Addressing Poultry Industry Research Needs

Industry and government have partnered to establish a new five- year research position in poultry products at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

The position is being funded by the Atlantic Poultry Research Institute and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing through Agri-Focus 2000, an industry development program.

Under the partnership, Dr. Bruce Rathgeber has been hired as a research professor at the college in Truro. His initial research efforts will concentrate on the effects of stress on poultry and subsequent meat quality.

"I am very pleased the poultry sector and the college have partnered to address the sector's specific research needs," said Ernest Fage, Minister of Agriculture and Marketing. "Research like this will provide the industry with the information it needs to continue to build on its already excellent reputation for producing high-quality poultry products."

"The poultry industry, through the Atlantic Poultry Research Institute, identified poultry products as one of the critical areas requiring research initiatives," said Dr. Derek Anderson, chair of the institute. "The appointment of Dr. Rathgeber will ensure that a very important area for the industry is addressed."

"We are pleased to have been able to respond to industry priorities in this manner through the financial support of the poultry industry and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Marketing," said Dr. Garth Coffin, principal of the college. "We are delighted to have Dr. Rathgeber with us and are counting on broad support for his work from across the region."

Dr. Rathgeber received his PhD in September of 1999 from the University of Saskatchewan in the Department of Applied Microbiology and Food Science.

In his new position, Dr. Rathgeber will work closely with industry, provide research support to college programs, assist graduate students and teach. Dr. Rathgeber, who is also director of the research institute, will work out of the college's Department of Animal Science.

Similar industry-government partnerships announced at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in recent years include research chairs in blueberries, carrots, turf grass, potatoes and cropping systems.