Meat&Poultry - October 2011 - 52

UNIVERSITY ROUNDUP

of food products, applied food chemistry, microbiology of foods, food preservation technology and many more. Minors in food science and poultry science are also available. Many students interested in processing poultry products benefit from courses in the business management concentration. Mississippi State’s Peebles Poultry Science Department also has a large extension program, dealing with both poultry processing and production. Research in the department includes meat characteristics, carcass yields, feeding performance and broiler performance. MSU’s Poultry Science Department helps the growing industry through education, research and outreach/extension. For example, MSU poultry researchers have a longstanding relationship with Sanderson Farms, in Laurel, Miss., the fourthlargest poultry processor and producer in the US. The university helps Sanderson find the right types of broilers by evaluating genetic strains and feeding

breed is best, depending on processing weight and product mix. The longterm goal of poultry research at the university is to improve the bottom line of the poultry industry.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State Univ.
The Delmarva Peninsula is one of the largest poultry producing and processing areas of the US. The peninsula, also called the Eastern Shore, consists of the eastern areas of three states: Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Large numbers of poultry products are produced here, mostly chicken, but turkey as well. Other poultry areas include the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and Southside Virginia.

The processed poultry products concentration is a strong point in MSU’s poultry science program.
regimens of all the birds being used. That would help the company fi nd the type of bird producing the highest yield of meat. MSU Poultry Science researchers say there are many different broilers on the market, and producers and processors are often looking for a specific type to fit their marketing plans. The university also provides valuable breeding and nutrition advice for breeders to raise the types of birds slaughterers and processors want to buy for their markets. There are also research activities where concepts relevant to industry issues are tested, with students participating in the research. One concept, for example, is which

Training students to get into poultry processing, as well as serving the poultry industry in the region, are two universities: the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ., also known as “Virginia Tech”, and the Univ. of Delaware. The Virginia Tech Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, in Blacksburg, Va., provides comprehensive teaching, research and extension programs to its students and seven major poultry and livestock segments, including broilers, turkeys, eggs, beef cattle, swine, sheep and horses. Students majoring in animal and poultry science may choose from one of three degree options: production-business, science or pre-vet. They can select from emphasis areas, including poultry and livestock. Paul Siegel, distinguished professor emeritus of animal and poultry sciences and a poultry geneticist, has taught at Virginia Tech since 1957. While technically “retired,” he comes into the office every morning at 6 a.m. and still teaches classes and is involved in research. He says the number of opportunities for students pursuing careers

in poultry and meat processing has grown. “There are still pretty traditional poultry science programs in the Deep Sout h, and meat science in t he Midwest, where you still have a lot of production. But a lot of students going to universiSiegel ties on the West Coast and East Coast, like ours, are not from farming backgrounds, but grew up in urban areas – in our case, Northern Virginia [near Washington, DC], Virginia Beach, Richmond, not tied to the soil,” Dr. Siegel says. “In Virginia, for example, there aren’t any large producers.” These students tend to gravitate toward strong processing programs, where there are opportunities in large processing and further-processing companies, or they major in microbiology and work in laboratories or ani-

The number of opportunities for students pursuing careers in poultry and meat processing has grown.
mal merchandising. He says there are 400 students in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, with about 30 in the poultry emphasis. “A lot of kids start out in equine [horses], but find out unless they’re going to be veterinarians, there aren’t many jobs. So they switch to poultry or livestock, they take courses in food labeling, thirdparty audits. They’ll be working for large processors when they graduate, or for big companies like McDonald’s or Pilgrim’s Corp.” In the Production-Business option at Virginia Tech, students gain knowledge to own and manage poultry or livestock enterprises; work in the sales and marketing of animals

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