A $5 million "phase 2" expansion of the University of Georgia Poultry Research Center has great potential to help the state's $2.7 billion poultry industry, said UGA department head Henry Marks.

"This addition increases our capacity to conduct research across the board," said Marks, who heads the poultry science department of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

"The new facilities provide better environmental control for research projects and the opportunity to conduct research that more closely resembles industry conditions," Marks said. "The facilities both expand and improve our ability to conduct research of interest to the poultry industry."

Adams, Massey at Oct. 3 Dedication

The university will dedicate the new facility in a 5:30 p.m. ceremony Oct. 3. Remarks by UGA President Michael Adams and Georgia Poultry Federation Executive Director Abit Massey will highlight the event.

Tours of the facility, on South Milledge Avenue (Whitehall Road) near the State Botanical Garden, will be available from 4:30 to 5:30. Funding for the expansion comes from the UGA Comprehensive Animal Livestock and Poultry Facility project.

Marks said the expansion will give students more hands-on experience in many poultry science courses. "The new processing building, for instance, will allow students to obtain a better understanding of poultry processing techniques, further processing, new product development," he said.

"One of the primary goals in developing this facility," he said, "was to enhance our instruction program in poultry science. The new facility will also provide an opportunity for cooperative studies with industry to identify and solve problems as they emerge."