January 7, 2016

 

USPOULTRY Foundation approves US$368,642 in new research grants

 

 

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation had approved a total of US$368,642 for five new research grants at three institutions in the US.

 

The research funding was approved by the boards of directors of both organisations, 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, representing a variety of disciplines.

 

The association's research programme dates back to the early 1960s, when funds were first approved for poultry disease research. It gradually grew into a comprehensive programme incorporating all phases of poultry and egg production and processing.

 

Since the inception of the research programme, USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have reinvested more than US$27 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 is a critical aspect of USPOULTRY's and the USPOULTRY Foundation's mission to the industry," said Sherman Miller, chairman of Cal-Maine Foods and USPOULTRY. "The Foundation Research Advisory Committee is the heart of the research programme with committee members investing numerous hours reviewing and assessing research proposals before making recommendations for funding."

 

The latest research grants for each institution include:

 

-         Effect of Dietary Glutamine and Arginine on Metabolism Related to Muscle Myopathy in Broiler Chickens (North Carolina State University; research grant made possible in part by a gift from Case Farms)

 

-         Low-Cost Solar Heater for Poultry Barns (North Carolina State University; research grant made possible in part by a gift from Elton and Claire Maddox)

 

-         Development of Molecular Tests and an In Vitro Assay to Identify Blackhead Disease Reservoirs and Sanitation Strategies (University of Georgia; research grant made possible in part by a gift from Butterball)

 

-         Validation of In Vivo Selective Cultivation of Probiotic Communities via Serial Transplants of the Chicken Cecal Microbiome (Western University of Health Sciences)

 

-         Effect of Density on the Behavior, Welfare and Performance of Turkeys and Broilers (North Carolina State University)