The USPOULTRY Foundation has awarded a $7,000 student recruiting grant to Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, Texas. SHSU’s School of Agricultural Sciences, housed within the College of Science and Engineering Technology, is one of the university’s largest academic units and serves 938 undergraduate and 31 graduate students. It is the fifth largest department at SHSU and ranks fourth in the number of graduating students each year.

The School of Agricultural Sciences offers seven Bachelor of Science degree programs, including Agricultural Business, Agricultural Communications, Animal Science, Plant and Soil Sciences and Interdisciplinary Agriculture. As part of the Animal Science undergraduate curriculum, students can take a dedicated Poultry Science course designed to introduce them to the poultry industry. Enrollment in poultry-related coursework has continued to grow steadily, reflecting strong student interest in the field.

Poultry education is further strengthened through extensive hands-on learning experiences. SHSU teaches five sections of poultry processing each year to approximately 140 students, with poultry processing serving as a core learning unit within the Meat Science course. The university also hosts the Area IX Poultry Judging Contest and has served as the home site for this event for more than 25 years. Contest stations include live bird evaluation, carcass placing, egg grading, parts identification and a written examination.

Funding from the USPOULTRY Foundation will support a variety of recruitment and outreach initiatives. Planned uses include secondary education outreach; Saturday@Sam, a biannual campus visitation event that introduces prospective students and families to academic programs and facilities; and Agcelerate Youth Outreach, which provides seminars, workshops and career exploration opportunities for Texas 4-H and FFA members. Additional funds will be used for broader career and education promotion efforts to strengthen student interest and engagement in poultry science and related fields. Graduates from SHSU’s agricultural programs have gone on to careers with state and federal government agencies, as well as leading poultry and agriculture companies such as Wayne-Sanderson Farms, Pilgrim’s and Cal-Maine Foods.

This grant is part of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s broader commitment to workforce development. In total, the Foundation board approved $331,292 in student recruiting grants to 27 colleges and universities across the U.S. with poultry science or industry-related programs. These annual funds help institutions attract and retain students in poultry studies and are made possible through contributions from companies, individuals and families, as well as proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo.