Chook Chat Shack collaboration highlights the best of chicken meat research

The AgriFutures Chicken Meat Program collaborated with Poultry Hub and Australian Eggs to bring the Chook Chat Shack to life at the biannual Poultry Information Exchange.

The ‘Shack’ provided a space for conference attendees to learn about the latest poultry research, development and extension (RD&E) activities and connect with industry experts.

AgriFutures™ Chicken Meat Program Development Officer, Dr Kylie Hewson said the Shack collaboration offered an opportunity to talk about latest research with key stakeholders and highlight the impact of the program.

“I really enjoyed being in the space that we’d created collectively between the poultry RD&E organisations. It was great to have lots of people, industry and researchers, coming into the Shack to meet, learn and discuss poultry RD&E,” said Dr Hewson.

“It’s through this type of engagement that great RD&E outcomes are achieved for the poultry industries. I look forward to creating the space again at the next PIX and making it even better.”

Outside the Chook Chat Shack the conference featured an impressive line-up of experts presenting on the latest research and industry priorities. AgriFutures™ Chicken Meat Program researchers featured heavily in the program, talking about projects focused on cooling sprinklers, welfare, Nuffield tours and more.

“The conference was also a great opportunity to connect people from different areas in the industry. For example, chicken meat farmers had the opportunity to network with younger people in the industry and there were a lot of conversations about what skill-sets the industry will need in the future,” said Dr Hewson.

A highlight of the PIX Conference was the announcement of the inaugural Gary Sansom Scholarship. The Scholarship was presented to University of Adelaide Honours student Ashlee Morgan for her project focused on attracting and retaining young people in the chicken meat industry.

“We need to take a collaborative approach to encourage younger people to get involved in the poultry industry. This Scholarship will give me the chance to take a break from my work and focus my energies into delivering my project, something which I am really passionate about,” said Ms Morgan.

AgriFutures™ Horizon Scholar Claire Nock said PIX gave her the opportunity to discover the challenges and opportunities in the industry.

“I went to a really fascinating talk about how we can improve energy usage in the industry by just focussing on a simple thing like light bulbs. There’s such a diverse range of delegates here and it has been a real experience hearing about different sides of the industry,” said Ms Nock.

Visit our AgriFutures™ Chicken Meat Program for more information about our Program R&D objectives.