The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded a $5,500 student recruiting grant to the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, Tenn. The animal science department and its collaborative department, the UT Institute of Agriculture, offer a poultry program that encompasses education, research and extension activities.

The poultry program includes its flagship course, the senior-level Poultry Management class, which covers topics like nutrition, marketing and waste management. Poultry-related content is also integrated into other courses, such as animal science, animal handling, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, genetics, health, welfare and reproduction. Students can engage in poultry research and teaching through undergraduate research and teaching assistant opportunities.

Both fundamental and applied research is utilized to address the significant and emerging challenges encountered by the U.S. poultry industry. Additionally, the program leads the way toward the future of poultry production through its efforts in precision livestock farming – a method that integrates advanced sensing technologies and artificial intelligence to enable real-time monitoring of poultry responses and production parameters, allowing farmers to make timely management decisions that enhance poultry well-being and production efficiency.

Through their extension efforts, the animal science department and UTIA have a poultry program called 4-H Chick Chain, where young participants receive chicks from their local extension office and raise them over several weeks. The students then select a small group of their best birds to exhibit at a county poultry show. During the summer, 4-H poultry members can also attend the 4-H Academic Conference and engage in hands-on activities led by UT poultry experts.  

The recruiting funds granted to UT will support targeted recruitment efforts aimed towards youth interest development and participating in UT Institute of Agriculture Ag Day. Additionally, the funds will go towards undergraduate recruitment efforts, the UT Poultry Science Club, graduate student development and more.

The USPOULTRY Foundation board approved student recruiting grants totaling $324,215 to 28 colleges and universities across the U.S. with a poultry science department or industry-related degree program. The Foundation provides annual recruiting and retention funds to colleges and universities to attract or connect students to their poultry programs or industry. The grants were made possible in part by gifts to the USPOULTRY Foundation from companies, individuals and families, in addition to funds earned over the years from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo.