Prestage Department of Poultry Science Annual Report 2023

Annual Report 2023 1

The poultry industry continues to be the cornerstone of North Carolina's agriculture. The combined receipts for broilers, turkeys, and eggs responded for almost 41% of the farm income in our state. According to the North Carolina Poultry Federation, about 5700 families are involved in producing poultry and eggs, employing directly or indirectly almost 140,000 people. Poultry production has contributed to the continuous growth of our state.

It fuels job security, keeps families in their farms, and helps maintain strong communities.

The Prestage Department of Poultry Science is proud to serve the population of the state in many ways. We train the next generations of professionals through our degreegranting programs. We are responsible for developing cutting-edge knowledge through our research programs, helping improve productivity in layers, turkeys, and broilers. And we organize multiple events around the state, in collaboration with other agencies, to bring this knowledge to the growers. The Department also reaches out to schools and other youth groups to raise awareness about poultry production, through a number of fun, engaging activities that expose our youngest citizens to this important activity.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Letter from Department Head 3 Celebrating 100 Years of Poultry Science 4 An Overview of the Poultry Industry 6 Academic Programs 8 Graduate Programs 10 Faculty Directory 12 Faculty Highlight: Dr. Frank Edens

Our Department collaborates closely with the animal feed industry through a widely recognized feed milling program, and with the allied industry to form partnerships that validate novel products aimed at improving poultry health, increasing production standards and bird wellbeing.

The generosity of many donors has complemented the funds that are appropriated from state and federal programs, enabling us to pursue additional activities that wouldn't be possible without these resources. We are very thankful to all that have placed trust in our ability to carry out our complex mission. By listening carefully to our constituency and discussing in detail the way forward, we draw and execute plans that will allow us to continue a successful path to serving the poultry industry and the citizens of this state.

We are entering the 100th anniversary of the establishment of our department thus 2024 will be a year of celebration. Stay tuned!

14 Extension

To all our stakeholders and supporters, we extend our sincerest "Thank You" and look forward to many decades of mutual support and collaboration.

16 Extension Activities

Sincerely,

18 Research 20 Facilities 22 Recognition 2

Frank Siewerdt, Ph.D. Head, Prestage Department of Poultry Science

Celebrating 100 Years of Poultry Science

Poultry Staff, 1928 North Carolina State University (at that time officially named North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts) offered the first poultry class in 1900 and by 1912 some of these classes became part of the curriculum offered by the Department of Animal Industry.

When the School of Agriculture was founded in 1923, the Poultry Department was established as one of the six original departments in the school.

Current Faculty, 2023

Our current home, Scott Hall, came later and has undergone expansion of its original footprint, with the addition of more office space, a dedicated area for laboratories, and an annex that conveniently houses experimental birds used for research and teaching activities.

The 2023-2024 academic year marks the centenary of the department.

1928 photo source: (UA023.007) University Archives Photograph Collection. Agricultural Extension and Research services.

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THE POULTRY AND FEED INDUSTRIES IN N.C. Eggs

The largest agricultural commodity in North Carolina is poultry, providing around 41% of the NC Farm Cash Receipts. The Prestage Department of Poultry Science is committed to continued support the growth of the poultry and feed industries, by supplying trained professionals to fill jobs, provide the knowledge and technical support to improve the efficiency and economic return of its operations, while respecting the natural resources of the state through a strong program in managing farm waste.

Chocolate and Chip 4

N.C. ranks #9 in Table Egg production 32K N.C. families with backyard flocks producing ~1/2 M eggs daily for local communities Estimated $30M impact to local economies

Feed Mill Education Unit

Feed

N.C. is the largest U.S. turkey producer by weight

$9.5B in economic impact

Broilers

N.C. in the National Consumption Rankings

Turkeys

#4

#4

N.C. ranks #4 nationally of top feed consuming states with 16M tons consumed annually*

#2

#7

Feed Broilers Turkeys Layers 16M tons 6M tons 1.4M tons .7M tons *Data from the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA

10% 27K Full time jobs 73K Indirect jobs

North Carolina produces 10% of all broilers in the U.S.

#1

The #1 commodity in North Carolina is poultry, providing around 41% of the NC Farm Cash Receipts. With 2M jobs and nearly $34B in generated taxes, poultry continues to be one of the leading drivers of the economic growth of N.C.

