DEPARTMENT OF POULTRY SCIENCE | AUBURN UNIVERSIT Y | SPRING 2015 NEWSLET TER | VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1

Just Hatched

poul.auburn.edu

Spring represents new beginnings, and this holds true for our Department in 2015. We are currently making moves that will have a profound effect on the direction and impact of our Department well into the future. Our goal is to ensure that we maintain and improve our relevancy to the poultry and food industries in the state, region and beyond, with the ultimate goal of being the premier “farm-to-fork” poultry science department in the world. With this in mind, we are strengthening our Department via four key strategies:

As you read this issue of Just Hatched, you will see evidence of the new seeds that are being sown to position the Department for a strong and meaningful future.

In August 2014 we hired Dr. Jessica Starkey, who assumed teaching of our Commercial Poultry Production and Poultry Physiology courses. Her research will focus on muscle biology, which significantly expands our efforts to understand growth and development

Spring 2015: Sowing Seeds

DON E. CONNERDEPARTMENT HEAD

RECONNEC T WITH US!

Join us for a tailgate with food, drinks, and raffle prizes before the Jacksonville State game at the Ham Wilson Arena!

Alumni, Friends, and Recruiting Fall BBQ SEPT

12Ag Roundup features a wide array of Alabama foods, informative displays, children’s activities and live and silent auctions that raise money for College of Agriculture scholarships.

Ag Round UpOCT

03Ag Discovery Adventure offers entertaining and enlightening hands-on activities and presentations that showcase agricultural technology and illustrate the key role agriculture plays in every aspect of our lives.

Ag Discovery AdventureOCT

10

CONSULTANT, RANDALL ENNIS, STANDS BEFORE THE SITE OF OUR NEW POULTRY RESEARCH UNIT.

of modern strains of broilers and other meat birds. On March 1, 2015 we hired two more new faculty members, Dr. Emefa Monu and Dr. Wilmer Pacheco. Dr. Monu is a food microbiologist, and her teaching assignments will include our Food Safety course and development of a revamped Food Microbiology course. These two courses will serve to strengthen all of our curriculum options. Dr. Pacheco is a feed mill extension specialist who will be developing educational and technical programs in the area of poultry feed manufacturing, safety and quality. His applied research will focus on the role of feed milling on nutritional and functional qualities of feed and feed ingredients. Additionally, we hope to hire two to three more new faculty members by the end of 2015.

I am very encouraged with our growth in student enrollment and success of our youth and recruiting efforts. For Fall 2015, we anticipate that our enrollment will surpass 75 but we will have to wait until August to know the final number. We recently entered into a 2+2 agreement with Gadsden State Community College, Cherokee, and are working to establish a similar arrangement with Wallace Community College, Dothan-Eufaula. Our FFA Poultry

Career Development Events continue to grow and Extension’s Chick Chain has expanded into 61 counties! So the pipeline of potential students is as full as we have seen in recent memory.

It is hard to imagine, but January marked the 10th year of us being in the “new” Poultry Science Building, which continues to stand out on campus as an outstanding research facility. Also, it has been two years since we went operational in our new feed mill (Poultry and Animal Nutrition Center) located on the North Auburn site. It is now time to move ahead with establishing additional facilities on this site. We have established a strategy to build the initial phase of what eventually will be our new poultry farm (Poultry Science Education and Research Center). Randall Ennis is leading the AP&EA Farm Relocation Task Force that will work with us to leverage resources and ensure that our new facilities meet the educational and research needs of our industry. This type of partnership worked well with both the Poultry Science Building and the feed mill, so we envision the establishment of state-of-the-art live bird facilities in the near future... Stay tuned!

In closing, I hope that you are enjoying our new newsletter, Just

It is estimated that 85-90% of our Poultry and Food Science students apply for scholarships. With the implementation of AUSOM (Auburn University Scholarship Opportunity Manager), the process of applying for general and departmental scholarships is centralized through the University.

Also follow us on Facebook to hear about our Fall Farm 2 Fork Smoked Bird Sale!

Hatched. We strive to make this brief newsletter both interesting and as informative as possible for you. Let me know of any suggestions you have. Lastly, I hope you have had a chance to read our 2014 Annual Report. If you did not receive a copy, you can find it online at:

Thank you for your continued support of the Auburn University Department of Poultry Science Department. Your support is helping us accomplish our mission to serve the poultry and food industries in Alabama and beyond!

POUL.AUBURN.EDU

INSTAGRAM.COM/AUPOULTRYSCI FACEBOOK.COM/AUBURNPOULTRYSCIENCE

TWITTER.COM/AUPOULTRYSCI

1. RECRUITMENT OF WORLD-CLASS FACULTY

2. INCREASED STUDENT ENROLLMENT TO MEET WORKFORCE NEEDS

3. DEVELOPMENT OF STATE-OF-THE ART EDUCATION-RESEARCH FACILITIES

4. COMMUNICATION & LINK AGES WITH YOU, OUR STAKEHOLDERS.

BIT.LY/POULTRYANNUALREPORT

SCHOL ARSHIPS AT A GL ANCE

AWARDS:

$135,000 TOTAL TO 78 STUDENTS RANGING FROM $500-$3,500 PER STUDENT FOR THE 2015-2016 ACADEMIC YEAR.

POULTRY SCIENCE HAS OFFEREDSTEP 2

APPLICATIONS:

PROSPECTIVE & CURRENT STUDENTS VISIT AUBURN.EDU/AUSOM AND APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS.

STEP 1

Accepted incoming students apply by: Feb. 15Current students apply by: May 1

SCHOL ARSHIPS AVAIL ABLE

Freshman General Departmental

Fall 2015 is just around the corner.Save these dates to join us at events this fall.

This has made applying for and awarding scholarships a much easier process, as seen in the graphic on the left. However, because our department has a steady increase in applicants and little to no change in available funds for scholarships, our students are often being awarded less scholarship money each year.

One effort to raise scholarship funds from the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association seeks to raise money for students through the sale of AP&EA car tags. These tags can be purchased for $50 and are tax deductible.

Of the $50 for the tags, $41.25 comes back to the Association. They send each county association $10 for each tag purchased in that county. The county association can use that money to fund their own scholarships. The $31.25 remaining will be used to fund poultry science scholarships at Auburn or through the 2+2 Program at Wallace State or Gadsden State. You can visit: AL ABAMAPOULTRY.ORG OR

FACEBOOK.COM/BAMACHICKEN for more information.

POUL. AUBURN.EDU/FALLBBQ

In March of 2015, our department welcomed two new faculty members in Poultry and Food Science. We are proud to introduce you to Dr. Emefa Monu, an Assistant Professor in Food Science and Dr. Wilmer Pacheco, Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor of Poultry Science, concentrating on Feed Milling.

Dr. Emefa Monu is a Food Microbiologist by trade, with experience in food safety and

quality assurance. Her graduate research has ranged from exploring food safety and extending the shelf life of dairy products to inhibiting Listeria and preserving the color of red meat to improve food quality and customer satisfaction. During her post-doc research, she also focused on microwave technology in regards to food-borne pathogens and also explored the microbiology of essential oils. Her diverse research experience enriches our Food Science program, and provides students in the Food Science program with a well-rounded class experience. We are so glad to welcome Dr. Monu to Auburn University, where she can continue her research goals with an opportunity to teach Food Microbiology and Food Safety courses this fall.

Dr. Wilmer Pacheco takes up the position of Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor of Poultry Science (Feed Milling). With the appointment of Dr. Pacheco, we aim to meet the full capabilities of our Poultry and Animal Nutrition Center in conjunction with the on-going nutrition research in our department. With experience in feed milling, extension work, and animal nutrition, Dr. Pacheco plans on creating a strong extension program with the capacity to support the existing feed and poultry industry of Alabama and to pave-the-way for innovative ideas essential for the

Revitalizing Food & Feedmill Science:new faculty bring their work to the table.

Our legacy continues...

STRENGTHENING OUR RESEARCH WITH THE ADDITIONS OF DR. EMEFA MONU, FOOD MICROBIOLOGIST, AND DR. WILMER PACHECO, FEEDMILL EXTENSION SCIENTIST.

Student recruiting keeps Codi Plaster, our Student Services Coordinator, very busy in the spring! While most of our high school visits are made in the fall, the spring focuses on events both on and off campus.

The Spring 2015 semester began with students preparing for the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) with practice interviews and resume feedback. While in Atlanta, our department hosted 5 students for the Industry Insight Transfer program where students enrolled in community colleges around the state of Alabama joined us for a day of touring the Expo, meeting with current students, and learning more about opportunities in our department and the industry as a whole.

