Perdue Farms Delivers $25,000 Grant In Support Of Delaware Valley University's New Poultry Science Center In Pennsylvania

Doylestown, PA (10/11/2023) — Delaware Valley University (DVU) received a $25,000 grant for a new poultry science center on its main campus in Doylestown. The grant has been funded through the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. The donation from Perdue's charitable giving arm is part of the company's Delivering Hope to Our Neighbors initiative focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities.

DVU plans to build a state-of-the-art poultry science center to develop a highly skilled workforce for the poultry industry. The center will provide a framework for a poultry science program and offer students onsite poultry experience. It will include a broiler building, layer building and pen research trials building.

"The growth in the poultry industry has resulted in an increased demand for students educated in poultry science," said Dr. Broc Sandelin, dean of agriculture and environmental sciences. Industry leaders have identified difficulties in filling roles within their operations. Despite the increased need for college-educated students in poultry science, academic programs in the country have declined. "There are only six stand-alone poultry science departments in the United States," he added. "These programs cannot produce the graduates required to sustain the industry."

"In addition to increasing student success in the industry and generating cost-effective research, the center will benefit the community by combating food insecurity with donated poultry products," Sandelin said.

The U.S. poultry industry is the world's largest producer and second-largest exporter of poultry meat and a significant egg producer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in October 2020.

Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation, said Delaware Valley's poultry science center will benefit the industry and consumers.

"A poultry science program at DVU will open new avenues for students and provide research that can help poultry producers," she said. "Perdue is proud to support the Poultry Science Center."

About Delaware Valley University

Delaware Valley University is a private, comprehensive, nonprofit university educating students with a curriculum that emphasizes and requires experiential learning. Located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, the University offers 28 undergraduate majors in business, arts and sciences, and agricultural and environmental sciences; ten master's degrees; and a doctorate in education. Founded in 1896, DelVal has been cited by the National Society for Experiential Education as having the country's top experiential learning program, by Princeton Review as one of the best colleges in the Northeast, and by College Factual as having one of the top 20 animal science programs in the country.

About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation

The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture.

About Perdue Farms

We're a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE brand, Niman Ranch, Coleman Natural, and Yummy, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms and Full Moon, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com.

Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.

Now in our company's second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.

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