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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Poultry Science prepares students for careers in the Poultry Industry or Allied industries as well as competitive applicants to professional (Veterinary and Medical) and graduate schools.

We offer a Bachelor of Science (BS) program with two concentrations: > >

Science Technology

2023 Graduates: BS POM FEM LPM (AAS) Total

>

Poultry Science Feed Milling

We provide support to the Agricultural Institute Livestock and Poultry Management Program (LPM) (Associates of Applied Science degree) through courses, advising and co-coordination with the Department of Animal Science.

Fall

14 7 2

5 3 3

10

7

LPM: Livestock and Poultry Management Program

33

18

AAS: Associates of Applied Science degree

BS: Bachelor of Science POM: Poultry Science minor FEM: Feed Milling minor

2023 Enrollment:

Two minor programs: >

Spring

Spring BS

55

POM FEM LPM (AAS) Total

21 9 31

Fall 54 from NC 1 from VA

48 from NC 1 from India

20 6 26 from NC 5 from VA, FL, OH

116

Recent Graduates:

44

40 from NC 4 from VA, FL, OH

119

Employed by the poultry industry or allied industries

6

49

70+255

Undergraduate Programs

70%

25%

5%

Apply to professional or graduate schools Other

Fall 2023 Poultry Science Graduates

7

GRADUATE PROGRAMS Students representing U.S. locations (Spring and Fall 2023)

Students representing International locations (Spring and Fall 2023)

MI

Brazil Ghana Paraguay Nicaragua Honduras Nigeria Pakistan

NE CA

WV

VA NC

MS FL

Degrees Offered: >

>

>

>

> > >

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Master’s of Science in Poultry Science - Non-Thesis (MR) Professional Science Master’s Degree (PSM) Master’s of Science in Poultry Science - Thesis (MS) Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree (ABM) Poultry Science Minor Feed Science Certificate Animal Science & Poultry Science (PhD): Poultry Science Concentration

Interdepartmental Programs: > > > > > > > > >

Physiology Nutrition Immunology Animal Science Food Science Microbiology Molecular Biology Biotechnology Agricultural and Extension Education

Durham Raleigh Cary Pittsboro Elkin Rocky Mount Mount Olive Wake Forest Greensboro Asheboro Thomasville

Research Areas: > > > > > > > > > > > >

Physiology Nutrition Immunology Animal Science Food Science Microbiology Molecular Biology Biotechnology Genetics Pathology Toxicology Agricultural and Extension Education

Students in Each Degree Program (Spring 2023):

(Fall 2023):

MS: 8 PhD: 7

MS: 9 PhD: 14

Students Graduating (2023): MS: 1

PhD: 3

Students Who Received Graduate Assistant Support or Fellowship (Spring 2023): RA/TA: 10

Fellowship: 1

Students Receiving Graduate Assistant Support or Fellowship (Fall 2023): RA/TA: 18

Fellowship: 1

Ken Anderson with graduate student Dimitri Malheiros 9

FACULTY DIRECTORY

Frank Siewerdt Department Head

Professor of Genetics and Breeding

Professor and Extension Specialist, Commercial Layer and Small Flock Management

Yan Campbell

Marissa Cohen

Assistant Professor, Processing and Products Specialist

Mary Fosnaught

Extension Associate, 4-H and Youth Development

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Ken Anderson

Jonas Asbill

Lisa Bielke

Elaine Bohórquez

Frank Edens

Adam Fahrenholz

Peter Ferket

Area Specialized Agent Poultry, Randolph County Center

Prestage Distinguished Scholar of Turkey Health

Teaching Associate Professor - Physiology

Director, North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Program

Area Specialized Agent, Animal Food Safety

Richard Goforth

Area Specialized Agent, Harnett County Center

Professor - Physiology

Lauren Greene

Area Specialized Agent, Cleveland County Center

Associate Professor - Feed Milling, Feed Milling Degree Programs Distance Education Coordinator Department Extension Leader

Jesse Grimes

Professor - Turkey Management

William Neal Reynolds Professor of Nutrition and Biotechnology Director, Animal Health and Nutrition Consortium and Extension Nutritionist