Throughout the spring we work closely with the College of Agriculture and their many events including Spring Judging Clinics, Inside Ag Hill, and the Open House Event. Off campus, our department also hosts each district level FFA Poultry Judging Career Development Event. In June we invite the top 12 teams back to campus for the State Poultry Contest. Over the years we’ve contributed much preparation and planning into these events, and have been rewarded with a significant increase in participants across the board.

Over the summer we are looking forward to another great year of P.E.E.P.S Camp as well as the second year of our Food Science Camp. Visit our website to sign up your rising 1st-6th grader for P.E.E.P.S Camp or to find more information on our Food Science Camp for high school students.

DR. EMEFA MONU, FOOD MICROBIOLOGISTASSISTANT PROFESSOR, FOOD SCIENCE

future of the poultry and feed industries. Dr. Pacheco plans to focus his extension education and research on feed mill operations and thermal processing.

With the additions of Drs. Monu and Pacheco, our department is able to diversify our research and extend our missions of research, education, and extension involvement.

DR. WILMER PACHECO, FEED MILL EXTENSION SCIENTIST, POULTRY SCIENCE

THE NATIONAL POULTRY TECHNOLOGY CENTER WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR

Dr. Jeremiah Davis is an Associate Professorof Biosystems Engineering and serves as the Associate Director of the National Poutlry Technology Center at Auburn University

Dr. Jeremiah Davis joined the NPTC in January to develop a poultry housing research program that would complement the ongoing NPTC extension efforts. For the past six years, Davis has been evaluating chopped energy grasses for poultry bedding and working with companies to develop a sustainable supply chain. He is also in the process of developing a standard to compare the energy efficiency of radiant brooders. He is continually interested in developing multi-disciplinary teams to tackle housing problems faced by the growers.

Before coming to Auburn, Davis spent the previous eight years at Mississippi State University working on similar poultry housing issues. Davis has BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Texas A&M University, University of Kentucky, and Iowa State University, respectively.

FALL 2015: WELCOMING THE NEXT CL ASS OF LEADERS.

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FOODSCIENCESTUDENTS

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POULTRYSCIENCESTUDENTS

BY THE N UMB E R S

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Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employer.

STUDENT CLUBS TAKE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM.

Each semester our Food & Poultry Science students go above and beyond their academic responsibilities through their memberships in the Poultry & Food Science clubs. This year, Poultry Science Club members served three dinners for “Our House” a community cen-ter for underprivileged children. The club chose this philanthropy event to expand on their mission to feed those in need. Club members were involved heavily on campus this semester, contributing to Ag Week 2015 at multiple events. They served breakfast to students on the Green Space, and set up the classic “Grab-a-duck” booth at the Ag Week Carnival. Their presence on campus represents our department well, and their en-gagement with staff, faculty, and other students is vital in our outreach to Auburn’s campus.

The Food Science club has also been present on Auburn’s campus. This past semester they’ve been busy hosting the regional IFT meeting, hosting an on-campus sensory exploration booth at Ag Week, and contributed to a successful workshop for Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. brought 20 young women from grades

8-12 and four chaperones to learn about food science and participate in lab settings. These students rotated through four stations incorporating the chemical comparison and sensory evaluation of grocery store products, microbiology and food safety projects, and other sensory and lab experiments. Members of the Food Science Club helped set up this workshop and contributed along with Food Science faculty members, Dr. Leonard Bell, Dr. Emefa Monu, and Dr. Tung-shi Huang.

Looking forward to summer, we have 17 students entering internships in the fields of Food and Poul-try Science. With students all over the nation, from Texas to Washington D.C., we’re confident that their upcoming experiences will aid in the development of their interests in their future career paths. We know the importance of working directly in the field through internships, and each fall we see the impact students have within the industry as they present their internship experiences to underclassmen.

On April 21, the food product development team of Emma Williams, Corena Newton, Avery Smith, and Geraldine Santos-Norris won first place in the product

THANKS FOR ATTENDING OUR EVENTS THIS SEMESTER, YOUR SUPPORT HELPS OUR WORK CHANGE THE WORLD. SEE MORE PICTURES ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE!

This is our work.

development competition sponsored by the South Eastern Section of the Institute of Food Technologists. Their product was a pastry puff containing goat cheese, fig preserves, and caramelized onions. Congratulations to this group of food science students!

FOOD SCIENCE STUDENTS PL ACE FIRST IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT COMPETITION.

P O U LT R Y S C I E N C E C LU B E L E C T S N E W O F F I C E R S F O R T H E 2015-2016 A C A D E M I C Y E A R.