New Egg Research Underway

AMES, Iowa — The Egg Industry Center at Iowa State University awarded three grants totaling over $186K as part of its 2018 EIC Research Grant Award Program. Award winners have started work researching hen welfare as it relates to environmental impact, identification of unknown bacteria within a disease model, and caretaker knowledge.

Funded research grants include:

• University of British Columbia, for work to develop methods and indicators for considering animal welfare outcomes in life cycle assessments (LCA) – specifically in regard to the type of housing system used. This research is led by Dr. Nathan Pelletier, assistant professor and Egg Farmers of Canada Industrial Chair in Sustainability.

• University of Georgia, for research using gene sequencing to identify an unknown bacteria present in the lesions of hens affected with Focal Duodenal Necrosis (FDN) to create a representative disease challenge model for industry. This project is led by Dr. Monique Franca, assistant professor of population health and pathology.

• Iowa State University, to create a template for identifying and responding to gaps in caretaker knowledge and skills resulting in short situation-based educational models. This work is led by Dr. Yuko Sato, assistant professor in diagnostic and production animal medicine.

The Egg Industry Center grant program funds research to help answer industry challenges through scientifically based solutions. The center has funded 22 research projects at 11 universities totaling over $1.2 million, since 2013. Completed research has helped to advance knowledge in virus transmission, genetic resistance, keel bone abnormalities, new market development and more.

For more information about partnering with the Egg Industry Center to support research funding, or to find more information on completed and on-going research, visit the center's research webpage.