Hosni Hassan

Professor - Microbiology, Biochemistry, Toxicology and Food Science

Chris Hopkins

Research Associate, Animal Poultry Waste Processing Facility

Susan Jones Lecturer

Michael Joseph

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Extrusion

Aaron Kiess

Braswell Distinguished Professor Poultry Extension Specialist

Matthew Koci

Professor - Immunology, Virology and Host-Pathogen Interactions Department Research Leader

Ramon Malheiros

Assistant Professor Poultry Metabolism and Reproduction

Paul Mozdziak

Professor - Physiology Physiology Graduate Program Director

Edgar Oviedo

Professor and Extension Specialist - Broiler Nutrition and Management, Data Analytics

Ishab Poudel

Research Scholar Laying Hen Disease Management

Allison Pullin

Assistant Professor - Animal Welfare

University Faculty Scholar

Margaret Ross

Eastern Area Specialized Poultry Agent, Jones County Center

Joseph Stuckey

Research Operations Manager and Project Coordinator Animal Poultry Waste Processing Facility

Ondulla Toomer

Adjunct Faculty and Research Chemist Market Quality and Handling Research Unit (USDA-ARS)

Lin Walker

Assistant Professor - Applied Microbiology

Lynn Worley-Davis

Teaching Assistant Professor Director of Undergraduate Programs, Agricultural Institute Livestock and Poultry Management Coordinator; Academic Advisor

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FACULTY HIGHLIGHT Up With the Chickens After 50 years as an NC State University poultry scientist, Frank Edens looks back.

Professor Frank Edens often gets to work at North Carolina State University between 5 and 6 in the morning. But when we say he’s up with the chickens, we mean something else: As a poultry physiology and immunology expert, Edens has spent 58 years keeping up with what science has to say about poultry – and contributing in a major way to advancing that science.

Thanks to his work, the U.S. poultry industry has more research-based knowledge to protect their flocks from stressors that cause a host of health conditions — which might be surprising, given his early distaste for chickens.

Rethinking Poultry Edens grew up on a small farm in southwest Virginia, where his family kept what he calls “yard steppers” or “early free-range chickens.”

“I hated them,” recalls Edens, of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Prestage Department of Poultry Science. “About three times a year, I had to endure the ignominy of being a chicken-house cleaner.”

A high school visit with Virginia Tech’s poultry science department proved life- (and opinion-) changing.

“I got to sit at a table with a member of the poultry science faculty who regaled us with stories of genetics and immunology and physiology and how chickens were involved in so much research benefiting humans,” Edens says.

When Edens became a freshman at Virginia Tech, that faculty member, Paul Siegel, hired him as a student worker. Edens went on to do brain surgery in chickens as a sophomore and, as a junior, had his first scientific article published. It would be the first of some 180 publications, plus several books, that have carried his name.

Edens continued to work with poultry throughout his master’s degree at Virginia Tech, his doctorate at the University of Georgia and his career at NC State.

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“Dr. Edens profoundly cares about people and will gladly spend time with our students to teach them laboratory techniques, help them understand subject matters, or simply be a sounding board when they are having a difficult day."

Frank Siewerdt Prestage Poultry Science Department Head

In-depth Research In his 50 years at NC State, Edens has conducted wide-ranging research, spanning endocrinology, immunology, pathology, nutrition, molecular biology and more. The common thread: stress physiology.

Grimes notes, “As much as he appreciates time dedicated to science, he will be the first to advise students to find personal time to make sure that their life is enriched and balanced.”

Edens has had a hand in uncovering bacteria’s role in the outbreak of poult enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS), which devastated North Carolina’s turkey industry in the 1990s. He’s also enhanced the industry’s understanding of the stress reactions in chickens exposed to high temperatures and the importance of selenium in poultry nutrition.

Prestage Poultry Science Department Head Frank Siewerdt agrees.

He’s most proud of his award-winning work on PEMS, which identified E. coli as a key instigator among several viral and environmental factors contributing to the devastating disease in turkeys.

“Dr. Edens profoundly cares about people and will gladly spend time with our students to teach them laboratory techniques, help them understand subject matters, or simply be a sounding board when they are having a difficult day,” Siewerdt says. “He takes a genuine interest in people and looks for ways to advance their careers and lives.”

Not surprisingly, Edens has earned a reputation as an expert in his discipline.

