Research has indicated that restricting antibiotics in poultry production can negatively impact bird health, production efficiency, and the environment. With the U.S. being the world’s largest producer of poultry, and considering the Food and Drug Administration’s plan to phase out antibiotic growth promoters in broiler production (chickens raised for meat), researchers at Prairie View A&M University and the University of Connecticut are collaborating on a project to ensure the sustainability of poultry production and meet future demand.
The UConn-led “Systems-Based Integrated Program for Enhancing the Sustainability of Antibiotic-Restricted Poultry Production” gathers PVAMU researchers and several other collaborators from academia, industry and government agencies to explore ways of improving bird, human, and environmental health and increase consumer acceptability and economic returns to farmers. To support these efforts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $10 million to a consortium led by UConn with a sub-award totaling $450,000 awarded to PVAMU.
“This collaborative, USDA-sponsored project and the research emerging from PVAMU’s Center for Energy & Environmental Sustainability are paving the way for scientific and technology breakthroughs in energy engineering,” said PVAMU Vice President of Research and Innovation Dr. Magesh Rajan. “PVAMU students assisting with the project will gain invaluable experience in food safety and agricultural production and will be fully equipped to enter a diverse and competitive workforce of engineers and energy experts.”
The principal investigator on the project is UConn’s CAHNR Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies and Professor of Animal Science, Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan. Collaborating with Dr. Venkitanarayanan are Dr. Raghava Kommalapati, PI and director of PVAMU’s NSF-funded Center for Energy & Environmental Sustainability and professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Hongbo Du. Dr. Du was a CEES research scientist leader but recently moved to Tarleton State University to serve as an assistant professor.
Raghava Kommalapati, Ph.D.
“This is a $10 million, multi-university and multi-agency project that brings together experts in different fields to enhance the sustainability of poultry production,” said Dr. Kommalapati. “My team and I are involved with developing tools to monitor air quality in poultry houses and conducting life cycle analysis for converting poultry litter into high-value products.”
Dr. Kommalapati recently finished a USDA project centered on goat manure and is currently working on developing treatment methods for reusing poultry slaughterhouse wastewater and ways to dispose of solid waste efficiently while recovering energy.
This current project with UConn “aims to help poultry growers raise chickens that are free from illness and help increase the overall yield to meet the demands of consumers,” Dr. Kommalapati said.
