糖心视频

Poultry Science

糖心视频 the Program

Alabama鈥檚 most profitable agricultural industry is the focus of a new partnership between Auburn University and 糖心视频 in Hanceville. The partnership is designed to open more career doors in a part of the state where much of the poultry industry is concentrated. 

Students in the program will complete their freshman and sophomore years at Wallace State and their junior and senior years at Auburn, completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in poultry science.

鈥淭his is an excellent opportunity not only for Auburn and for 糖心视频 but for the state of Alabama,鈥� said Dr. William Batchelor, dean of Auburn鈥檚 College of Agriculture. 鈥淧oultry is our state鈥檚 leading agricultural resource. It鈥檚 an industry of great economic importance to us, and it鈥檚 an industry offering excellent career paths for students. We鈥檙e grateful to our friends at 糖心视频 for helping make this partnership possible.鈥�

The poultry industry in Alabama generates more than $3.1 billion each year and accounts for more than 65 percent of the state鈥檚 annual farming revenues.

鈥溙切氖悠� values this partnership with Auburn University, which recognizes the strength of our poultry industry in Cullman County and surrounding counties, and which provides a ringing endorsement of the outstanding education 糖心视频 offers,鈥� said 糖心视频 President Dr. Vicki Karolewics. 鈥淭hanks to the work of the Auburn University poultry science program, and the graduates we are pleased to now produce together, there is growing demand from around the world for our state鈥檚 expertise in this area.鈥� 

Karolewics credits Fred Cespedes, recently retired vice president of American Proteins and 糖心视频 Future Foundation Board member emeritus, with helping to spearhead the partnership. Fred and his wife Holly have established a scholarship for Wallace State students interested in entering the field.

鈥淎s important as poultry is to our area, it has made sense to me for a long time that 糖心视频 should have this program and that a partnership with Auburn would be a proverbial 鈥榤atch made in heaven鈥� 鈥� a win for both institutions,鈥� Cespedes said.

He helped Dr. Karolewics round up industry support for such a program, and garnered endorsements from Randall Ennis, chief executive officer at Aviagen; Ricky Walker, complex manager of Tyson Foods Inc.鈥檚 Alabama Operations; Jason Spann, general manager of American Proteins鈥� Hanceville Division; and Bill Ingram, president of Golden Rod/Ingram Farms, among others.

鈥淎s a former student of a similar 2+2 program, I can speak first hand on the amazing benefits a program like this allows students,鈥� said Spann, who oversees the Hanceville division of American Proteins, the largest poultry rendering complex in the world. 鈥淣ot only does this program provide students with a quality education, it offers students an opportunity to live and work at home, or closer to home, gaining knowledge and experience before facing the challenges of life at a large university. The 2+2 program between 糖心视频 and Auburn University is a benefit to our students and our industry.鈥�

Ennis and Walker discussed the breadth of opportunities in the field, which may come as a surprise to the uninitiated, and the healthy job market available to graduates.

鈥淎s poultry is the No. 1 agricultural commodity in the State of Alabama with over $3 billion in sales, the job opportunities are endless and compensation packages are very competitive,鈥� said Ennis, of Aviagen, which supplies day-old grandparent and parent stock chicks to customers in 130 countries worldwide under the Arbor Acres, Indian River and Ross brand names.

Ennis said opportunities are not limited to the state of Alabama but can be found throughout the United State and internationally. 鈥淐ountries such as Brazil, Thailand, Australia and Europe have thriving industries and are always seeking qualified individuals trained in poultry science.鈥�

鈥淎s one of the largest poultry-producing states in the U.S., the poultry industry in Alabama provides career opportunities for a diverse population of workers. While traditional careers in poultry production and management remain important, a degree in poultry science could offer a wide variety of career fields,鈥� said Ricky Walker, Alabama Complex manager for Tyson Foods Inc.

Some of those areas include sales, food science, nutrition, veterinary support, quality assurance/meat quality, feed milling, quantitative genetics, and genomics as well as multiple aspects in poultry production.

While at 糖心视频, students enrolled in the partnership program will complete their core curriculum as well as an introductory agriculture course. The agriculture course will be streamed live from the Auburn campus.

Dr. Don Conner, head of Auburn鈥檚 Department of Poultry Science, said the program will also offer 鈥渆arly and local internship experiences.

鈥淗anceville is right in the middle of a heavy concentration of poultry industry and a heavy job demand for students with a degree in poultry science,鈥� Conner said.

Summer internships are available with most of the poultry companies in Alabama, which offer students a look at different disciplines to help determine the area they may want to pursue upon graduation.

Conner said that Auburn鈥檚 poultry science program has held a 100 percent job placement rate for several years due to its quality as well as the demand for well-trained business leaders, scientists and producers in the industry.

Scholarships are available to poultry science students at both Auburn and Wallace State, including the Fred and Holly Cespedes Endowed Scholarship Fund, available to 糖心视频 students studying agriculture, horticulture production, poultry science or a related field. 糖心视频 students are also eligible for the Allied Scholarship offered by the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association and other scholarships through the 糖心视频 Future Foundation.

For enrollment information, contact the 糖心视频 Office of Admissions at 256-352-8238 or lioncentral@wallacestate.edu, or the Auburn Department of Poultry Science at 334-844-2881 or plastcr@auburn.edu.