Life Balance

As fellow poultry science professor Jesse Grimes notes, “As a researcher, Dr. Edens knows the scientific literature on his subject matter better than anyone I know. He can recite work released yesterday or from work reported years ago.”

Edens practices the advice that he teaches. “It’s always been family first and career second,” he says.

Edens puts it this way: “If I go a day without learning something, I’ve wasted a day.”

Supporting Staff and Students For Edens, other points of pride include having turned an empty space in Scott Hall into a staff break room and setting up an annual faculty-funded award for a technician in the department.

“You’ve got to recognize your staff,” he says. “We are nothing without them.”

Planning to enter phased retirement in July 2024, Edens wants to devote more time to his church and one of his old hobbies, painting with acrylics.

Edens also hopes to write an accessible textbook about avian physiology, and he’s committed to ongoing collaborations with his NC State colleagues and even his mentor Paul Siegel.

“I love my job,” he says. “There were a lot of dips in my journey, but every one of them has developed into something positive.”

Students are also important to Edens.

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EXTENSION The Broiler Supervisor’s Short Course is conducted in the Spring in Monroe, N.C., together with the Union County Equipment Show. The Eastern NC Broiler Production Short Course is held in the Fall in Kenansville, N.C. Both events together congregate over 170 members of the broiler industry and allied poultry companies in the region to share updates and training on topics relevant to the broiler sector.

The department continues the quarterly HACCP Roundtable discussion between the meat and poultry industry and USDA-FSIS. The goal of the roundtable is to communicate plant and inspection concerns in food safety, as well as direct university resources to areas of the industry that will most benefit our stakeholders.

It also provides great networking opportunities with food safety professionals in the industry.

The N.C. Turkey Industry Days conference brings together over 250 participants for a celebration and deep discussions of the most pressing needs of this industry.

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Through the efforts of our faculty, staff, and cooperation with our Area Specialized Agents, our extension programs touch every county in the state.

The NC State Feed Milling program hosts the yearly Feed Education Week programs with the help of the Carolina Feed Industry Association, attracting over 200 participants for 4 programs over 4 days. The program includes: > Feed Manufacturing Short Course, > Quality Assurance Roundtable > Equipment Maintenance School > Feed Production Technology School

Additionally, the Feed Milling Program also trains upwards of 25 Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals each year under the Preventive Controls for Animal Food Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance curriculum.

Jesse Grimes judges YMTS turkey hens 15

Youth learning about embryology 16

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES Incubation Workshops Held twice per year in collaboration with University of Georgia, Athens. Each event is limited to 28 or less participants, to provide hands-on activities in the laboratories.

UGA-NC State Occurs every spring in Athens, G.A. NC State-UGA Occurs every Fall in Raleigh, N.C.

North Carolina Broiler Breeder and Hatchery Management Conference Held in Statesville every October, organized by North Carolina Broiler Breeder Association and Prestage Department of Poultry Science.

Over 200 participants represent most of the breeder and hatchery operations in the state.

4-H & Youth Development, Poultry Youth Programs Dr. Mary Fosnaught

Poultry Science Summer Institute (PSSI)

4-H Avian Bowl

5 day/4 night residential summer camp at NC State for 20 high school students providing Poultry Science immersion experience; US Poultry and Egg subsidizes all participants with a $750 scholarship.

Think chicken Jeopardy! Each summer youth come to campus to test their knowledge of the 4-H Avian Bowl manual and compete for a chance to go to Nationals.

Youth Market Turkey Show (YMTS) Youth register, receive 3 poults, rear, and bring back best turkey hen to show at the State Fair.

4-H Poultry Judging Each summer youth come to campus test their knowledge of the 4-H Poultry Judging manual and compete for a chance to go to Nationals.

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RESEARCH

Members of the Prestage Department of Poultry Science have a wide range of research interests that touch every aspect of the production chain in the four main commodities that we serve.

Our research efforts address fundamental science questions and applied aspects that help the industry solve practical problems.

It is by balancing our resources between these two areas of research that enables the department to stay relevant to all stakeholders.

We receive financial support from multiple sources, including our industry partners, commodity groups, the allied industry, state and federal agencies and charitable foundations.

Our vibrant faculty collaborate with scientists from multiple universities across the country, as well as worldwide. The international reputation of the department draws students and scientists from every corner of the globe to come spend time collaborating with our world-class faculty.

