Spurred by investments in poultry education, Aviagen supports feed mill at Mississippi State

HUNTSVILLE — Aviagen, a poultry breeding company based in Cummings Research Park, is financing a poultry feed mill at Mississippi State University.

Mississippi State is one of six universities in the United States with stand-alone poultry science departments. The mill will include a 4,950 square-foot process area; a 2,250-square-foot bagged ingredient and finish feed storage area; and 2,720 square feet in ancillary support areas.

According to Aviagen President Marc de Beer, the path to a sustainable global poultry industry runs right through Aviagen’s commitment to education and its investment in a younger generation of industry leaders.

“Training our next generation of leaders is among the most important work we can engage in,” said de Beer. “Our motto at Aviagen is, ‘to breed the best, we need the best.’

“MSU and Aviagen have the common goal of securing the sustainability of the industry by finding and encouraging creative up-and-coming professionals. These future leaders have a passion for feeding the world with affordable, nutritious chicken meat, while creating efficiencies that promote the sustainability of our environment and the economic sustainability of poultry growers around the world.”

The new facility will produce biosecure feed for the university’s research flocks, as well as nutrition trials and feed formulation trials. It will provide hands-on training for the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students, as well as continuing education opportunities for industry mill managers.

“Aviagen is honored to contribute to MSU’s Poultry Science Research Farm and the great development and innovation that takes place there,” de Beer said.

Dr. Kelley Wamsley,  associate professor of nutrition and feed manufacturing, said the facility and research will help provide practical, hands-on learning experiences to complement classroom learning

“This investment allows us to do that, increasing student preparedness for employment upon graduation, while also allowing us to better serve the poultry industry through enhanced research and feed milling workshops,” she said.