2022 Wrap-Up

At the end of each year, when you look back and reflect it seems like “wow, a lot happened these last 12 months” and 2022 is no exception. The Association did a so much this year and we look forward to showcasing all of it in our 2022 Annual Report at the start of 2023.

To give a quick recap, PSA started the year with two brand new reports, the Annual Report and the Global Engagement Report. If you have not yet seen these reports, I encourage you to take a look at all that was accomplished in 2021 and how much of a reach the Association has around the globe. This year marked the official launch of our new membership software, Rhythm, and we are grateful for all of the efforts Rebecca Ries put into managing the implementation of that program.

In July, we were all ecstatic to reunite in-person and see the over 900 attendees for the first time in two years! Many thanks to all of the attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, presenters, speakers, and all else who helped make this year’s Annual Meeting a success.

The Association’s publications also saw a change with Robert L. Taylor, Jr. completing his term as the Editor-in-Chief of Poultry Science® and handing over the reins to Michael H. Kogut.

Following a successful Annual Meeting, PSA welcomed the return of the biennial Latin American Scientific Conference. Due to the Pandemic, this meeting had to be postponed twice from the original date in 2020. We were pleased to welcome over 600 attendees to Iguazú Falls, Paraná, Brazil in October.

As we prepare to enter 2023, we look forward to welcoming aboard a new Executive Director, seeing you at IPPE, and of course another Annual Meeting along with so much more!

Have a safe and happy new year!

Sam Shafer

Marketing Manager, PSA

The deadline is December 31st!

The deadline to apply for the 2023 scholarship opportunities through PSA is approaching (December 31st is the deadline to have your application submitted). In 2023, there are two undergraduate scholarships we are accepting applications for: the Diamond V Endowed Undergraduate Poultry Science Scholarship and the Zinpro Corporation’s Undergraduate Poultry Science Scholarship Award.

Last year, these prestigious awards were awarded to Katie Kirkpatrick of Virginia Tech (Diamond V Scholarship Recipient) and Tanisha S. Diggs of Kansas State University (Zinpro Scholarship Recipient).

2022 Undergraduate Scholarship Recipients

Katie Kirkpatrick

Virginia Tech

Diamond V Scholarship Recipient

Tanisha S. Diggs

Kansas State University

Zinpro Scholarship Recipient

Brown Seaweed Supplementation for Growth Performance in Situations of Heat Stress

This study from Poultry Science® has shown that including a supplementation of brown seaweed to broiler diets helped with growth performance regardless of health changes associated with heat stress.

Are you interested in being featured in a Member Spotlight? Or maybe you would like to nominate someone? Complete the Member Spotlight submission form here!

Pratima Adhikari

Current Employer:

Mississippi State University

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree - Tribhuvan University
• Master's Degree - University of Manitoba
• PhD - University of Georgia

Area of Expertise:

Layer nutrition, management, gut health, food-borne disease model, nutrigenomic

Did you have poultry in your youth?

I grew up in Chitwan, Nepal. I grew up with poultry. My birth place is also called the bread-basket of the country where there are lot of agriculture commodities being produced. It is also a hub for poultry production. My extended family grew broilers and laying hens. We also had both growing and processing facility.

I was trained as Veterinarian in Nepal. I used to teach poultry courses to junior technical assistants of Vets as my part-time work during the Vet School.

What was your first job out of school and what were your responsibilities?

I was hired as assistant professor (Tenure-Track) in Mississippi State University after my PhD from UGA.

If you had a motto that applied to your daily professional career, what would it be?

"Service is my motto. Service brings connection and it brings people's ideas. We need to do service starting from our household, workplace to all the way to our community."

What value does your PSA membership offer you?

It has been my family since 2013. I enjoy bringing my students to the Annual Meeting. PSA membership offers discounted registration to my students so that they can attend the Annual Meetings and present their research. Also, I am section chair of The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. This is beyond membership and is very praise-worthy service to the poultry science community. There are also free events under general membership categories which I love to attend each year.

What is your favorite poultry breed?

White Leghorns!

Fun Fact About Me!

Me and my husband are in the Poultry industry and we both go by Dr. Adhikari.

Donations are still welcomed!

Giving Tuesday takes place annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. If you did not have a chance to donate to the PSA Foundation, but would still like to, know that your donation is greatly appreciated any time of the year. There are a variety of funds to donate to including the ongoing campaign through GoFundMe for the James H. Denton Distinguished Service Award of the Poultry Science Association Endowment. 

Shell Egg Academy Interest

This short communication from The Journal of Applied Poultry Research examined the interest and engagement of participants of the inaugural Shell Egg Academy. The study found that participants exhibited higher levels of interest in the subject matter and were actively engaged. Further discussion within this study dives into this interest and engagement with participants.

2022 Avian Bowl Award Recipients Honored in Louisville, KY

The 2022 National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference was held in-person November 16-17 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. This annual conference allows 4-Hers from all over the country to compete in educational events that help them learn to make and defend decisions, speak publicly, and gain poultry-related skills. It also gives them the opportunity to meet and interact with their 4-H poultry peers from around the country.

Sam Shafer of the Poultry Science Association attended the conference and participated as a presenter at the awards banquet. Along with the 4-Hers, and an additional 195 people, including poultry specialists, county extension agents, 4-H leaders, coaches, chaperones, and other family members, all who helped to make the conference a success. The conference was funded through contributions of goods, finances, and services from many individuals, companies, and commodity organizations. Twenty-one donors provided financial support for awards, including PSA, which has proudly sponsored the Avian Bowl since 2012.

The team from Alabama won the avian bowl contest. Each team member was awarded a plaque, gold pin and $100. The Alabama avian bowl teammates were (Pictured below from left to right) Madison Richter, Jordan Seegars and Zoey Steele. They were coached by Denise Anderson. Also pictured is PSA’s Marketing Manager, Sam Shafer who served as the competition’s award presenter. The remaining top teams were Minnesota (2nd Place), Ohio (3rd Place), Pennsylvania (4th Place), California (5th Place) and Kentucky (6th Place). Other participating teams included Florida, Kansas, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Special Events Submission

If your organization would like to host a special event at the 2023 PSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA on July 10-13, 2023, please complete the online submission form. Please note that this submission form is only to be used to submit an organization’s special event. This information will be used to make accommodations for room space, food and beverage, and audio/visual needs. If the event requires advanced registration, there is an opportunity to include the event in the meeting registration process set up by the Poultry Science Association.

The Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock

A conference in Dublin regarding the societal role of meat recently took place. A declaration of scientist was introduced in conjunction with that conference and there is now a call for poultry scientists working in the meat sector to sign up for this Declaration. Details and access to sign the Declaration can be found online through the link below.

Applications Due in February for an Exciting Opportunity Including a Trip to Italy

Undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for the “Pigs, Poultry, the Planet, and Data-Driven Problem Solving” Research and Extension Experience summer program. This unique opportunity is funded through the USDA and a collaborative effort between North Carolina State University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

As part of the program, students will gain foundational coding skills, work on a data-intensive research project, prepare science communication products, network with professionals working in food animal production, and travel to the ASABE Annual International Meeting in Omaha, NE, AND Florence, Italy, for one week (airfare, lodging, and transportation covered by program to Omaha and Florence) to learn about international production systems. 

A $5,000 stipend and on-campus housing are provided to program participants, as well as travel expenses to Italy and Omaha.

Applications are due Friday, February 17, 2023 by 5:00 PM.

Only undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens and will still be enrolled in their undergraduate programs through summer 2023 are eligible to apply. Students who will have graduated prior to May 2023 are not eligible to participate.