Aviagen North America is committed to the sustainability of the poultry industry and believes in investing in the education of its future leaders. The company recently pledged financial support to the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which will be earmarked for the college’s new 70,000-square-foot, state-of-the art poultry science building. The building will include a vivarium to simulate natural chicken environments for study and research leading to greater health and welfare.
“We highly value elevating UGA’s relationship with Aviagen and are extremely thankful for their gift in helping make our new Poultry Science Building a reality,” said Todd Applegate, head of the UGA Department of Poultry Science. “Collectively, we have shared goals of elevating the leadership potential of our students and driving forward innovative solutions for the poultry sector.”
The university’s intention for the new building is to help ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry and prepare students for a fulfilling career in poultry. Poultry is a leading commodity in the state of Georgia, representing more than 50% of the state’s agricultural income. Georgia is recognized in the U.S. and around the world as a leader in the poultry industry.
“We are happy to contribute to this new development and are excited about the research and innovation that will continue there, which includes important fields such as genetics, embryology, nutrition and agribusiness,” commented Marc de Beer, Aviagen’s president of North America. “We share the university’s mission to recruit and develop the next generation of poultry leaders--young, bright people who have a passion to feed the world with an affordable, healthy source of protein, while creating efficiencies that will help sustain our planet for generations to come.”
To learn more about this initiative, visit poultrybuilding.caes.uga.edu.
