The poultry industry in Pennsylvania accounts for almost $700 million in annual income at the farm level, making it the second largest agricultural industry in the state (behind the dairy industry). The following table shows the relative size of the different segments of the poultry industry in Pennsylvania.
|
Industry |
Production
|
Value |
National
ranking
|
|
Table eggs |
6.66 billion |
$ 304 |
3 |
|
Broilers |
132 million |
$ 287 |
14 |
|
Turkeys |
9.5 million |
$ 98 |
8 |
|
Chickens**a |
29.3 million |
$ 47 |
4 |
*Source: Pennsylvania
Agricultural Statistics Service, 2001-02 Statistical Summary.
**All, excluding broilers.Includes 23.7 million laying hens, 5.6 million
pullets not of laying age, and 78,000 other chickens. Average egg production
of Pennsylvania flocks was 271 per hen/year.
It is imperative that the state maintains a strong Department of Poultry Science at Penn State. Sound University research and education programs will ensure the continued growth and development of the poultry industry and the availability of well-educated graduates to fill positions in the industry.
For the past decade, Penn State has been positioning itself to better serve the needs of Pennsylvania’s large and dynamic poultry industry. In June 1991, Dr. William Weaver, an extension poultry specialist from Virginia Tech, became Head of the Department of Poultry Science at Penn State. During the succeeding two years, Drs. Paul Patterson and Michael Hulet joined the faculty as extension poultry specialists. Their responsibilities include conducting applied research and extension education programs with the commercial egg, broiler, and turkey industries. In May 1994, a $6 million Poultry Education and Research Center was completed and dedicated. The center, which includes six separate building with 50,000 square feet of floor space, provides the University with state-of-the-art research facilities for broilers, turkeys, ducks, and layers. In August 1999, Dr. Robert G. Elkin, a poultry nutritional biochemist from Purdue University, succeeded Dr. Weaver as department head. In the year that followed, the department obtained two new positions (one faculty and one Extension Associate) and is primed for further growth. In addition, the Department of Veterinary Sciences, under the leadership of Dr. Channa Reddy, recently began a program to bolster avian health expertise at Penn State that resulted in several new diagnostic/field investigator positions at the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory. These additions, in conjunction with programs currently being conducted by an extremely competent teaching and research-based faculty, have positioned the Poultry and Veterinary Science Departments to address the needs and opportunities that will face the Pennsylvania poultry industry in the future.
Several studies have been conducted to measure the monetary rates of return derived from investments in agricultural research. Although the economic benefits realized from individual projects varied tremendously (from zero to several hundred percent), the average annual rates of return among the privately funded poultry studies ranged form 20 to 60 percent. Larger producers and early adopters of new technologies generally were the major beneficiaries of the research findings. Funds invested in agricultural research also provided much higher rates of return than similar funds committed to industrial research. Within the agricultural section, funds committed to animal research produced greater dividends than those invested in other segments of agriculture.
Public funding for research needs has been reduced significantly since 1990. In an effort to correct this deficiency and to ensure that Pennsylvania maintains a sound research base to support its poultry industry, the Pennsylvania Poultry Industry Research Check-off Program was established in 1995. Through a voluntary contribution of 10 cents per ton assessed on all feed used by poultry in the state, the broiler and egg programs have generated approximately $100,000 per year for applied research. Thus, the Research Check-off Program not only provides precious financial support aimed at solving today’s “real world” problems, but also gives the Pennsylvania poultry industry a direct portal into the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Funds are collected and held by the PennAg Industries Poultry Council. The Egg and Broiler Technical Advisory Boards, consisting of representatives from companies financially support the research effort, are responsible for setting priorities and allocating funds for various projects. Furthermore, when research is completed, results from the various studies will be the sole property of the Technical Advisory Boards and the supporting companies for a minimum of six months following the receipt of final project reports.
Page updated March 7, 2003.