January is behind us and the year is off to a great start! The PSA Board of Directors met in the days just prior to IPPE in Atlanta, and it is an exciting time for our Association. The organization is in excellent financial health, membership is growing, and the leadership has a tremendous program of activities scheduled for the year.

Among those activities is another set of scientific and professional development webinars. Our first quarterly scientific webinar is coming up March 29 at Noon EDT: Dr. Charles Hofacre will present, “Why Is On-Farm Campylobacter Control Not the Same As Salmonella Control?” I think you’ll agree this is an important topic, and Dr. Hofacre will lead a really interesting and insightful discussion. View details and save the date here.

I mentioned IPPE; once again Atlanta was the place to be for poultry professionals from around the world! The PSA staff enjoyed the chance to interact with many of you face-to-face, and for me personally it was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with many of you I have known from my prior industry involvement, and to meet many members and stakeholders for the first time.

Underscoring the excitement for getting involved with our Association was a rush of new membership applications from the meeting. We welcomed at least a dozen new members from folks who stopped by our exhibit hall booth. The staff is excited to report that total membership for 2023 is running about 35% ahead of where we were last year; if you have renewed already, thank you, and if you haven’t, now is a great time to do so!

Finally, we are excited to welcome you to Philadelphia this summer for our Annual Meeting. The Symposia Program has been finalized, and it is absolutely fantastic. Submissions are open for abstract and poster sessions, so be sure to submit your work and present at this year’s session. Also note that registration and housing for the meeting open next week – we have a new early bird registration deadline coming up in April, providing a major savings over our standard registration rate.

Read on for some more exciting news and thank you for being a vital part of our Association!

Andy Vance

Executive Director, PSA

Abstract Submissions

The 2023 PSA Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee is now seeking abstract submissions. Please be sure to review all materials and guidelines prior to submitting your abstract.

Registration & Hotel Reservations Opening Soon

Registration for the 2023 PSA Annual Meeting will open on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. A standalone email will be sent once attendees can register next week. In addition to the registration announcement, attendees will also receive notice that special room rate at the conference hotel, the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, will be available for booking.

Symposia Schedule

PSA is pleased to offer a large variety of symposia presentations at this year's Annual Meeting! The schedule for symposia is now available through the link below.

Broiler chicks are not impacted by a few hours of darkness.

Scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Auburn University have found that broiler chicks were not negatively impacted by a few hours of darkness each day. The concern that the chicks would not be able to find food or water during these dark hours proved to not be an issue and intake did not change.

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!

Oscar Tejeda

Current Employer:

Southern Arkansas University

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree - Zamorano University of Agriculture
• Master's Degree - Auburn University
• PhD - University of Georgia

Area of Expertise:

Dietary fiber, feed additives (i.e. enzymes, prebiotics), and use of alternative feed ingredients in production efficiency of poultry

Where did you grow up and did you have poultry in your youth?

I grew up in Comayagua, Honduras. Growing up I always had access to backyard flocks for production of meat and eggs. I have always been involved with poultry either helping in family business or doing internships in poultry.

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

"Things don't come by themselves."

What value does your PSA membership offer you?

Connection with fellow scientists from other universities nationally and internationally.

What is your favorite poultry breed?

New Hampshire

Effects of Supplemental Biochar on Broilers

This research note examines the effects of supplementing broiler diets with biochar. Biochar has been shown to have a positive effect on body weight gain in both pigs and turkeys. The study did not find similar changes in body weight gain in broilers as had been reported in pigs and turkeys. However, apparent ileal digestible energy was reduced with a greater amount of biochar supplementation.

New Members of the Poultry Science Association

The Association is pleased to welcome the following individuals who started their PSA membership in January 2023.

Professional Members

Brandon R. Clonch

Church & Dwight and Arm & Hammer

Brian Davis

Simmons Foods, Inc.

Jenna Gottfried

Eggland's Best

Richard S. "Rich" Meyer

Texas Tech University

Ernest Nartey

BACL GH. LTD.

Chad Stahl PhD

University of Maryland, College Park

Karim A. Zaher

El Yasmine Company for Poultry Production

Graduate Student Members

Oloriire K. Aderemi

Federal University Oye-Ekiti

Vinicius Buiatte

Penn State University

Michael Carroll

Mississippi State University

Shahna Fathima

University of Georgia

Graduate Student Members

(continued)

Madalyn Jennings

Auburn University

Nikolai Kolba

Cornell University

Abhisek Niraula

University of Georgia

Mohamed Elfateh Salem

McGill University

Bikas R. Shah

University of Georgia

Will Strickland

University of Georgia

Rana Waqar Tabish

Auburn University

Myunghwan Yu

Chungnam National University

Undergraduate Student Members

Shevonne A. Bryne

University of Guyana

Ruthann Morris

University of Guyana

Alessandro Rocchi

University of Arkansas

PSA Member Named Mississippi State Department Head

Ken Macklin, a long time member of PSA, has been announced as the new Poultry Science Department Head at Mississippi State University. Macklin looks forward to working with all of the excellent faculty, staff and students at MSU. He is also excited to help the department reach its goal of building a feed mill.

Topics of Interest to Poultry Scientists

Last month, we polled readers of PSA Postings asking for input on what to include as a new article feature in 2023. The majority opted for a section on Additional News Impacting the Poultry Science Industry and Profession. Below you will find several news articles relevant and of interest to the poultry science community.

Role of Ratios of Limestone Particle Size and Phytase to Support Late Lay in Single Cycled Laying Hens – Focus on Eggshell Quality, Bone Quality and Gut Health

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New USDA tool provides a visual guide on poultry grading defect tolerances that impact product quality

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Mycotoxins Can Be A Shot to the Gut of Poultry

Read More >>