Success for Midwest Poultry Consortium summer program

BY LOUISA SMITH, AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATION & MARKETING, BS '25

This summer, the CFANS department of animal science hosted the Midwest Poultry Consortium (MPC) Center of Excellence scholarship and internship program. For more than a quarter of a century, this program has been an esteemed part of educating and empowering the next generation of poultry scientists.

"It was a fulfilling experience to spend an eventful six weeks on the University of Minnesota Saint Paul campus with an excellent cohort of 35 students, teaching and caring for them and providing teaching and lab/farm resources to 20+ well-known faculty and industry speakers nationwide” said Anup Kollanoor Johny, UMN associate professor and MPC Center of Excellence program coordinator.

Johny was part of a team of animal science professors, including Ryan Cox and Kahina Boukherroub, who instructed courses in the program.

Students had many hands-on opportunities to learn in farms and labs. This included training with broiler chickens, layer hens, and roosters from the poultry research and teaching facility. Students also visited leading organizations in the industry, including the Cargill Global Innovation Center and Feed Mill, Pilgrims Processing plant, and the MinnWest campus including NovaTech, Vaxxinova, and Select Genetics Diagnostic lab.

Students who attended the program received 18 paid credits transferable to their university transcripts and be provided with paid industry internship opportunities.