Published on April 22, 2021
Hybrid Turkeys is a proud partner in Iowa State University’s Turkey Teaching and Research Facility
On April 8, Iowa State University held an official ground-breaking for the Turkey Teaching and Research Facility. This will be the first turkey-focused research facility of its kind in any university in the country. We are proud to be one of the donors for this exciting initiative aimed at enhancing education, research, and sustainability in the turkey industry.
More than $2 million has been contributed from various industry partners for this state-of-the-art facility. Our commitment to this innovative project was finalized between Iowa State University and Hybrid Turkeys in March of last year.
The Turkey Teaching and Research Facility will provide a living classroom for hands-on learning in modern production practices, flexible space and state-of-the-art equipment for research that addresses current challenges facing the turkey industry. Many speakers at the ground-breaking noted that one of the goals of this project is to raise the bar in excellence related to turkey health, welfare, and nutrition.
Another goal in creating this new facility is to encourage students to pursue a career in the turkey industry. “This donor-funded facility will attract top notch faculty and students and pave the way for hands on learning and research opportunities,” said Julie Kenney, Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.
Iowa’s turkey industry is one of the largest in the United States, ranking seventh in turkey production and raising approximately 12 million turkeys annually. Poultry science has been part of the university’s curriculum for over a century, and the university has one of the world’s strongest research programs in poultry genetics, breeding, nutrition and management.
“In short, the results that we and our partners make happen here, will help grow the turkey industry’s economic contributions to our state economy, which is now more than 10 billion annually,” said Wendy Wintersteen, President, Iowa State University.
Congratulations to all organizers and stakeholders in accomplishing the first milestone in this exciting initiative.
To sustain our industry, we need to act now on the needs of tomorrow. Through partnerships like this we are collaborating to bring excellence throughout the value chain.