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Current research interests being pursued: >

Immunology studies that help understand hostmicrobiome interactions in the poultry gut.

>

Use of data analytics to improve understanding of intestinal health, leg health, incubations models, and broiler meat yield.

>

Improved turkey and broiler health by controlling pathogens like Eimeria, Histomonas, Cochlosoma, Salmonella, and E. coli.

>

Cellular and molecular mechanisms governing skeletal muscle growth.

>

Improved broiler reproduction through precision nutrition and management techniques for both male and female breeders.

>

Long-term layer tests that allow fair comparisons between popular commercial genetic layers and the concomitant study of improved management practices.

>

Optimization of management practices to facilitate waste management and improve profitability of poultry operations.

>

Improving rearing practices to enable broiler and turkey behaviors that increase breeder performance and reduce mortality.

Paul Mozdziak and graduate students 19

Aaron Kiess and the two graduate students in the processing facility.

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FACILITIES We continue to equip our laboratories and to update and improve our facilities in support of our research, teaching, and extension activities.

Expanding Research

Scott Hall

The Department has committed to purchase 5 new major pieces of equipment that will expand the research capability of our faculty, staff, and graduate students, in the areas of microbiology, immunology, and feed milling.

Nine new EmTech incubators, with a capacity of 1000 eggs each, have been acquired with a grant from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences N.C. Agricultural Research Service and matching departmental funds, to be placed in Scott Hall. These will be used to support research projects to study embryology, fertility, and to provide chicks for education and research purposes. Extension activities will also benefit from the use of these incubators.

Chicken Education Unit Our pilot processing plant, located at the Lake Wheeler Chicken Education Unit, has received assistance from Baader to ensure full functionality. Poultry Science students can learn how a poultry processing facility works and have practical experience once they join industry after graduation. Lessons can be learned on proper stunning methods, feather removal, evisceration, and other key steps in processing of broilers and turkeys.

JamesWay has dedicated new Incubators for the hatchery when we are ready to receive them.

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RECOGNITION Faculty, staff and students from the Prestage Department of Poultry Science routinely receive awards and grants that pay tribute to their accomplishments and enable innovative research to address pressing issues encountered by the industry. Here is a small sample of our successes.

Ken Anderson received a $500,000 award from the Golden Leaf Foundation to help build a state-of-the-art aviary at the North Carolina Piedmont Experiment Station. This will be the one-of-a-kind facility in the world that will enable research projects and a variety of extension and teaching activities, with broad reach into the egg laying industry. The entire project is estimated to cost $1,750,000 and will also rely on past and current contributions of Braswell Family Farms, Cal Maine Foods, Rose Acres Farms, Simpson Farms and proceeds from the Prestage Family Endowment.

Allison Pullin received $138,605 from CobbVantress, Inc. to establish optimum pullet feed and water use practices to improve broiler breeder welfare.

Yan Campbell and Lin Walker were awarded $250,000 by the American Egg Board to examine how high intensity pulsed light influences liquid egg shelf-life, protein quality and functionality.

Peter Ferket successfully led an effort to secure $100,000 from Google that will provide graduate student stipends. This collaboration aims at charting the future of poultry science using data analytics, precision modeling and artificial intelligence tools.

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The 2023 NC State Animal Welfare Judging Team, under the leadership of Allison Pullin (not pictured), participated in the nationwide Animal Welfare Assessment Contest. In the undergraduate junior division the team placed 5th overall. The undergraduate senior team won first place for their live assessment of a laboratory rat facility.

Back row (L-R): Reed Threadgill, Taylor Altman, Jessie Carpenter, Allison Weaver (coach), Maggie Huff, Victoria Ward. Front row (L-R): Nubia Garcia Carro, Abbey Brake, Madelyn Young

The 2023 4-H Poultry Judging Team, won first place in the National 4-H Poultry & Egg Conference. Along with the main prize, team members also won 8 individual awards.

L-R: Elizabeth Peluso, Matthew Peluso, Mary Fosnaught, Ashley Brooks (Coach), Connor Howard, & Tessa Darnell 23

Prestage Department of Poultry Science 2711 Founders Drive, Campus Box 7608 NC State University Raleigh, NC 27695 -7608

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