What does it take to get an egg safely from the hen house to your refrigerator?
More science and technology than you might think.
Consumer demand for cage-free farming systems has led to investments in new technologies, sometimes well before the technologies are ready for mass adoption. Modern egg processing plants can wash, inspect, grade and package thousands of eggs every hour. Keeping those systems running safely and efficiently requires cutting-edge research, skilled workers and well-trained inspectors.
Soon, they’ll have a new place to learn and innovate.
NC State University has received a $3.5 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Research Facilities Act Program to help establish the National Egg Science and Technology (NEST) Program. The federal award matches $3.5 million already committed by industry partners, the Golden LEAF Foundation and NC State creating a $7 million investment in research and training infrastructure for the U.S. egg industry.
“There is tremendous value in bringing researchers, students, industry and government together around the same table and, in this case, the same equipment,” said Garey Fox, dean of NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “The NEST Program is exactly the kind of partnership a land-grant university should lead. We’re building capacity that will serve North Carolina while helping solve challenges for an industry that feeds people across the country.”
Filling a National Gap
The NEST program began with egg producers and industry partners who identified a critical gap in research, technology testing and workforce training and brought that need to NC State.
As their land-grant partner, NC State stepped up to help address it. Industry partners backed that vision with more than $1 million in early commitments, helping get the project off the ground.
The NEST program will provide something the United States does not currently have: a dedicated farm-to-fork program where researchers, federal regulators and industry professionals can work together to advance egg production and processing, food safety and workforce training.
Source : ncsu.edu