USPOULTRY, foundation approve $314,441 in new research grants

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation recently approved a total of $314,441 for six new research grants at five institutions. The research funding was approved by the boards of directors of both organizations, based on recommendations from the USPOULTRY 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 research program dates back to the early 1960s, when funds were first approved for poultry disease research. It gradually grew into a comprehensive program incorporating all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. Since the inception of the research program, USPOULTRY has reinvested more than $25 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.
“An important part of USPOULTRY's and the Foundation’s service to the industry is research,” said Elton Maddox, Wayne Farms, and USPOULTRY chairman. “The Foundation Research Advisory Committee is the core of the research program with committee members dedicating numerous hours studying and evaluating research proposals before making recommendations for funding. We sincerely appreciate and value their excellent work and would like to recognize Dr. John Smith, Fieldale Farms, for his continued commitment in chairing the Foundation Research Advisory Committee.”

The latest research grants include:


• “Effects of Nitrocompounds to Minimize Ammonia Emission in Broiler Litter” -- University of Georgia
• “Efficacy of Breeder Hen Vaccination for Protecting Broilers from Enterococcal Spondylitis Caused by Enterococcus Cecorum” -- North Carolina State University
• “25-OH Cholecalciferol (HyD) Supplementation to Improve Anti-Coccidial Defense in Turkeys” -- Ohio State University (Designated as the Virgil H. Cooper Turkey Fund 2014 award)
• “Development of an Improved Recombinant Infectious Laryngotracheitis Vaccine” -- Auburn University
• “Efficacy of Various Antimicrobials on Reduction of Salmonella and Campylobacter; Microbial Shelf-Life and Quality Characteristics of Ground Chicken in a Post-Chill Decontamination Tank” -- Auburn University
• “Identifying the Onset of a Novel Muscle Disorder in Chickens through Differential Gene Expression and Histologic Analyses” -- University of Delaware