As the demand for sustainable and efficient poultry production continues to grow worldwide, the role of advanced research and innovation in the industry becomes increasingly significant. The United States Poultry and Egg Association, recognized as the worlds’ largest and most dynamic organization in the poultry industry, has acknowledged the imperative of integrating engineering and technology to optimize energy and resource efficiencies across layers, broilers, and turkeys. As a non-profit entity, it aligns its strategic goals with the evolving needs of the poultry industry, emphasizing advancements in poultry science and technology, and the assurance of safety in processed poultry and poultry products. The organization's ongoing and past research initiatives closely align with these objectives, fostering collaboration in critical areas such as nutrition, environmental control, air quality, housing systems, lighting, automation, robotics, food safety, security, health, and bird welfare.

Furthermore, the United Egg Producers (UEP), representing the laying hen industry, recognizes the necessity for enhanced technology to improve management practices and the well-being of laying hens in alternative housing systems, particularly cage-free aviaries. Additionally, industry entities like the Egg Industry Center actively support collaborative research and outreach endeavors aimed at addressing challenges faced by the poultry and egg industry.

In response to the rising global population, there is an escalating demand for sustainably, efficiently, and safely produced protein, particularly in poultry. The adoption of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) techniques in poultry production and processing systems; is identified as a strategic measure to meet this growing demand. Evolving consumer and retail preferences have led to diverse production and feeding systems, each presenting unique challenges and knowledge requirements. The collaborative research proposed here aims to further expand PLF concepts, incorporating automated continuous monitoring of animals to enable real-time recording and assessment of their health and welfare. This inclusive approach encompasses automation, robotics, equipment efficiency, facility design, as well as energy and resource allocation. Additionally, enhancements in antimicrobial intervention technologies and processing methods are, envisioned to reduce the risk of foodborne pathogens in poultry and poultry products.

Optimizing poultry production systems for energy/resource efficiency, minimizing carbon footprint, and ensuring sustainability across the production chain (breeder, hatchery, producer, processor, and consumer) is paramount. Collaborative research serves as the foundation that connects different components of the system and their intricate relationships. The failure to renew this project would jeopardize the poultry industry's standing in the global marketplace, hindering its ability to deliver safe and nutritious poultry products to consumers worldwide.

The multi-state poultry research team, composed of diverse experts including environmental physiologists, behaviorists, animal welfare scientists, nutritionists, engineers, extension scientists, microbiologists, and economists, operates with access to commercial-type, pilot-scale, and laboratory-scale facilities. Their collective expertise and collaborative efforts have yielded documented success in the past. Moreover, the team includes several leading industry experts actively engaged in the collaborative process, providing invaluable insights and establishing crucial links between researchers and commercial operations, birds, and equipment. This dynamic collaboration enhances the relevance and feasibility of research endeavors, ensuring their practical applicability in the field.

Objectives:

Collaborators at the experimental stations in AL, AR, CA,CT, DE, GA, USDA-ARS (GA), HI, IL, IA, IN, KY, MD, MI, MN, MS, NE, NC, PA, SC, TN, TX, and VA will work on research related to the following objectives:

1.) Advancing Sustainable Poultry Systems through Precision Management:

1.  Pre-harvest: This section will cover environmental control and management, housing, litter management, ventilation, lighting, pre-harvest food safety, nutrition, feed processing, behavior, and welfare.


2. Post-harvest: Post-harvest considerations will encompass food safety, processing methods, waste-water- management, offal, and rendering.


3. Environmental footprint: This section will explore avenues related to carbon footprint, nutrient utilization, production systems, and life cycle analysis.

2.) Fostering Innovative Production Practices through Research and Extension:

1. Pre-harvest: This section will cover incubation and hatchery, reproductive physiology, nutrient excretion reduction, precision nutrition, alternative feed ingredients, NAE/ABF practices, alternative feeding strategies, gut health, gut microbiome, poultry health and disease management, alternative sustainable production systems, production systems under regulatory exemption, economic analysis, and bird welfare. Various research initiatives are underway.


2. Post-harvest: This section will cover cutting-edge processing methodologies, production systems under regulatory exemption, and the quality of meat and eggs.


3. Outreach and training: This section will cover various aspects of outreach and training that several of the universities will and are pursuing.


4. Poultry economics: This section will cover the aspect of how poultry economics plays a role in conducting the studies to answer some of the questions outlined in the objectives.

We have state of the art commercial poultry production facilities, which will allow us, to conduct research (AL, IA, IN, IL, MN, MS, NC, PA, and VA). Facilities with fully functioning processing plants for converting birds to food (GA and AL) are available for use. The specialized equipment located at these stations can enhance collaborative research efforts and could bring synergistic outcomes. Therefore, the collaborative use of these facilities by participating universities and USDA stations will maximize research productivity.

Due to the complexity of the poultry industry needs, research objectives addressed by this multi-state project could not, be accomplished at any single station/university. Each of the researchers has expertise and facilities to address some component(s) of poultry production efficiency, well-being, nutrition, environmental concerns, facility management, and/or technical monitoring of poultry environments and poultry processing. To best, comprehensively address the challenges facing the poultry industry identified in this project, a collaborative effort is necessary and will eliminate duplication of effort and conserve resources.

Data generated from these collaborative research efforts will enhance the resiliency of the poultry industry through real-time monitoring of facilities, leading to improved poultry welfare, performance, food safety and security throughout poultry production.

The successful completion of the objectives outlined in this proposal will lead to:

1. Incorporation of advanced science, engineering and technology into poultry production facilities to enhance system efficiency, and improve production efficiency and poultry well-being.


2. Identification of relationships between environmental, nutritional, and disease factors that affect poultry well-being, food safety, and economics.


3. Establishment and adoption of current and future poultry husbandry practices and development of a trained scientific workforce to address a changing industry landscape.


4. Development of new antimicrobial intervention technologies or processing methods to control foodborne pathogens in poultry and poultry products.