Wilkes Community College’s (WCC)Applied Animal Science Technology program was awarded a $7,000 grant from the U.S. Poultry and Egg Harold E. Ford Foundation (USPOULTRY) through a gift given in part by Case Farms. Grant monies are to help recruit students to the program to train for employment in the poultry industry. The foundation provides annual recruiting and retention funds to colleges and universities to attract students to their poultry programs.
Frank Blevins, lead instructor for the Animal Science and Poultry Management Technology programs, played a key role in getting this grant. “Wilkes Community College is thrilled to partner with the US Poultry Foundation on this grant. It allows us to provide educational opportunities for the community that includes students of all ages. WCC’s Applied Animal Science and Poultry Management Technology programs prepare students for careers in the production of livestock such as beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, poultry, sheep, goats, and swine as well as other careers related to the animal science industry.”
The poultry industry adds millions annually to local, regional, and state economies. Wilkes County ranks second in the state in broiler (poultry) production, third in the state in all forms of cattle production, tenth for egg production, and third in the state in beef cattle production. Alleghany and Ashe counties rank twelfth and thirteenth, respectively, in the state in all forms of cattle production. For more information about the Animal Science or Poultry Management Technology programs at Wilkes Community College, contact Frank Blevins at 336-838-6188 or fdblevins615@wilkescc.edu.
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association established the USPOULTRY Foundation in 1994 to provide student recruiting funds to universities with poultry science departments. In 2004, the Poultry Science Education Funding Program, now named the Industry Education Recruitment Funding Program, was added to the Foundation’s umbrella so other colleges and universities that offer industry-related studies are eligible to apply for recruiting grants.
Front row l-r: Stacie Taylor, Chair of Applied Engineering Tech Area; Haley Bowman, Kristi Drake, Kara Kennedy, Samantha Holms, Tabitha McConkey, Frank Blevins, lead instructor for the Animal Science and Poultry Management programs; Dr. Jeff Cox, WCC president; Arianna Miller, Sarah Stikes, Isabel Fonseca, and Rebeca Wilson, Allison Phillips, vice-president of Institutional Advancement; and Ronald Dollyhite, dean of Applied Career Technologies
Back row l-r: Paul Cooper, Dylan Spicer, Mason Swaim, Heinz Spitzly, Tristan Talley, and Isaac Edminston