USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have approved approximately $400,000 for six new research grants at five institutions through the comprehensive research program. 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 $32 million dollars into the industry in the form of research grants. More than 50 universities and federal and state facilities have received grants over the years.
“Research is an important aspect of USPOULTRY's and the Foundation’s service to the poultry industry. The Foundation Research Advisory Committee is the heart of the research program with committee members volunteering numerous hours reviewing and evaluating research proposals before making recommendations for funding. We sincerely appreciate and value their excellent work,” said John Prestage, Prestage Farms, and USPOULTRY chairman.
The research grants for each institution include:
- A Novel Method for Enumeration and Speciation of Eimeria Species of Coccidian Protozoa by Flow Cytometry - North Carolina State University (research grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Perdue Farms)
- Longitudinal Assessment of Skeletal and Cardiac Structures in Broilers Reared Under Slow Versus Fast Growth Rate Regimen and Its Relation to Manifestation of Lameness, Ascites and Woody Breast Condition - North Carolina State University (research grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Wayne Farms)
- Genetic Identification and Screening for Potent Anti-Salmonella Gut Peptide Variant in Chicken: Avian Defensin, Beta Defensin 1 (AvBD1) - The Ohio State University (research grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Simmons Foods)
- Fate and Effect of Peracetic Acid Solutions in Poultry Processing Biological Nitrogen Removal and Anaerobic Treatment Processes - Georgia Institute of Technology (research grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Sanderson Farms)
- Profiling Salmonella Serotypes Through Processing - University of Georgia (research grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Fieldale Farms)
- Whole Genome Sequencing and Molecular Analysis of Infectious Bronchitis Virus DMV1639 Strains Circulating in the Field - University of Connecticut (research grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Koch Foods)
