Agricultural research and teaching methods will be revolutionized with the opening of the new poultry and animal nutrition center.
"This is a big milestone for Auburn University," said Mitchell Pate, director of the poultry science center, "not only in training students, but providing a service to the state of Alabama because poultry is the largest agriculture income in the state."
The center will be a feed mill used to produce animal feed while also serving as a testing site for industry equipment.
"The poultry science department is a heavy research-oriented group," said Joe Hess, nutrition professor. "The new feed mill will give us the ability to very accurately make research feeds to test different ingredients."
Hess said there are 26 feed mills in Alabama that specialize in poultry feed.
"The feed mill is designed to make different types of feed, like a mash or pellet-type feed," Pate said. "We'll also be putting in new technology equipment to do testing for manufacturing companies to see what type of equipment will save them money and increase the quality of feed."
Conner said the new center is more student friendly.
"It will be a really good environment for teaching our students modern feed science technology," said Donald Conner, department head of poultry science." It also gives us a modern manufacturing environment for making foods for animals."
Hess said the center will provide better training for future jobs.
"People get trained on the job for working in them." Hess said. "So we'd like for the students to have seen some feed milling and know what they are talking about before they go out and work in the agriculture industries."
Conner said the current feed mill is outdated since it was built 35 to 40 years ago.
"We can meet our basic needs with that," Conner said. "But moving into the future and really having something that serves as a good teaching facility and good research facility, we don't have anything comparable to it."
Pate said the new feed mill will be a major improvement.
"At the new center, students will be able to do hands-on research," Pate said. "We'll be able to bring in feed mill managers and nutritionist from the industry and actually touch the equipment, see how it works."
The new center, which has been in planning stages since 2008, is projected to be built and operational by this time next year.
Conner said funds for the project are donated by individuals and corporations and that people in the industry have been supportive of the center from the beginning.
"Within a year's time, we had commitments of over $1 million worth of equipment for this feed mill," Conner said. "The total project budget will be a little over $6 million."
Hess said the center, which will be located north of the fisheries, will serve many needs across campus.
"Animal science does a lot of research as well as the fisheries department," Hess said. "The center gives teaching opportunities to several areas within the College of Agriculture."
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