo USA recently concluded its third Poultry Leaders of Tomorrow (PLT) seminar in conjunction with Texas A&M University. PLT is an invitation-only educational event for poultry science and veterinary graduate students. The program brings together leaders in poultry academia and industry from around the country to discuss prominent industry issues with students and enables the development of collaborative solutions. The three-day event was held November 30 – December 2 in College Station, TX, and focused on gut health throughout the poultry production cycle.
“Our most recent Poultry Leaders of Tomorrow event at Texas A&M University was a great success! We had fantastic speakers who focused their sessions on gut health, and tremendous participation from the students,” said Dr. Alissa Welsher, Technical Services Manager for Poultry at Adisseo who coordinated the event. “I am very happy with how the event turned out and we are very lucky that we could work with this prestigious University. We look forward to the next opportunity to partner with additional universities to cover similar challenges facing the industry.”
“I appreciate everyone taking the time to present to us and give us insight on new emerging topics as well as a glimpse of their day to day jobs in the field,” said PLT participant Kimberly Gardner. “I look forward to the next event and would highly recommend this program to all of my fellow graduate student colleagues!”
This seminar’s speakers and topics included:
- Dr. David Caldwell (Texas A&M University): Welcome & Overview
- Dr. Mike Kogut (USDA): Microbiome and Pathogen Interactions with the Intestinal Immune System
- Mr. Marty Cold (Tyson): Contamination and Plant Performance
- Dr. Audrey McElroy (Texas A&M University): Managing intestinal challenges in ABF production: coccidiosis vaccination and necrotic enteritis
- Dr. Robin Gilbert (Sanderson Farms Veterinarian): Identification of Common Diseases and Syndromes Affecting ABF Flocks
- Dr. Christine Alvarado (Texas A&M University): And now, for the rest of the story: food safety and meat quality
- Dr. Tri Duong (Texas A&M University): Investigating mechanisms of probiotic functionality in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry
“It’s really nice to see what Adisseo has done to help educate the young leaders of tomorrow,” said speaker Dr. Christine Alvarado, Associate Professor at Texas A&M University. “I wish more companies would take the time and put together such a great workshop. The students loved it. They were so thankful for Adisseo’s investment of time and knowledge to teach them, inspire them, and challenge their minds.”
Poultry Leaders of Tomorrow is not the company’s first program to promote education and foster cooperation between agriculture leaders. Adisseo’s Amino Acid University program, which is held two to three times a year, provides industry-specific educational opportunities for students working toward doctorate or master’s degrees in ruminant nutrition.
“Everyone has so much going on at the major professional meetings, so I think Adisseo’s Poultry Leaders of Tomorrow program provides a “low stakes” and less intimidating environment for our students to interact with folks in the industry and learn about topics that are very important to animal agriculture right now,” said Dr. Tri Duong, Associate Professor at Texas A&M University.
