UPCOMING EVENTS
2012 International Poultry Exposition
January 24-26, 2012
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, GA
ATRP IN THE NEWS
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS
The current issue of PoultryTech is
online. The new format includes a combination of articles to provide more timely and relevant information that is of interest to a broader cross-section of readers, as well as researcher spotlights and short news and information updates.
Subscribe Now – PoultryTech’s Summer Issue is Going Green!
To receive the electronic edition of PoultryTech’s Summer issue, please subscribe online at http://www.atrp.gatech.edu/subscribe.html. Simply complete the short form and click submit. It’s that easy!
PoultryTech - Summer 2011
ATRP 2010 Annual Report
ATRP Program Brochure
SPECIAL INTEREST
Dr. Doug Britton, ATRP Program Manager
Special to Poultry Times
How do we become relevant players in the public and political discourse about the future of agriculture without becoming politicos and policy pundits ourselves? How do we as the poultry community become the "go-to" resource that the federal agencies rely on for information and guidance when forming these programs?
The answer begins with: Cast the Vision! Thinking outside the box for just a moment, envision what poultry production could look like ideally in 10, 20, or even 50 years from now? Will we still be raising birds the same way? Will "hot-deboning" be the accepted method for removing the meat from the frame? Will irradiation systems be standard equipment in all plants for ensuring food safety? Might the chiller become a thing of the past? Now, with some of these thoughts fresh in our minds, consider what advancements will be required to achieve this vision? While this is just a simple exercise, it provides a glimpse into the process that will be required for us to first generate a vision, and then build a roadmap of the priorities and the steps required to tackle the hurdles that exist between our current reality and our future vision.
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RESEARCH NEWS
ATRP is now on Facebook
 GTRI’s Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) is now on Facebook, featuring information about exciting research initiatives underway, interesting poultry and food industry news, industry events, photos, videos, and more! We invite you to become a fan by clicking the “like” button on our page — www.facebook.com/ATRP.GTRI
A Message from Doug Britton, ATRP Program Manager
This second edition of the ePoultryTech newsletter highlights the major activities that are the focus of the FY12 research program. These efforts largely seek to address the Technology Innovation and Development needs of the poultry industry by exploring new options and solutions to critical issues. Often these involve adapting proven technologies or approaches that have been well established for other applications, and at other times they require exploring possibilities well “outside the box.” In both cases there are many challenges in taking an effort from a concept all the way through to a viable prototype, but our dedicated ATRP team is committed to working with our industry, agency and academic partners to make this happen.
Researchers with GTRI’s Agricultural Technology Research Program begin FY 2012 with the continued goal of providing state-of-the-art applied engineering technology research and development to the poultry industry. The program focuses efforts in four key research thrusts: automation, food safety, environmental management, and worker safety technologies.
By Gary McMurray, division chief of the Food Processing Technology Division
Special to Poultry Times
The development of the poultry industry in the state of Georgia and the United States has been an incredible American success story. From humble roots, this industry evolved from small production facilities selling whole birds to local customers, to larger companies selling products in their specific geographic regions, to the vertically integrated, international companies of today.
During this evolution, the companies have been able to produce a better product at a lower cost to the customer while still making a reasonable profit. But, what will the process of poultry production look like in 10-20 years? How will the industry survive against threats from foreign competitors and compete in the global market?
For those of us that work in a research environment, we are constantly asking ourselves the question: how can we do it better?
The 2011 National Safety Conference for the Poultry Industry was held June 1-3, at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront Hotel located in Savannah, Georgia. The conference attracted 62 total attendees and vendors representing 39 companies and organizations from 18 different states. Conference participants had the opportunity to listen and learn from a variety of speakers.
ATRP together with the Georgia Tech Schools of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety organized the first-ever Workshop on Novel Sampling and Sensing for Improving Food Safety. Held at GTRI’s Conference Center on June 16-17, the workshop drew 132 attendees, representing industry, government, and academia. With the goal of stimulating innovative approaches for improving food safety through advanced sensing and novel sampling methods, workshop presentations provided attendees with lectures on topics ranging from the Food Safety Modernization Act to novel approaches for pathogen isolation and detection.
Full name: Colin Trevor Usher
Job title: Research Scientist II
Areas of research expertise: Software development, image processing, system integration, and robotics |
Manager's Corner
Robotic challenges for poultry plants
Researcher Profile: Colin Usher